33. Cat Health and Pet Obesity

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Voice Over
Pets add life. Your guide to the latest in pet trends, products and the joy of the human animal bond with Kristen Levine and Chris Bonifati, powered by the American Pet Products Association and Dog TV.

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Kristen
Whoo hoo! Hey, Chris.

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Chris
Come back! Welcome back, everybody.

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Kristen
What's wrong? What's wrong?

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Chris
I mean, I'm just. I was.

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Kristen
Exhaling.

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Chris
Last night, and now we're actually recording this at 5:30 a.m. in a warehouse. Everybody. They look me up. I'm running on two hours of sleep and a gin martini. So this is one heck of an episode. But I want to say thank you, everybody, to listening to the podcast. I'm for Spotify, and I'm joined, as always, by the acute and astute Kristin Levine.

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Kristen
Oh, I like that.

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Chris
We do that to soothe tired. But you're looking, lovely and full of energy.

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Kristen
I did. I'm doing great. I did not attend the wedding last night. I was not drinking until 1:00 am, so I'm doing great.

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Chris
There we go. Those are. Those are positive. Those are positive things. But this week we are talking about everybody's, favorite kind of pet. That's right. The chunky, the chunky the absolute units. The roly poly is the flippers. It is pet obesity awareness week. So we're going to be talking about, you know, some tips and tricks on how to curb the weight of your favorite little roly polies.

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Chris
We've got some great guests lined up. We're going to share your stories. We're going to share some products to answer some of your questions. And I think that's all that's on on the menu.

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Kristen
I think so too. I would just add that, there's a very important reason why it's important that your pet is at a healthy weight. Several important reasons. So we're going to cover off on those two. So important topic, but we're gonna have a lot of fun with it, like we always do.

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Chris
Absolutely. So without further ado, let's get right into our

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Voice Over
Kristen and Chris present storytime.

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Chris
Okay, so, Kristen, my story is, I saw this article here that was from, you know, like a local Cincinnati news network, brought in, a few veterinarians to talk about pet insurance and I thought that that was a great thing to talk about.

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Chris
You know, we're talking about getting our animals health in order. So this week and, pet insurance is one of those things that's it's been around, but it's kind of new. Still, like it feels new. The companies are still figuring out. And with insurance, the way it works is the more people who use it, sort of the better insurance becomes.

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Chris
Right? Right. Increase that that pool. So we're kind of in this growth stage with with insurance. And a lot of people are asking about it confused what to get. And there was some interesting stuff in here. You know, one of the vets was talking about the difference between, you know, total wellness care and then emergency and procedural care.

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Chris
Right. And they actually recommend, that the illness care is better bang for your buck. Wellness is actually going to cost you less paying out of pocket, you know, if you're just doing the regular vet visits. But it's when those bills become large, and you have to have some type of procedure, or the animal is sick and needs medicine.

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Chris
I think most of us would agree that, generally speaking, our our six month checkups, they're not breaking the bank. You know, it's you. I pay I think it's like $170. They get the checkup, the X-rays, whatever they do at the vet. I really I really don't know. Not but nonetheless nonetheless, that's an expected expense. It's it's in the budget.

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Chris
I know it's coming. It's when those surprises pop up. Right? Right. That can be devastating.

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Kristen
Yeah. Because those surprises, whether it be illness or injury, can be very, very expensive. And that's what we typically we don't budget for those kinds of things. I mean, if we were, you know, good about having a leg, a little savings account for our pet. If an emergency were to happen, we wouldn't need pet insurance, but I don't.

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Kristen
I'm speaking for myself. I am I'm not that diligent about it. So, I've always had. Well, I shouldn't say I've always had pet insurance, but for the past ten, 12 years, I have had pet insurance for my pets. And it's it's been a lifesaver if.

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Chris
Yeah, when I'm, I'm going to be taking my first foray into it. Tiger does not have insurance because Tiger was born before pet insurance. You know that that archaic yeah. Being. But it's been very interesting reading about all this stuff. But, you know, with animal, or pet, I think it's pet obesity awareness Week. This week, if if your pet is overweight, they're at risk for some of those unplanned illnesses popping up.

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Chris
So your choices that I would recommend is either a, get that animal in shape, like, give them a little rocky montage and really get them going.

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Kristen
That it ended at and start.

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Chris
Yeah, start start looking into into pet insurance. My brother just recently went through the journey. He just adopted a new kitten, Clyde. Oh, Clyde, I think it's a, gastrointestinal issue. And luckily there is insurance involved and all that kind of stuff, so ended up, you know, has the medicine now everything's all good. But why why take that risk at this point with those unexpected expenses?

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Chris
So I thought it was an interesting read. I thought it was great to get some of these vets take on it. On on where, you're going to get the most bang for your buck. Yeah. And I think it's great that not only is the industry going, there's some there's some corporations that include pet insurance in their benefits package.

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Kristen
That's right. It's becoming if you're.

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Chris
You know what, Pete, if you're listening to this.

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Kristen
I mean, seriously, how could the American Pet Products Association not offer their employees pet insurance? That's a benefit.

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Chris
Okay, I might add, that might have just gotten me fired, but I said it.

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Kristen
Well, and I just want to add to that because I, I used to write a lot about pet insurance on on the Pet Living blog, and I can tell you that veterinarians love it when you have pet insurance, because they're able to proceed with plan A with the best plan for your pets, you know, recovery or treatment or what have you.

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Kristen
But but all too often, the pet parent isn't prepared for that expense. And so, you know, the vet has to kind of offer a plan B or plan C, and everybody wants the best for the pet. And all too often we have to make decisions based on finances. And having pet insurance removes that element of the decision.

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Chris
Absolutely. You're you are, as always, completely right.

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Kristen
Oh, please.

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Chris
My husband, what's your story?

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Kristen
Well, Chris, we are vibin today because my story is also a pet insurance story.

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Chris
Oh, wow. Is it from a local Cincinnati? Well.

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Kristen
I gotta say, I was worried when you said you had a pet insurance. I'm like, oh, man, I got to pick another story now, but this one is not. This is, Have you ever heard of the annual Hambone Awards?

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Chris
You know, I, I cannot say I have.

