{
  "id": 16188232,
  "title": "Study finds lower rates of overweight among vegan-fed cats",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/study-finds-lower-rates-of-overweight-among-vegan-fed-cats",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-23T12:30:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-10-overweight-vegan-fed-cats.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A recent study examined the impact of vegan diets on the weight and health of cats, finding that cats on vegan diets had a 34% lower likelihood of being overweight compared to those on conventional meat-based diets. However, this difference was not statistically significant, likely due to the relatively small number of vegan-fed cats in the study. Researchers from Australia's Griffith University School of Environment and Science noted that caregivers of vegan-fed cats also reported lower rates of weight-related health issues such as osteoarthritis and mobility problems. Despite this, the small sample size of vegan-fed cats means these results cannot be considered conclusive. The study did not analyze the specific ingredients in vegan cat foods, but some commercial vegan cat foods may have higher fiber and lower calorie or fat content compared to meat-based foods, which could aid in weight management. Other factors like age, sex, neuter status, activity levels, and feeding practices were also consistently linked to overweight risk in cats. While the study suggests a potential benefit of vegan diets, researchers emphasize the need for further investigation, such as a larger, prospective study that directly measures diet, energy intake, and body condition in cats.",
  "summary": "A large-scale survey has found cats fed vegan diets had lower rates of obesity and related health problems than those fed conventional meat-based diets.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}