60% of Cats Are Too Fat: A Human Medication Could Melt Off Those Pounds

Help is on the way for fat cats!

MEOW-1

If you have an indoor cat that is over the age of 1, they are probably fat. I am not judging you...or your cat. My two indoor cats are round mounds of sound. I don’t know why. They run marathons around my house, especially in the wee hours of the morning. I still have a bruise on my shin from a cat plowing into my leg three weeks ago. But they both have guts. Now, there may be a way for them to slim down via a study labeled MEOW-1. To see the top 5 dangerous items ingested by both cats and dogs, scroll down to the gallery below!

GLP-1 Medication for Cats

We have all heard of the success of GLP-1 weight loss drugs for humans, and now research is being done on providing the same types of meds for fat pets...starting with cats. San Francisco based Okava Pharmaceuticals is undertaking a study that places a tiny implant under the skin of 50 cats. The implant will release a GLP-1 medication over a span of six months.

How Does it Work?

Okava Spokesman Michael Klotsman says OKV-119 "is designed to mimic many of the physiological effects of fasting such as improved insulin sensitivity, reduced fat mass, and more efficient energy metabolism, without requiring significant changes in feeding routines or disrupting the human-animal bond that often centers around food." This is a huge deal because around six in ten cats are overweight. One of the major health issues of overweight cats is diabetes. The projected cost of the drug is $100 per month.

When Will the Medication be Available for Cats?

According to Okava, the test results from the MEOW-1 trial are expected next summer. After that, the company will seek FDA approval for cat use in the next two years. Approval for dogs will follow.