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Kristen
Okay, so nationwide pet insurance does this contest every year where they award the most unique or unusual pet insurance claims, and it's hilarious. So there. Oh, no. Yeah. So, let me see here a dog named Luna. She's from Massachusetts. She pulled out an entire kitchen cabinet and ate corncobs out of the trash when her mom left the house for a little bit.

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Kristen
Now, apparently, her mom, they've been crate training Luna, but she doesn't like to be in her crate, so her mom thought, well, you know, I'm just going to run a quick errand. I'm going to let her have one quick one.

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Chris
Famous last.

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Kristen
Word. That's how that's how the stories always start. So she leaves Luna for like 15, 20 minutes to run to the store. She comes back and she literally, she says, I looked up the stairs and saw my cabinet was gone and and she she pulled out the entire thing, including the track and the barrel, I guess the trash barrel.

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Kristen
This is probably, I'm guessing, was the cabinet that has the trash in it. Yeah. So the barrel, the trash barrel was flung into the dining room, and not only has she torn apart the cabinet, but she had gobbled down a couple of corncobs which this is where this is where the problem comes in, because that can cause intestinal intestinal obstructions.

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Kristen
So, Lori did the right thing. She, rather than being angry at Luna, she scooped her up, put it in the car, took her straight to the vet where they were able to treat her and had a very good end result. So Luna won the Hambone award this year.

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Chris
Oh, congrats, Luna.

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Molly
Luna, put that.

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Chris
Hambone right next to those corncobs.

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Kristen
And she actually has is a picture of her with her little Hambone award. It looks like a Grammy. It's got like it's got like a little hambone on it. And oh, I was trying to find the other chicks because there were a couple runners up and, let me see who they are. The one runner up was Archie, who, literally ran through the front door.

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Kristen
I guess I obviously had a glass, you know, panel ran through the front door to greet the postman. So, that's let.

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Chris
Me tunes stuff.

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Kristen
That is Looney Tunes.

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Molly
I.

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Chris
Bet you before he started running, he did like that.

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Kristen
Oh, I'm sure, I'm sure, I'm sure. But anyway, just another reason to have pet insurance. Because you don't know what those crazy pets are going to do.

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Chris
And maybe, maybe, just maybe, your story will be wild enough for you. A ham, a word, right? Which is awesome. That's a good story, Kristen.

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Voice Over
Beyond the Leash Exploring the untold stories of pet passion and professionalism.

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Kristen
Our guest now is Molly DeVoss. She's a highly certified and dedicated feline behavior specialist with a mission to transform the lives of cats and their guardians. That's us with credentials including, Certified Feline Training and Behavior Specialist, certified Cat Behavior Consultant, Fear Free Certified Trainer, and Certified Reiki Master, and teacher Molly brings a wealth of knowledge and compassion to her work.

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Kristen
She utilizes positive reinforcement techniques to modify and prevent unwanted behaviors in cats. And helping helping cats express their natural instincts in ways that are harmonious with their human families. Molly splits her time between Dallas and Santa Fe, New Mexico with her husband Dewey, and her cat. I love this name. Pico de Gato. Welcome, Molly. That's my favorite cat name.

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Kristen
I love that welcome.

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Molly
Thank you. Thank you for having me. I love to talk about cats any time. And yeah.

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Chris
Me too, me too.

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Kristen
Oh, we love it too, Chris. Especially. So, Molly, what are some of the common misconceptions that Cat for that people have about cat behavior? And how can understanding those those things help improve our relationship with our kitties?

00:11:08:03 - 00:11:37:14
Molly
Well, you know, cats, I think the most important thing for people to understand is that cats really haven't evolved all that much from their wild cat ancestors, both physically and physiologically, and really in a lot of ways, emotionally. They have learned there have been some changes in their brains that allows them to not be as fearful of us, but they need in the home all the things that they would naturally be doing out there in the wild.

00:11:37:16 - 00:11:57:18
Molly
And that goes to everything, to what we're feeding them and their activities and how they're using the bathroom. And so, so many things. So I think that's the the main thing is study their wild cat ancestors and facilitate those behaviors in your home.

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Chris
Yeah. That's great. Well, I, you know, I hear a lot of people try to tell me cats are not trainable. You can't train a cat, you can't get them. And and I already see the look on your face. Foolish. They are fools. So explain to them how wrong they are.

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Molly
In fact, I did a clicker training class just these last two weekends here locally, you can absolutely teach a cat to do anything it wants to do right?

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Chris
Anything it wants to do. And I love that little, that little caveat in there. Anything it wants to do. Yeah, absolutely.

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Molly
But training cats is so important because you know, they lose when we keep them in captivity. And I recommend that I don't recommend letting your cats live outdoors because that's natural. Build a patio. That's awesome. But do keep your cats confined indoors because it's safer and they live longer. But they need that mental stimulation of problem solving that's so important they lose that when we keep them in captivity.

00:13:01:07 - 00:13:25:09
Molly
And so training helps them to figure out what's going on. And the big difference between training a dog and a cat is a dog will do something to please you. A cat will do something for the treat that you give it so very important to have a high value treat when you're training a cat. And then once it kind of gets it, the cat thinks it's trained you.

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Molly
The cat thinks, oh, watch, I know how to get her to give me a treat. All I have to do is sit up and I get a treat.

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Kristen
That's great. That's great. Yeah. So you just mentioned that you were doing some clicker training recently. What were you what are some of the common things that you were teaching people to teach their cats to do?

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Molly
Well, one of the things first, again, we start off with a, a high quality treat and one that's easy to dispense and doesn't get them to full because as soon as the cat's full, it's over. You know, clicker training and a training session is over. I like to use the the licking lab treats because they're they're liquid and they're easy to dispense.

00:14:05:09 - 00:14:33:04
Molly
So the first thing I teach them is come. And we use visual cues with cats, cats pick up on visual cues I think much quicker than they do auditory cues. So we teach them come and then we teach them to follow the finger when we turn that into spin. And then the really good students we can teach, sit and then up, and then we'll teach them to start jumping through hoops and things like that.

00:14:33:09 - 00:14:39:00
Molly
So at this last class, we were able to get to to all of that in the class. It was lots of fun.

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Kristen
That's awesome.

00:14:40:14 - 00:14:43:07
Molly
Come to Santa Fe, I'll do a clicker training class for you.

00:14:43:08 - 00:14:52:20
Chris
I feel like I need clicker training. I do, yeah okay. Yeah. Like I gotta get Chris Clicker trained. Yeah I'm food motivated. So I think work.

