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Kittens That Nurse 7 Weeks or Longer Are Less Likely to Become Overweight Adult Cats.

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the suckling period length (SPL) on weight status among adult cats while taking into account putative risk factors. To this end, the body fat percentage of 69 client-owned cats was determined. A body fat percentage of >30% was used for overweight classification. Cat owners were interviewed using a standardised questionnaire to collect information about the SPL, age, breed, sex, feeding amount and frequency, daily playing and outdoor access. SPL was categorized into four groups (0-6, 7-11, 12-16, 17-24 weeks). Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between overweight and SPL after adjusting for identified risk factors. Of the 69 cats, 37 were overweight. The odds for overweight was three times lower in cats with a SPL > 6 weeks (OR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.10-0.99). This study identified a possible novel, modifiable early life risk factor for overweight in cats; the SPL. The results of this study indicate that allowing cats to nurse longer than 12 weeks might be a simple intervention to improve cat health and welfare.

SUBMITTER: van Lent D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8697871 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Kittens That Nurse 7 Weeks or Longer Are Less Likely to Become Overweight Adult Cats.

van Lent Denise D Vernooij Johannes C M JCM Stolting Marcellina M. MM Corbee Ronald Jan RJ

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI 20211201 12

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the suckling period length (SPL) on weight status among adult cats while taking into account putative risk factors. To this end, the body fat percentage of 69 client-owned cats was determined. A body fat percentage of >30% was used for overweight classification. Cat owners were interviewed using a standardised questionnaire to collect information about the SPL, age, breed, sex, feeding amount and frequency, daily playing and outdoor access. SPL ...[more]

PMID: 34944211

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Project description:ObjectivesAlthough lactation and suckling suppresses fertility in most mammals, some feline breeders have reported spontaneous oestrus during lactation, causing distress to kittens. This led the Official French Feline Pedigree Registry (Livre Officiel des Origines Félines - LOOF) to send a questionnaire to cat breeders requesting data on their last three litters. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of lactational oestrus, its impact on litters and potential associations with litter size, age, parity, breed and seasonality.MethodsAnswers from 108 breeders were collected, providing data on 238 litters in 23 different breeds. Data were also collected on successive litters from multiparous queens (n = 20) and were analysed separately from the 195 independent births.ResultsOf the 195 independent births with complete data sets, 96 (49%) queens came into oestrus during lactation, 37 (38%) of which were associated with loss of maternal interest (n = 20), milk quality variation (n = 2), clotted milk (n = 3), reduced milk quantity (n = 13), which in kittens led to reduced weight (n = 6), diarrhoea (n = 9), vomiting (n = 4), nausea (n = 2) or death (n = 4), and bottle feeding (n = 2), early weaning (n = 4) or modified litter behaviour (n = 1). A significant association was found between small litter size (one or two kittens) and the onset of lactational oestrus (P = 0.007) and between births occurring in February, March and April and lactational oestrus (P = 0.005); there was no association with age or breed.Conclusions and relevanceBreeders perceived a relationship in 38% of cases of lactational oestrus with maternal disinterest, clotted milk, reduced milk yield and in kittens, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhoea or even death. An association between small litter size and lactational oestrus was found, as well as with births occurring between February and April. Breeders presenting with at-risk females should be warned. Conservative and preventive measures such as contraceptive options are discussed as a possible therapy.

Project description:The first aim of these studies was to compare growth patterns of healthy kittens neutered during growth with growth standards created for sexually-intact kittens. A second aim was to clarify the impact of neutering in kittens on body composition and body shape. Study 1 was a retrospective observational study comparing median growth trajectories of healthy, client-owned domestic shorthair (DSH) kittens in optimal body condition and neutered at different ages, with previously-created growth standards from a similar, sexually-intact, population. The neuter groups contained between 3.0k and 9.3k cats. For all neuter groups in both sexes, the median growth trajectory inclined upwards after the procedure, with this being more marked in female than in male kittens. This upwards inclination was less marked for kittens neutered later during growth in both sexes, with the effect being least in kittens neutered after 28–29 weeks. Study 2 was an analysis of new body composition and zoometric data from a previously-published randomised study, comparing growth-related measures between 11 pairs of sexually-intact and neutered (at 19 weeks age) female DSH cats in a research population. Before neutering, the growth pattern in neutered kittens and sexually-intact kittens was similar, but neutered kittens were heavier by 52 weeks (mean difference in fold change vs. 10 weeks 1.34, 95-CI: 1.07–1.72), had a greater fat mass (mean difference in fold change vs. 10 weeks 1.91, 95-CI 1.09–3.21) and greater lean mass (mean difference in fold change vs. 10 weeks 1.23, 95-CI: 1.03–1.48). Abdominal girth (mean difference in fold change vs. 10 weeks 1.20, 95-CI: 1.04–1.39) and rib cage length (mean difference in fold change vs. 10 weeks 1.18, 95-CI: 1.02–1.36) were also greater, but there were no differences in other zoometric measurements. Veterinarians should consider the potential impact that neutering has on gain of adipose tissue, especially early neutering in female kittens. Bodyweight should be monitored closely during growth and especially after neutering to prevent inappropriate weight gain.

Project description:AimsMonocytes play a significant role in the development of atherosclerosis. During the process of inflammation, circulating monocytes become activated in the blood stream. The consequent interactions of the activated monocytes with the blood flow and endothelial cells result in reorganization of cytoskeletal proteins, in particular of the microfilament structure, and concomitant changes in cell shape and mechanical behavior. Here we investigate the full elastic behavior of activated monocytes in relation to their cytoskeletal structure to obtain a better understanding of cell behavior during the progression of inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis.Methods and resultsThe recently developed Capillary Micromechanics technique, based on exposing a cell to a pressure difference in a tapered glass microcapillary, was used to measure the deformation of activated and non-activated monocytic cells. Monitoring the elastic response of individual cells up to large deformations allowed us to obtain both the compressive and the shear modulus of a cell from a single experiment. Activation by inflammatory chemokines affected the cytoskeletal organization and increased the elastic compressive modulus of monocytes with 73-340%, while their resistance to shape deformation decreased, as indicated by a 25-88% drop in the cell's shear modulus. This decrease in deformability is particularly pronounced at high strains, such as those that occur during diapedesis through the vascular wall.ConclusionOverall, monocytic cells become less compressible but more deformable upon activation. This change in mechanical response under different modes of deformation could be important in understanding the interplay between the mechanics and function of these cells. In addition, our data are of direct relevance for computational modeling and analysis of the distinct monocytic behavior in the circulation and the extravascular space. Lastly, an understanding of the changes of monocyte mechanical properties will be important in the development of diagnostic tools and therapies concentrating on circulating cells.

Dataset Information

Kittens That Nurse 7 Weeks or Longer Are Less Likely to Become Overweight Adult Cats.

Publications

Kittens That Nurse 7 Weeks or Longer Are Less Likely to Become Overweight Adult Cats.

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