Overweight Pets Statistics

Overweight pets statistics can sometimes be very shocking! The infographic in this article serves to remind people just how many of our pets are indeed overweight. Dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, and even mice are all great pets. A pet in most households are commonly considered a member of the family. Because we think of them as a family member we forget that they are not able to control their health the way we can. Having an overweight pet can cause them some very serious health problems just like their human counterparts. Because we think of pets as family we often feed them things that we eat. By doing this we set them up for weight issues as well as have other health problems. Over half of all pets are overweight and some are severely obese. By giving them human food and extra pet treats contribute to this increasing problem.

Health Problems in Overweight Pets

Pets are susceptible to the same weight related health problems as humans. Heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and joint problems are just some conditions that can affect our beloved pets. A trip to the vet can put your pet on the road to losing weight. The veterinarian can help set your pet in the right direction with a healthy diet plan. There are 53 percent of dogs and 55 percent of cats that are overweight. These numbers point to 88.4 million pets that are overweight. Some of the heaviest pets consist of a border collie that should weigh 44 pounds that is at 93 pounds.

There is also a tabby cat that should weigh 10 pounds, but it is at a weight of 39 pounds. We may not think of an overweight pet as a problem but the truth is that they suffer the same way we would suffer. It is important for us to remember that we are in charge of the health of a pet and it is up to us to make sure they eat right and get enough exercise.

overweight pets statistics — Overweight Pets Statistics

VIA: Carrington’s Veterinary Assisting program

Editors N.B – The overweight pet statistcs quoted in this article are U.S based. They are still very relevant to any cat, dog or pet owner no matter where you live. Remember feeding your cat the wrong diet can have cause health problems for your pet.

About the author

Ross Davies

Ross is a UK Siamese & Oriental Cat Breeder breeding and showing his cats and kittens under the prefix Burnthwaites . He is the author on various cat related websites and blogs including 'Siamese Cat Breeder' and 'CattyLicious.com'.

Ross is the creator of this website and has lived with cats since being a very young child. He started breeding cats in 2001 and has showed them successfully breeding many best in show cats.

Ross is a GCCF cat judge and also sits on cat club committees and both the Oriental and Siamese Cat Joint Advisory Committees. He holds certification in both feline behaviour & psychology and also cat anxiety and stress.

Ross writes extensively about cats and has been featured in magazines such as Your Cat and Our Cats and also guest authored on newsletters for various cat organisations. He is also a guest speaker at cat seminars.

Learn More