00:14:52:22 - 00:14:55:18
Molly
Yeah. Positive reinforcement works for all species.

00:14:55:20 - 00:15:15:07
Chris
Absolutely, absolutely. So we mentioned during the introduction that you're a Reiki master. So how do you integrate Reiki into your work with cats? And maybe for some of the folks out there, definitely not me, who may not be familiar with what Reiki is, can you give a quick rundown and how you use it to help benefit cats and their behavior?

00:15:15:11 - 00:15:40:08
Molly
Sure, Reiki is a is an energy healing. We we basically take energy that's free energy all around us and channel that into the, usually laying of hands or hands close to the animal. We do distance Reiki as well, but I use my Reiki primarily in a shelter setting, so I deal with the highly stressed cats in a shelter.

00:15:40:10 - 00:16:04:19
Molly
I have a national free to shelters program. I make a little plug for because it's free go to feline right@home.com and shelters can join for free. And I teach the volunteers and staff how to work with the highly stressed cats. Well, another aspect of that is delivering Reiki helps calm them down. It also helps when I'm fostering.

00:16:04:19 - 00:16:32:05
Molly
I like to foster cats with amputation is hip FHA, which is a hip surgery. The Reiki helps healing to happen faster, so I use it primarily. There. I'll use it if I'm if I'm in a consult with a client and I can I can detect that there's some stress coming from the environment. It'll just helps to calm and reduce the stress in the cat.

00:16:32:07 - 00:16:48:03
Kristen
Molly, I know you. You've, you mentioned working with shelter cats, and I know one of your passions is reducing, euthanasia of cats in shelters. Can you talk to us a little bit about some of the programs, that have been particularly effective in achieving that goal?

00:16:48:05 - 00:17:08:21
Molly
Absolutely. So, you know, behavior issues are a big reason why people surrender their cats. They're either fighting with the other cat and they don't think they can resolve it, or they've stopped using the litter box, or they've become aggressive to the humans, you know, and and they don't feel like they can live with this animal any longer, and they surrender them to the shelter.

00:17:08:23 - 00:17:32:10
Molly
Shelter euthanasia is the number one cause of death in cats in the United States. We euthanize a lot of cats, and when cats get into this shelter, then they are highly stressed. More so than dogs, because cats are very, very territorial. So we've now removed them from their familiar territory and plopped them down into this strange environment with a bunch of strange cats around.

00:17:32:10 - 00:18:01:17
Molly
And they're being handled in ways that they may not want to be. And it's it's just a horrible situation. So and we're confining them to a tiny cell. So a lot of times they'll react with defensive aggression. And shelters are sadly just overflowing right now with animals. And capacity for care is stretched super thin. And when you get to that standpoint, you have to look around a shelter and go, we've got to make space.

00:18:01:22 - 00:18:27:18
Molly
So what do you look at? You look at the the animals that are least adoptable. And those are the stressed animals that may be, you know, displaying aggression or certainly not allowing people to touch them and pet them and act like the cute little kitties. Everybody wants to come adopt. So they're they're very much at risk. So my goal is to help people keep cats in the home once a bad behavior has developed.

00:18:27:22 - 00:18:53:00
Molly
But more than that, I want people to learn how to keep that cat happy in the home before the behavior even develops. So really preventative measures are are where we start. And sadly, you know, I have to intervene once there is a problem already developed in the home or once the cat's in the shelter and become a problem in the shelter.

00:18:53:00 - 00:19:21:10
Molly
So this program we teach behavior modification tools. So it teaches them how to how to bond with the cats, how to make the cats more trusting and provide a craft has sponsored it. They're actually the makers of this this treat that cats just love. I tried every treat under the sun and that's the one. So they're providing free treats to the shelter so that this bonding process can happen.

00:19:21:15 - 00:19:44:19
Molly
So we do counter conditioning. We do operant conditioning. We do some clicker training with our overstimulated cats in the shelters. So where I teach all these behavior modification tools through the feline right at home program, so that these cats can come around faster and and hopefully not be a sad statistic.

00:19:44:21 - 00:19:45:07
Kristen
Right?

00:19:45:10 - 00:20:18:18
Chris
Right. Yeah. That's absolutely amazing work. Molly. And and now that you mention it, when this episode airs, will be in the midst of, pet Obesity Awareness Week. So there's going to be some folks at home attempting to change the eating habits and behavior of their, potentially slightly cranky, rotund cats. So do you have any advice for folks out there who are going to have to start, changing their cat diet and adjusting them to a healthier lifestyle?

00:20:18:18 - 00:20:23:01
Chris
Some tools or tricks they can use to make that transition a bit easier.

00:20:23:03 - 00:20:48:23
Molly
And. Yeah, absolutely. So first of all, the they say that, you know, 60% over 60% of cats are obese. But that data comes from the veterinary association. And remember that less than or more than 50% of people don't even take their cats to the vet. So my assumption from what I've seen is it's a more about 8,085% of cats are obese.

00:20:48:23 - 00:21:10:05
Molly
Now, I would recommend that. First of all, you Google Feline body score chart because we don't have a healthy image of what a cat should look like in a healthy weight state. So first of all, figure out, is your cat really obese? The vet probably isn't going to address it with you. Maybe they see too many. Maybe they're in a hurry, you know?

00:21:10:05 - 00:21:30:04
Molly
Whatever. So the first thing is stop free feeding. You know, cats should not be allowed to free feed. They really need to eat meals. Not only is that better for their weight and their health, but it's better for them mentally because that's more what they do in the wild. They don't just free feed in the wild, they have to work for their food.

00:21:30:06 - 00:21:53:17
Molly
Secondly, I'd say stop feeding dry food. They don't have the carbohydrates or their the enzymes to break down carbohydrates in food. And so just like with us, you know, that that turns to fat. And you can always tell a carb cat body they're a little rounder. They're not they're not as lean muscle, curvy as a as a cat should look.

00:21:53:17 - 00:22:13:01
Molly
And and dry food, you know, that also dehydrates them. So indulge them in that wet. So a lot of people think, oh they're going to get fat on wet food. It's just the opposite. They're going to be able to build leaner muscle, because there's a whole lot more protein in the canned food than there is in in dry food.

00:22:13:03 - 00:22:39:15
Molly
I have, on my YouTube channel. I have lots and lots of free webinars. There's one on nutrition, that you can go look at and take a deep dive into what cats need. They are obligate carnivores. They don't need vegetables or fruits and things like that. You know, dogs and omnivore, they can eat just about anything but a cat's digestive system is is the equivalent of like a Ferrari engine.

00:22:39:15 - 00:23:06:22
Molly
You got to keep it just really fine tune. You gotta be careful what kind of fuel you put in there for it to run for. Often. So it's a huge, huge, huge part of cats feeling well, cats feeling secure when cats don't feel secure in their environment, behavior issues start to come out. It's also a big component of them feeling like there's enough resources in a multi cat home.

00:23:07:00 - 00:23:38:04
Molly
When you're free feeding in a multi cat home, it's the worst thing you can do. You know they need meals, they need to be fed far apart because they're also there's nothing natural about them eating together. Right. And and keep your treats wet too. You know I think those are better treats. Treats, you know like these that are high in taurine and and have moisture content in them are, are really better because all those little calories add up to just like us when we get up to go snack in the middle of the day.

00:23:38:04 - 00:23:39:20
Molly
Yeah, it all adds up.

00:23:39:22 - 00:23:42:03
Chris
It does. Yes they do, yes they do.

00:23:42:05 - 00:23:55:19
Kristen
So Molly, there's so much great information here. You are truly the cat whisperer. Where can people find you either cat, cat parents that want to find your resources or animal shelters? What's the best way to find you?

00:23:55:21 - 00:24:26:21
Molly
So, go to Cat Behavior solutions.org. And I also have a podcast Cat Talk radio.com. And that's where we have weekly episodes of Cat care. That's where we're building up a library of how to care for your cat, how to do some of these preventative things, and then feline right at home. Dot com is the free shelter program where shelters can sign up and and we'll yeah, it's all online.

00:24:26:21 - 00:24:34:16
Molly
Self-paced will train your volunteers and staff for free. And you get the free treats for your shelter cats too. So that's.

00:24:34:16 - 00:24:54:05
Chris
Awesome. A win win win it is. That sounds great. Well, Molly, thank you so much for taking the time out of your schedule to share some of your expertise. For those of you listening at home, take advantage of these free tools. Ignorance is a choice. There are so many great resources out there. Molly's included. Somali. Thank you so much for coming on and educating us.

00:24:54:05 - 00:24:56:12
Chris
And, hopefully we'll be hearing from you soon.

00:24:56:14 - 00:25:00:07
Molly
Absolutely. Thank you for having me today and I look forward to coming back.

00:25:00:07 - 00:25:02:10
Voice Over
Pets add life.

00:25:02:12 - 00:25:29:05
Chris
Kristin, I got to say, more cat experts we have on talking about cat diet and good habits. The more I realize that Tiger is a unicorn, that's like her. Molly was saying, don't let him free range and dry food. There's a big bowl of dry food at my home right now. That tiger might she might take one bite out of today if she gets a little peckish during the afternoon.

00:25:29:05 - 00:25:30:05
Kristen
Oh, really?

00:25:30:07 - 00:25:43:14
Chris
Yeah, she she grazes. And even if I put down, you know, fresh little can of wet food, she will take a couple of bites. Then she'll ask to take a drink from the sink, and then she'll go lay down and she'll come back to it later. She is very.

00:25:43:14 - 00:25:44:20
Kristen
Healthy eating habits.

00:25:44:23 - 00:25:50:14
Chris
Yeah. She's a she's a great, healthy weight, especially for her age. So very strong.

00:25:50:14 - 00:25:55:03
Kristen
Well, this is just another example of why you should not, you know, don't be a Chris, because don't.

00:25:55:03 - 00:25:55:16
Chris
Be a Chris.

00:25:55:16 - 00:26:00:20
Kristen
Yeah, it's working for me. It's working for Tiger. But that is unusual because she is a unicorn.

00:26:00:20 - 00:26:16:04
Chris
When we decide to adopt new kittens down the line here, I just feel like I'm going to be in for such a wakeup call. I feel like I've been on Easy Street, you know, I build myself as like, this cat expert, and then things are going to get hard and I'm going to fall apart.

00:26:16:06 - 00:26:20:17
Kristen
Well, you have plenty of people like Molly Davos to to look too.

00:26:20:18 - 00:26:22:09
Chris
Exactly, exactly.

00:26:22:12 - 00:26:24:00
Kristen
All right let's go to our next guest.

00:26:24:04 - 00:26:26:03
Voice Over
Pets Add Life.

00:26:26:05 - 00:26:53:05
Chris
Joining us now is Kelly Kanaras, the director of communications and membership at the Pet Food Institute, where she leads the organization's communications and public relations efforts. With a strong background in advocacy and marketing, Kelly plays a pivotal role in representing Fi's mission to promote pet food safety and nutrition. Before joining PFI, she served as the Director of Industry Promotion for the National Asphalt Pavement Association.

00:26:53:06 - 00:27:15:19
Chris
I'm telling you people, there's an association for everything. For nearly 11 years where she spearheaded successful campaigns like the award winning watch for us initiative. Kelly holds a bachelor's degree in communications from University of Maryland Global Campus. She is from Maryland with her two sons, two dogs, and a cat, truly embodying her deep passion for both family and pets.

00:27:15:23 - 00:27:19:16
Chris
Kelly, thank you so much for hopping on the podcast this morning.

00:27:19:18 - 00:27:29:06
Kelly
Thank you so much for having me here. I have to tell you that talking about pets is far more interesting than talking about asphalt. So I'm glad I need to jump.

00:27:29:11 - 00:27:47:11
Chris
What I've seen. So I've seen pictures and videos from, the world of Pavement show. And, you know, I always talk about how people would be blown away if they ever went to global Pet Expo. You know, a lot of the consumers out there, they never get to experience it. But the world of asphalt, I mean, that show is amazing.

00:27:47:11 - 00:27:52:06
Chris
So it really is. It's it's it's really all about the presentation of some of these things.

00:27:52:08 - 00:27:55:12
Kelly
It's absolutely. That place is a little boy's dream world.

