Feeding indoor cats just once a day could improve health

Date:
September 23, 2020
Source:
University of Guelph
Summary:
New research has found that feeding cats one large meal a day may
help control hunger better than feeding them several times a day.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
Got a cat that always seems hungry? New University of Guelph research
suggests you might want to reduce -- not increase -- how often you
feed them.


========================================================================== Animal nutrition specialists in U of G's Ontario Veterinary College
(OVC) and Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) have found that feeding
cats one large meal a day may help control hunger better than feeding
them several times a day.

The research, published in the journal PLOS One, revealed that cats
that ate one meal a day were more satisfied, which could result in less food-begging behaviour.

The results also suggest cutting back feeding frequency could help reduce
the risk of obesity by controlling cats' appetite and potentially making
them eat less -- an important discovery given that obesity is the most
common nutritional problem affecting cats.

"These findings may surprise the veterinary community and many cat
owners who have been told their animals need several small meals a
day," said study co- author Prof. Adronie Verbrugghe, a veterinarian
with OVC's Department of Clinical Studies, who specializes in companion
animal nutrition. "But these results suggest there are benefits to this approach." Previous research has examined the effects of meal frequency
on cat behaviour, but this study is the first to use a comprehensive
approach analyzing effects on appetite-suppressing hormones, physical
activity, energy expenditure and use of energy sources, said co-author
Prof. Kate Shoveller, an expert in animal nutrition with U of G's
Department of Animal Biosciences.



========================================================================== "There was no good research to back up the several-meals-a-day approach
that many owners hear, and so we wanted to put some real data behind
current feeding recommendations to be sure they were right for cats,"
she said.

The study involved eight healthy-weight, indoor cats under the age of five.  Each cat was exposed to both feeding regimens and each for
a total of three weeks, with the same diet and amount being offered in
either one meal or four meals. Some of the cats were fed only in the
morning, while the others were fed the same amount in four smaller meals.

The cats were equipped with activity monitors on harnesses to measure
their voluntary physical activity. Food intake was recorded daily, and
body weight was measured weekly. Researchers also measured cat metabolism through breath and blood.

Physical activity was higher in cats fed four times a day, but overall
energy expenditure was similar between the groups. The weights of the
cats in both groups did not change over the study period, no matter
which feeding schedule they were on.

Cats that ate just once a day had higher post-meal levels of three key appetite-regulating hormones, suggesting they were more satisfied. These
cats also showed lower fasting respiratory quotient, suggesting they
were burning their fat stores, which is key to maintaining lean body mass.



==========================================================================
The cats that ate only one meal a day also had a larger increase in
blood amino acids, meaning more protein was available to them to build
muscle and other important proteins. This is important given that many
cats lose muscle mass as they age, a condition known as sarcopenia.

"Physiologically, it makes sense that feeding only once a day would have benefits," said Shoveller. "When you look at human research, there's
pretty consistent evidence that there are positive health outcomes with intermittent fasting and improved satiety." Even big cats in the wild
engage in a form of intermittent fasting, the authors note, feasting
when they make a kill and fasting before the next one.

While their data suggest feeding once a day may be a good way to promote satiation and lean body mass, the researchers would like to do longer
studies.

"This approach is really yet another tool in a veterinarian or a cat
owner's toolbox for managing a cat's weight and keeping their animals
healthy and happy," said Verbrugghe, who is the Royal Canin Veterinary
Diets Endowed Chair in Canine and Feline Clinical Nutrition. "But we
always have to look at each individual animal and account for the cat's
and owner's lifestyle. So although this approach might be helpful to
promote satiety in some cats, it might not help another." The research
was funded with support from the Winn Feline Foundation and Simmons
Pet Food.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Guelph. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Alexandra Camara, Adronie Verbrugghe, Cara Cargo-Froom, Kylie Hogan,
Trevor J. DeVries, Andrea Sanchez, Lindsay E. Robinson, Anna K.

Shoveller. The daytime feeding frequency affects appetite-regulating
hormones, amino acids, physical activity, and respiratory
quotient, but not energy expenditure, in adult cats fed
regimens for 21 days. PLOS ONE, 2020; 15 (9): e0238522 DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0238522 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200923135117.htm

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