News Release

New research from WALTHAM demonstrates the importance of portion control for maintaining healthy body weight in neutered female kittens

A team of researchers working at the WALTHAM® Centre for Pet Nutrition has shown that neutered female kittens consumed more food for an 18-week period post-neutering and consequently gained more body weight than their entire littermates

Peer-Reviewed Publication

CNC (UK) Ltd.

Oct. 13, 2011 – A team of researchers has shown that female kittens consume more food and are more likely to be overweight post-neutering when compared with entire littermates. This research was conducted at the WALTHAM® Centre for Pet Nutrition, the fundamental science centre supporting Mars Petcare brands such as WHISKAS® and ROYAL CANIN.

In a 12-month study conducted by WALTHAM® scientists, neutered female kittens consumed more food than their entire littermates for an 18 week period post-neutering and exhibited increased body weight. Despite having very similar food intake beyond the 18 week post-neutering phase, neutered kittens were on average 24% heavier than their littermates at 1 year of age.

The research involved 12 pairs of 11 week old female kittens who were randomly assigned to 2 groups. One group of kittens were neutered at 19 weeks of age while the second group remained entire for the 1 year of the study.

Across the developed world, cat obesity rates are rising, with recent figures indicating that up to 50% of cats are either overweight or obese. This research sheds new light on the factors influencing body weight in cats and could have important implications for developing feeding strategies to counteract weight gain in neutered kittens.

"This research suggests that neutered kittens may have a reduced metabolisable energy requirement. As such, they should not be given free access to food and owners should pay careful attention to their female kitten's weight after neutering. Introducing portion control to maintain an ideal body condition score and substituting some wet kitten food into the diet are useful strategies for helping with healthy weight management in this context," commented study author and WALTHAM® scientist Dr. Lucille Alexander. "The fact that a year later, neutered kittens were still heavier despite consuming the same amount of food as their entire littermates indicates that the 18 week post-neutering phase has long-term effects on body weight and may be of particular importance. This finding warrants further investigation."

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WALTHAM® is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of companion animals. This research forms part of a wider programme of ongoing collaborative research into the effect of food and nutrition on body weight in both cats and dogs. In order to understand how dietary regimes and activity levels in kittens can ensure healthy weight levels, further research in this field is required.

These findings were originally presented at the WALTHAM® International Nutritional Science Symposium (WINSS), which took place in September 2010 in Cambridge, UK. The research has since been published as part of a special edition WINSS supplement to accompany the October issue of the British Journal of Nutrition and is now available in print and online: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8404195&fulltextType=RA&fileId=S0007114511001851

WINSS 2010, which was hosted in partnership with the Department of Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge University and The Nutrition Society, brought together many of the world's leading experts on pets and nutrition to present and discuss the latest developments in the field of veterinary and nutritional science.

About the WALTHAM® Centre for Pet Nutrition:

The WALTHAM® Centre for Pet Nutrition is a leading scientific authority in pet nutrition and wellbeing and has been advancing the frontiers of scientific research into the nutrition and health of companion animals for nearly 50 years. Located in Leicestershire, England, the renowned state-of-the-art science institute focuses on the nutritional and behavioural needs of companion animals and their benefits to humans, enabling the development of innovative products which meet these needs in a practical way. WALTHAM® has pioneered many important breakthroughs in pet nutrition, and in collaboration with the world's foremost scientific institutes, supports leading Mars brands such as WHISKAS®, PEDIGREE®, NUTRO®, TRILL®, CESAR®, SHEBA®, KITEKAT®, AQUARIAN®, WINERGY® and the ROYAL CANIN brand.

About Mars, Incorporated:

In 1911, Frank C. Mars made the first Mars candies in his Tacoma, Washington kitchen and established Mars' first roots as a confectionery company. In the 1920s, Forrest E. Mars, Sr. joined his father in business and together they launched the MILKY WAY® bar. In 1932, Forrest, Sr. moved to the United Kingdom with a dream of building a business based on the philosophy of a "mutuality of benefits" for all stakeholders – this vision serves as the foundation of the Mars, Incorporated we are today. Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $30 billion and six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks and Symbioscience. More than 65,000 Associates worldwide are putting our Mars Principles in action every day to make a difference for people and the planet through our performance.

Mars brands include: Chocolate – M&M'S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY® and TWIX®; Petcare – PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, SHEBA®, CESAR® and ROYAL CANIN; Wrigley – ORBIT®, EXTRA®, STARBURST®, DOUBLEMINT® and SKITTLES®; Food – UNCLE BEN'S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS® and SEEDS OF CHANGE®; Drinks – ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS™, THE BRIGHT TEA CO.™, KLIX® and FLAVIA®; Symbioscience –SERAMIS®, CIRKU™ and COCOAVIA™.

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Abigail Stevenson, Head of Value Transfer, WALTHAM® Centre for Pet Nutrition
Tel: 44-1664-415-409
Email: Abigail.Stevenson@effem.com


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