00:27:55:14 - 00:28:30:10
Chris
Yes. If you like paving, you would be in business. But we're here. We're talking about the fact that it's Pet Obesity Awareness Week, and I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who have big chunky guys and gals, big fluffy is absolute units. So the first question that I want to pose here is, if I'm a person at home and I'm staring down at the ground at my big, big round pug or my fat cat, and I'm realizing, okay, this is this is an issue.

00:28:30:12 - 00:28:40:21
Chris
We have to we have to fix some things. What should my first step be? What should I really start mulling over in my mind? If I want to make those kinds of changes?

00:28:40:23 - 00:29:02:04
Kelly
Well, first I would back up just a little bit and say, you need to be aware that your pet actually has a weight issue. And the unfortunate thing is, is that the vast majority of pet owners don't recognize that their pet is overweight. And 43% of people surveyed said they don't really talk about it with their veterinarian at, well, visits.

00:29:02:06 - 00:29:23:12
Kelly
So it's a topic that's avoided. So recognize it. First, do an evaluation of your pet and see are they at a healthy weight. But the first thing you need to do is go to your veterinarian. Say you have a weight issue with your pet, and ask your veterinarian for what the caloric guidelines are for your pet. And then stick to those guidelines.

00:29:23:13 - 00:29:44:08
Kelly
A lot of people are out there, and they're not measuring their pet food with a standard measuring device. You know, they're out there with a coffee cup or a Slurpee cup or something like that, and and dumping way more pet food in their dog or cat bowl than what they should have. And so we need to standardize. We need to know how many calories our pet should be eating.

00:29:44:13 - 00:30:15:22
Kelly
Potentially, your vet might provide a therapeutic diet, a prescription diet for weight loss for your pet, and and then the next thing is keep the treats and the table scraps down to less than 10% of their caloric allotment daily. Yeah. That's you know, I think that during Covid especially, we were trying to keep our pets quiet while working from home or having meetings or pets or barking there in our faces, and we're stuffing Kongs with peanut butter.

00:30:16:00 - 00:30:22:05
Kelly
And that's a lot of calories to feed our pets when they're quiet for a while. But there's a cost to that.

00:30:22:10 - 00:30:31:05
Chris
Yeah, what I'm for, I'm quiet too, right? Like when and when I've had a lot of junk food. I get really quiet as well.

00:30:31:06 - 00:30:53:16
Kristen
This is this is a topic I relate to personally because we have a little, miniature pinscher Chihuahua mix named tulip. And according to our veterinarian, she should weigh about 15 pounds. And at one point, she was topping 18.8 pounds or something like that. And I have a husband who likes to show his love for her through treats.

00:30:53:18 - 00:31:13:09
Kristen
And so we've we've had a few arguments about this. But yeah one of the things that we started doing was not only measuring her food daily so that we're giving her a consistent amount, but also like she's allowed to have like six of these little treats a day. And I put them out on the counter in the morning and, and when they're gone, they're gone.

00:31:13:09 - 00:31:17:07
Kristen
But I have a feeling my husband still sneaks her extra treats when I'm not looking.

00:31:17:09 - 00:31:21:22
Chris
I'm going to let you in on a secret, Kristen. He's absolutely, 100%.

00:31:22:00 - 00:31:44:13
Kristen
It's like he's her favorite or she's. Yeah, he's her favorite. Well, that's absolutely true. And I think in this country, we tend to equate love with food. So often we do it as people too. And we need to find other ways to show our affection and love to our pets besides feeding them treats like playing with them with a toy or taking them out for a walk.

00:31:44:19 - 00:32:00:04
Kelly
And that studies have shown that's good for us too. If we get out with our pets and walk them. It's not only good for them, it's good for us. And it keeps the treats out of their mouth and and reduces the calories that they're consuming so that they can be at a healthy weight.

00:32:00:06 - 00:32:02:06
Chris
Yeah, absolutely.

00:32:02:08 - 00:32:26:17
Kristen
Yeah. You just shared some really great tips. You know, obviously talking to your veterinarian using using a measuring device, for the food intake and keeping treats to, about 10% a day. I noticed on, the Pet Food Institute website, there are also some really helpful tools for pet owners. We do have a few, we've got our Vet Talks video series and one of the videos that was done.

00:32:26:18 - 00:32:46:17
Kristen
It's from a certified veterinary nutritionist, and it talks about how you can evaluate your pet's weight to find out if they are at an unhealthy weight, and then the subsequent video talks about tips to help your pet get to be at a healthy weight. The one I'm really excited about, though, is we do have an infographic on our website that you can print out.

00:32:46:17 - 00:33:15:02
Kristen
You can take to your veterinarian. Your veterinarian can write down the calories that your pet should be consuming, and how much food they should be consuming, and then track that weight. And it also shows pet owners the dangers and the health issues that come with your their pet being overweight. And it is cute, it's fluffy and it's adorable and everything like that, but it comes at a price because studies show that dogs that are at a healthy weight can live two and a half years longer.

00:33:15:04 - 00:33:19:08
Kristen
And who wouldn't want two and a half years more with your best friend?

00:33:19:10 - 00:33:51:20
Chris
Yeah, absolutely. We had a, We had a Maine Coon growing up who is giant at his at his healthiest. He was about 18 pounds when he was healthy. But my family, being an Italian household, that cat was allowed to, bloom to a nice, hefty 25 pounds. And he ended up with a lot of, back hip issues, because his while he was still muscular and strong, his, his bones could not support that much weight.

00:33:51:20 - 00:34:15:17
Chris
And he was an active cat. He was an outdoor cat. He'd go outside, he'd jump around after the birds and the bunnies and stuff. And, his quality of life, started to plummet. Before we put him on a very strict diet. So it's absolutely true that, you know. Yeah, they they look at you, but they animals can't express pain in the same way that we can.

00:34:15:18 - 00:34:36:16
Chris
They're they're going to keep it very subtle. Their instinct is to not complain. Generally speaking. So you really don't know how much suffering that you, you may be causing by just, giving them as much food as they could possibly shove down their cute little gullets.

00:34:36:18 - 00:35:04:15
Kelly
Yeah, that's that's absolutely correct. And what's what's surprising to me in a lot of ways is how the internet is really normalizing this. You know, I did a quick search on Reddit and on Instagram looking for accounts that talk about chunky and fluffy pets. There are tens of millions of followers that are watching these animals and thinking it's adorable.

