Effects of overfeeding on the digestive efficiency, voluntary physical activity levels, and fecal characteristics and microbiota of adult cats.

ABSTRACT: The incidence of feline obesity continues to rise despite it being a preventable disease. There are many risks and health perturbations associated with obesity, with several of those impacting a pet's quality of life, wellness, and longevity. Feline obesity is commonly studied, but most research has been focused on weight loss rather than weight gain. To our knowledge, feline studies have not examined the implications of overfeeding and weight gain on gastrointestinal transit time (GTT) nor the association it has with the fecal microbiota. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the effects of overfeeding and weight gain on apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD), GTT, blood hormones, serum metabolites, hematology, fecal microbiota populations, and voluntary physical acti

SUBMITTER: Opetz DL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10590176 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature