Research overview: body condition, obesity and feeding management in captive felids

Sedentary captive cats fed energy-dense diets are prone to obesity, which carries serious welfare and health consequences. This overview surveys body-condition management in felids: the prevalence and risks of overweight, including diabetes, arthritis, hepatic and cardiovascular problems, the use of body-condition scoring adapted for different species, and feeding strategies such as portion control, fast days mimicking natural feast-and-famine cycles, lower-energy or whole-prey diets and activity-promoting feeding enrichment. It examines the tension between using food as enrichment and reward and avoiding overfeeding, and the welfare importance of maintaining healthy weight for mobility and longevity. It discusses monitoring through cooperative weighing. The synthesis frames body-condition and feeding management as central to preventing diet-related disease and supporting long-term welfare in captive cats.