00:35:04:17 - 00:35:17:14
Kelly
And it and it's just it's really such a health detriment to them to be to be at that kind of weight. And unfortunately, the statistics are showing that the amount of overweight pets in our country is increasing every year.

00:35:17:16 - 00:35:20:19
Chris
Yeah. That's believable. That's definitely believable.

00:35:20:20 - 00:35:52:07
Kristen
Yeah. And I was just about to ask what your biggest challenges Kelly. And you know in educating consumers and other stakeholders holders about pet food safety and pet obesity. And you know, you just mentioned one of the big challenges, which is people celebrating the chubby cute. Yeah. You know, you know. Yes. That's a big challenge. 100%. And I would say definitely the the gap and the disparity between the amount of pets that are overweight and the amount of people and pet owners that actually recognize that their pet is overweight.

00:35:52:13 - 00:36:12:23
Kelly
You can't fix a problem if you don't see that it's a problem and you don't, and you don't act on it. And and I would also say I would add the I think there's a fear factor a little bit for veterinarians in bringing it up with pet owners that the pet owner is going to be upset or take offense.

00:36:13:01 - 00:36:39:18
Kelly
So giving veterinarians permission to to really address that with parent with pet parents. And that's why we created that infographic, to kind of provide the pathway to open that dialog with the pet owners and say, you know, I know you think this is adorable or you don't think that there's an issue here, but we need we need to talk about this, and you need to see what the health issues are.

00:36:39:20 - 00:36:54:16
Kelly
And we need to take action. There's a great opportunity for one of those social media accounts to recognize that and to start using their platform, which they've grown through. You know, not the greatest messaging to educate people.

00:36:54:16 - 00:36:56:13
Chris
So maybe that'd be nice, right?

00:36:56:14 - 00:36:57:17
Kristen
That would be really cool.

00:36:57:19 - 00:37:01:09
Chris
But not everybody is as responsible as the Pets Add Life podcast.

00:37:01:09 - 00:37:06:10
Kristen
That is true. Very true. Putting the I'm just putting the idea. Yeah.

00:37:06:10 - 00:37:10:09
Chris
I got to put the energy out there into the universe and hope somebody picks up on you.

00:37:10:10 - 00:37:11:06
Kristen
Picks it up.

00:37:11:08 - 00:37:28:02
Chris
Yep. So, Kelly, we're coming up at the end of our time here. For all the folks who are listening at home who want to access that infographic or learn more about things they could do to pay attention to their, animals health and nutrition, where can they find those resources?

00:37:28:04 - 00:37:40:22
Kelly
Our website address and it's newly revamped is WW Dot Pet Food institute.org. And there it is. Authors are right on there rolling back in the show notes.

00:37:41:00 - 00:38:02:16
Chris
Yeah we will we'll definitely put it in the notes. But go ahead and check it out. Especially those of you who may be staring down at a little rotund cat or dog right now thinking, how can I help? Well, we're we're here to help. Your vet is here to help. And as always, our wonderful guests like Kelly Canaries are here to help.

00:38:02:16 - 00:38:12:03
Chris
So, Kelly, thank you so much for taking the time out of your schedule to join us on the podcast today and, talk to everybody about these, these issues. It was an absolute pleasure.

00:38:12:05 - 00:38:15:06
Kristen
Thank you so much, guys. Kelly, have a great day.

00:38:15:10 - 00:38:17:17
Voice Over
Pets add life.

00:38:17:18 - 00:38:36:18
Kristen
You know pet obesity is such an important topic I really I. The more I think about it, I think it's a great opportunity for one of those social media influencers that Kelly mentioned who's, you know, talking about how cute their, you know, fluffy pets are overweight pets are to really dive into this educational space and, you know, make a difference.

00:38:36:20 - 00:38:54:18
Chris
Yeah, yeah. You're right. You know what? I'm going to say it. We're calling you out influencers. That's right, that's right Chris. Chris and Kristen are laying down the gantlet. If you have gotten fame and fortune from posting pictures and videos of your fat animal, well guess what?

00:38:54:23 - 00:38:55:16
Kristen
We want time.

00:38:55:20 - 00:39:16:04
Chris
We want to strike it rich by by getting them on a diet. Okay. I want to see montages. I want to see them in little sweatpants. Okay. Talk about these awesome foods that are available. And diet control and behavior control and all of these awesome things, because you can make a real difference doing so.

00:39:16:06 - 00:39:22:08
Kristen
Yeah. And you could probably attract some pretty nice brand partnerships if you do that. Yeah.

00:39:22:10 - 00:39:42:21
Chris
Dollar dollar bills baby. That's money talks. Money talks. And hopefully the fat dog goes on walks. It's just it's a bad rhyme. Anyway, let's, let's keep the show moving here. I believe it's time to do our pop up. A product of the week. Play the jingle.

00:39:42:23 - 00:39:48:18
Voice Over
The product of the week.

00:39:48:20 - 00:39:51:08
Kristen
All right, Chris, your turn to go first.

00:39:51:12 - 00:40:13:06
Chris
My turn to go first. Okay, well, we're talking, pet obesity awareness week, so there's so much stuff out there to help you exercise your dog, right? It's that there's plenty of products. I decided to obviously be the cat dad, and I was like, man, what if you. I was thinking, what if Tiger was fat? You know, I've got an indoor cat.

00:40:13:06 - 00:40:36:19
Chris
I've got limited space. She's not really interested in play. Her diet is pretty strict. She's old. She's not going to change it. Is there something else I could throw in? Something weird and out of left field that I would have never found unless I went down this rabbit hole that I found from a company called Home Groove, a cat exercise.

00:40:36:19 - 00:40:42:20
Chris
We'll. It's about it. It's about three feet in diameter.

00:40:42:20 - 00:40:43:09
Kristen
Yeah.

00:40:43:09 - 00:41:05:08
Chris
And it basically is a treadmill for your cats. And it's got, sort of like a scratching post material on it. So, like, it doubles as, like both. They'll, they'll go in there and, and sort of pull out their nails, but they'll also once they start to pick up some momentum. I saw the videos of these cats using it, and it's amazing.

00:41:05:08 - 00:41:23:01
Chris
They'll just go and kind of get their zoomies out. There's some owners who, dangled a toy from the top and they'd sort of like, jump up and get it, and then the wheel would spin them around a bit, and they just played around goofily. But I thought it was really cool because, you know, you think like, oh, how much room can I take up?

