He's Not Just Big-Boned: Navigating the Tough Truth About Pet Weight

In the first part of this two-part series, we discussed how National Cat Month (September) was being celebrated with the “chonk” cuteness, and despite it being highly relatable with over 50% of cats being overweight, pet obesity is a serious, life-threatening condition. 

While the call to action focused on what pet owners and pet industry brands can do, it would be remiss to leave some key folks out: the veterinary community. The most difficult (and yes, sometimes uncomfortable) step is confronting the underlying psychological barriers that prevent owners from seeing their cat's weight as a problem. Therefore, empowering the vet community to communicate weight issues to their pet-owner clients is a huge opportunity to combat pet obesity. 

But why is this conversation so uncomfortable? 

This topic has more layers than Shrek and is more delicate than a house of cards, mainly because for many pet owners their pet’s weight is directly tied to their ability to care and bond with their animal. A suggestion that their cat is overweight can be interpreted as a failure or judgment. To further complicate things, in a survey, veterinarians “reported feeling more blame, frustration, and even disgust toward dogs with obesity and their owners than toward lean dogs and their owners.” And the cherry on top? Pet owners are more focused on when a pet is underweight, while veterinarians tend to focus more on overweight animals, and at the end of the appointment, we’re lucky if an agreed-upon Body Condition Score (BCS) has been concluded.   

A survey published that 100% of dog owners and 83% of cat owners disagreed with the veterinarian on their pets’ BCS. But there may be a glimpse of hope: pet owners’ awareness of their dog or cat’s body condition may be improving. In 2024, 55% of cat owners and 51% of dog owners categorized their pet's body condition as ideal, down from 57% (cat owners) and 66% (dog owners) in 2023. While there is still a massive gap between perception and reality, in the words of Ernesto de la Cruz, from Disney’s Coco, “Seize your moment.” The goal of veterinary personnel is to shift the conversation from blame to empathy, education, and action.  

Strategies for Effective Communication 

As veterinary professionals, we must adopt a compassionate, non-judgmental framework for discussing feline weight: 

1. Steer Away from Using Emotional Language: Avoid using words like "fat," "chubby," or "obese" initially. Instead, focus on the BCS. Frame the discussion around the need to get the cat to an "ideal and healthy weight." For example: "Mittens is currently a 7 out of 9 on our body score chart. Our goal is to get her to a 5, which will help us manage her joint discomfort." 
2. Focus on Specific Disease Risks: Connect the weight directly to the cat’s current or future health. Discuss arthritis and long-term diabetes prevention, or for an adult cat, discuss how weight complicates anesthesia for a dental procedure. Use clear, factual medical consequences, not broad generalizations. 
3. Use Hands-On Demonstrations: Physically show the owner how to properly feel for the ribs and palpate for the abdominal "tuck." Explain that the BCS is a clinical tool, not an opinion. Utilize the exam room walls and have healthy weight charts hanging in the room to help normalize the discussion.  
4. Prescribe a Plan, Not a Diet: Owners often feel overwhelmed when it comes to their pets’ diets. Prescribe a therapeutic weight loss plan like you would any medication. This includes: 

• Calculated Caloric Intake: Move beyond generic bag recommendations. Provide a daily target in calories and a specific volume of the diet, allowing owners the option to know exactly how much to weigh (for those of us with gram scales in our kitchens, rather than “scoop and hope”). 

• Environmental Enrichment: Focus on increasing activity through interactive feeding toys, puzzle feeders, and short play sessions. This helps to reframe the solution as bonding time and not a marching order.  

• Regular, Structured Rechecks: Schedule weight checks every 2-4 weeks to monitor progress and adjust the plan. Celebrate every small milestone; even a fraction of a pound loss is a victory. 

Shifting the Feline Narrative  

So, what can we—the vet community—do? We must lead the charge in shifting the societal narrative: 

1. Body Assessment in Every Appointment: Ensure every veterinary professional in the clinic is consistent in how they assess and communicate the BCS. Make it an official "vital sign" in the documented history at every visit.
2. Discuss Nutrition: Collect an accurate diet history during every appointment. Use open-ended questions to gather as many details as possible.  
3. Professional Advocacy: We must advocate to the pet food industry for more granular, standardized, and calorie-specific feeding guidelines on product labels, moving away from generic and high-calorie recommendations. 
4. Be Anti-“Chonk” Influencers: Utilize your clinic's social media and educational platforms to promote images and stories of healthy cats. Leverage the expertise of veterinary nutritionists and technician specialists for content and expertise. 

The most compassionate act we can perform is to make sure our patients live the healthiest life possible. True love for a cat is measured in years, not in pounds. By mastering this difficult conversation, we fulfill our core purpose and directly impact the quality and length of our feline patients' lives. 

At BSM Partners, our experts wholeheartedly believe that the most effective pet healthcare requires both clinical expertise and compassionate communication. We are well-positioned to help embed these priorities into modern veterinary care and counsel, having many formerly practicing veterinarians with broad industry experience on our team and a veterinary technologist who specializes in nutrition. By shifting from blame to compassion in these conversations, we can help healthcare organizations craft messages that resonate with pet owners and align the industry around better feeding guidelines. 

Get in touch today to learn how we can help you navigate even the most challenging conversations with clarity and kindness, and of course, backed by science. 

Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest updates on all things happening here at BSM Partners.

About the Author

Dr. Stephanie Clark is a board-certified companion animal nutritionist, veterinary nurse and nutrition specialist, a pet owner, and a mother who had a baby during the formula shortage. She has spent the past almost two decades dedicating her career to the welfare of pets, livestock, and wildlife. She currently provides nutritional consultations for veterinary clinics and works in the pet food industry.