00:41:23:01 - 00:41:54:16
Chris
It's three feet. So it's really not that much space. It's it's got this, nice board that the cats are really going to want to dig their, their nails into. So this is by one caveat. It does say simple installation, which in my experience means blackout your entire day to get this thing built. But as a simple installation, that means I prepare to get into an argument with your spouse.

00:41:54:18 - 00:42:15:07
Chris
But that that said, you know, there's there's a couple videos on, on this Amazon page of the, of the cats using it. And I just thought it's a neat idea because there's all sorts of stuff out there. And, you know, for, the price here, I it's listed at nine, $90 for $90. You could always send it back if it doesn't work.

00:42:15:09 - 00:42:19:10
Chris
Yeah, you never know. So. Yeah, maybe go ahead and check that one out.

00:42:19:12 - 00:42:22:10
Kristen
Yeah, like a giant hamster wheel for your cat.

00:42:22:12 - 00:42:24:06
Chris
That's basically what it was.

00:42:24:06 - 00:42:28:10
Kristen
Yeah, yeah. And your cat could just walk on it. Dude, I don't even have to run on it.

00:42:28:12 - 00:42:38:07
Chris
That's. Yeah. Hey, walking is better than nothing. And even if it's only, you know, 15 minutes a day, that's 15 minutes more than they were doing the, yesterday. So.

00:42:38:07 - 00:43:03:00
Kristen
Exactly, exactly. That's a good one. And then along the same lines, I my product today is a really cool cat toy that just won a pet Innovation award. I actually have this cat toy because, okay, I was asked to review it many months ago, and then it turns out it wins an award. So look at this.

00:43:03:02 - 00:43:12:22
Kristen
It's called the catch a mouse by the tail. It is a felt toy. But here's the cool part. The tail is six feet long.

00:43:13:00 - 00:43:13:21
Chris
Look at that.

00:43:13:23 - 00:43:35:17
Kristen
If you're watching a video, I'm just showing you how long this tail is. So this is a really fun toy for a cat. Maybe. You know, if he's not up for the treadmill or if he's an older cat, who has some osteoarthritis, this would be a really fun cat toy for, your kitty. And let me just let me just give you some details on it here.

00:43:35:18 - 00:44:00:12
Kristen
100% pure New Zealand wool. It comes in, they've got a rainbow mouse, they've got a red mouse. And I think they just came out with one other color. But what's what I like about the tail is, And this is something I learned from a cat behaviorist, a few years ago is when you're playing with your cat, you should never, like, move the toy toward the cat, because that's not what happens in nature, right?

00:44:00:12 - 00:44:16:23
Kristen
The mouse moving away from the cat. So you've got the six feet, six foot long tail to move it away from your cat, or you can even dangle it up in the air. And, I don't know, just lots of ways to lots of fun ways to play something different for your cat. And it's called catch a mouse by the tail.

00:44:17:00 - 00:44:22:12
Kristen
It's made by a cat zoo. It's so cute. I know I would just leave this out on the floor. Just.

00:44:22:14 - 00:44:22:21
Chris
Yeah.

00:44:23:00 - 00:44:32:08
Kristen
You know, as a conversation piece. It's only 1699. You can get them at Cat in the box, or on Amazon.

00:44:32:10 - 00:44:33:13
Chris
There you go.

00:44:33:15 - 00:44:34:23
Voice Over
Q and As.

00:44:35:01 - 00:44:57:16
Chris
Our favorite segment of the show. That's right. We're going to answer. I don't really be too good to that one. I can answer two questions for our wonderful, our beautiful and handsome audience, sent into us from people, guests like yourself. So if you're listening to this show and have a question for Chris and Kristen, you can submit your question at pets at Lwf.org slash podcast.

00:44:57:20 - 00:45:21:06
Chris
Scroll on down to the bottom of the page. You can type in your question right there. Or if you're feeling as brave as, as a cat willing to go on Chris's cat Wheel of Doom, then you can actually submit a voice memo and we will play your question live on air. But without further ado, I'm going to go ahead and read a question for you here.

00:45:21:06 - 00:45:43:12
Chris
Chris. And I got one for. Right. And it comes it comes from Mike. Mike is from Austin, Texas, and he wonders he does not ask. Mike wonders. My dog is overweight and I'm worried about his health. What are the best types of exercise and activities I can do with him to help him lose weight safely?

00:45:43:14 - 00:46:11:00
Kristen
Okay, well thank you, Mike. That's a great question. And right on topic for our show. This week. So okay, you say he's overweight, worried about his health and your you're primarily what to know about exercise and exercise is and activities. So I would say does he you know I wish we could ask follow up questions Chris. Because you know, let's get Mike like we let's.

00:46:11:00 - 00:46:11:04
Chris
Get.

00:46:11:09 - 00:46:35:10
Kristen
Him. We don't have all the information. I do want to first say you always have to consider the pork intake, as we discussed with Kelli earlier. So putting that aside and assuming that you've done that and you're feeding the appropriate amount of of calories to your dog, I would say to put him on an exercise program that fits with his abilities and with his interest.

00:46:35:12 - 00:46:58:03
Kristen
If he loves to go on walks, make sure you're adding an extra add an extra walk a day. If you do, you say he's overweight. So that could be, a little bit more difficult on his joints to go for long walks. So maybe do more frequent shorter walks during the day. You could also find some toys at home that he can engage with, like more enrichment toys.

00:46:58:03 - 00:47:24:06
Kristen
Because when dogs use their brain that burns a lot of calories too. I think we kind of overlook, when we think about burning calories for ourselves or our pets, that our brains burn a lot of calories to. And then I would say, talk to your vet, talk to your vet. Because when you say he's overweight, I don't know the age of this dog, but if he's older and overweight, this could become problematic with osteoarthritis.

00:47:24:06 - 00:47:33:00
Kristen
So, your vet might have some additional suggestions for how to safely exercise your pup. So there you go.

00:47:33:02 - 00:47:36:11
Chris
I've got no notes. Christine, you absolutely nailed that one.

00:47:36:12 - 00:47:43:07
Kristen
Okay. All right. Well, I've got a question for you, Chris. And this one comes from Emily in Chicago.

00:47:43:09 - 00:47:43:23
Chris
Okay.

00:47:44:01 - 00:47:55:22
Kristen
Okay. She says, I've heard that feeding habits can contribute to pet obesity. What are some of the feeding strategies to prevent obesity in dogs, and how can I ensure I'm feeding my dog the right amount?

00:47:56:00 - 00:48:22:05
Chris
Yeah, and absolutely correct to and I think that what goes in, to an animal can contribute to its weight, shocking developments here on the Pets Add Life podcast. But here's I think here's where people get stuck, when we are people like Pete, as people, and we can say, I'm hungry. And our bodies have evolved to eventually say, I'm not hungry anymore.

00:48:22:06 - 00:48:37:12
Chris
And we can. We can understand that. We can internalize the fact that food will be available later. We're going to eat again. You know, I just had lunch. I don't need to eat right now. Dinner is going to be in a few hours. We can understand all of that.

00:48:37:14 - 00:48:38:11
Kristen
Sure.

00:48:38:13 - 00:49:07:06
Chris
Dogs can't, you can't explain to your dog that this is the food they're getting for the day, or their next meal will be, you know, at this time or things like that. So. And dogs, they still have animalistic brains as much as we've bred then, to be domesticated. And all of our animals live these great lives where they, they always have access to food and they're nice and healthy.

00:49:07:11 - 00:49:28:13
Chris
They still have that, you know, brain chemistry of, I don't know when my next meal is going to get here, so I might as well eat as much as I can right now. And that's a wide majority of dogs. So one thing I recommend is get a feeder that will slow your dog down, get them to eat slower.

00:49:28:13 - 00:49:54:00
Chris
There's all sorts of puzzle feeders and these ridiculous bowls and sort of funnel balls that will make it so that whatever you're feeding them, it's just going to take them longer to eat it. Their brain is going to catch up with their stomachs. They're going to they're going to feel more full. It's the same thing with people. When you scarf something down, it's not going to fill you up the same, because it takes a bit for your body to catch up and realize that it's eating in your brain to stop sending the hungry singles.

00:49:54:04 - 00:50:16:22
Chris
Dogs do the same exact thing, so those puzzle feeders are really helpful. And then B you got to know what a healthy weight for your dog is, right? So ask your vet. You know this breed, their structure, how much should they weigh? And from there you could derive how many calories they should be getting in a day with, you know, regular exercise and then you measure.

00:50:17:00 - 00:50:40:19
Chris
I think this is a mistake a lot of people make do is they measure their food by volume, measure it by weight. Anybody. Like if you follow any like nutritional or bodybuilding influencers on Instagram, they give you their recipes in weight because the, the that's how we that's how we end up at calories. Right. Force equals mass times acceleration.

00:50:40:22 - 00:51:04:05
Chris
Oh, look at that. Wow. Heavy. The food is how densely packed it is with nutrients. Because not all kibble is created equal. There's going to be some that's really airy and puffy, or with like, weird shapes that don't make it subtle as well. In the, in the, in the cup. So be measuring your dog's food not just by volume, but also by weight to ensure you're meeting their calorie goals.

00:51:04:05 - 00:51:14:13
Chris
And the final piece of advice is don't be a sucker, okay? You got to be strong if that. If you're expecting that pet to lose weight, you have to be the strong one who says.

00:51:14:17 - 00:51:16:13
Kristen
Right, no treats.

00:51:16:19 - 00:51:39:16
Chris
No to table scraps. And you know it stinks. When we had our cat on a diet, and, you know, he was so big, he really. And he was a Maine Coon. So he was he was a big cat, naturally. And to see the little tiny amount of food that we're feeding him, you feel bad, but you have to power through it and know that you're doing what's best for the animal.

00:51:39:18 - 00:51:56:14
Chris
And that it's they're they're stupid tiny little animal brains that are complaining that they're actually full and fine. So, Emily, those are those are my three tips. Good luck. It's tough. It's tough for the animal. It's tough for the owner to fight through some of those things. But I have a feeling that you're going to be just fine.

00:51:56:16 - 00:52:12:08
Kristen
That was great advice, Chris. And, you know, it's funny about when you're talking about puzzle feeders. Dogs actually love the challenge, the mental challenge of of using a puzzle feeder. And I don't know why I thought about this, but I thought, how pissed off would you be as a human if somebody put your meal in a puzzle feeder, like, well.

00:52:12:09 - 00:52:18:05
Chris
You know, that actually goes hand in hand with my opinion on crab legs. Oh.

00:52:18:07 - 00:52:23:17
Kristen
Yes. That's like a, equivalent. What, what is way too much work for?

00:52:23:17 - 00:52:24:07
Chris
Way too much.

00:52:24:07 - 00:52:26:09
Kristen
Juice is definitely not worth the squeeze there.

00:52:26:11 - 00:52:44:21
Chris
No, no it's not. Yeah. The crab is not worth the crack. Is that. Is that. Can I start using that? Yeah, I use juicer with the squeeze all the time. I'm going to start say saying the crab just ain't worth the crack. And I'm sure that's going to afford me a lot of opportunities as a speaker because.

00:52:44:23 - 00:53:06:14
Chris
Oh, man. Well, listen, thank you, Emily and Mike for your, your wonderful and on topic questions. For today, if you are at home listening to the show, you got a little, little chunk or a first share pick with us, man, tag us on Instagram with all your cute little pics and then help them lose weight and then help them lose weight while you're around there, drop into our comments.

00:53:06:16 - 00:53:19:11
Chris
Leave us a five star review. Do that. All the all that awesome stuff. Share the show with a friend. It's it's it's almost, Halloween time. Holy crap. We're in October. So if you are planning a cute costume.

00:53:19:13 - 00:53:20:21
Kristen
Oh, we'd love to see that.

00:53:20:22 - 00:53:37:09
Chris
We would love to see it. We would love to see it. So go ahead and tag us at pets Add life. Wherever you're you're doing your social media nowadays. But we will be back here next Tuesday, as always, without fail. Another great.

00:53:37:09 - 00:53:38:22
Kristen
Never like we never let you down.

00:53:39:00 - 00:53:56:01
Chris
We will. I mean, Kristen never lets you down. Chris. We'll say, thank you for tuning in. We'll see you next week. And until then, be kind to yourself and be kind to your pets, and we'll see you in one week's time. Bye.