Fat cats and chonky pets: why the internet's obsession with overweight animals is inhumane

Their chubby faces have garnered millions of likes on countless Instagram pages.

But a trend in which pets are deliberately overfed to look cute must end, vets said.

Fat cats and chonky dogs could face a life of misery and early death if the practice continues.

"When we take on ownership of a pet, we take on responsibility for every aspect of their care, including health and welfare," Dr Hannah Rowles, a veterinarian at Royal Canin in Dubai told The National.

“The issue surrounding weight is complex for all of us, but to manipulate this for notoriety and likes on social media is, in my opinion, extremely questionable.

“In the media, including social media, we are getting used to seeing overweight pets as the norm, which makes it harder to recognise [an issue with our own pets].”

While owners can recognise weight gain in themselves, animals cannot regulate how often and how much they eat.

Ms Rowles said pets rely on their owners to make the best choices within their means. And overfeeding them for the sake of cuteness is inhumane.

“Treats complementary to the normal diet, lack of exercise and home-cooking rather than use of a commercial diet can often lead to increases in weight," she said.

"Not changing any habits once the weight has crept on, and lack of action will also lead to continued weight gain.”

The British Veterinary Association recognises obesity as a serious clinical condition that can cause significant harm to the physiology, health and welfare of all animals.

Despite this, social media accounts promoting animal obesity amass huge followings.

The Instagram account Chonky Animals has more than 400,000 followers, while the FatCatCollection has 180,000. Each is dedicated to posting hundreds of pictures of chunky pets.

Dr Sara Elliott, founder and director of British Veterinary Hospital in Dubai, said social media has reignited a trend that existed for years.

“About 20 years ago in the UK, dog breeders, particularly breeders of Labradors and pugs, would say the only way their pets could win in dog shows was by being overweight,” she said.

“Judges were marking pets on their cuteness, rather than agility and ability.

“Social media has exacerbated this obsession and made it an even bigger problem.”

She said keeping a pet unhealthy for online popularity was alarming behaviour and made pets more prone to medical issues such as arthritis, heart problems and pancreatitis.

For short-face breed dogs and cats, such as pugs, French bulldogs and Scottish fold cats, excess weight is even more problematic.

“People need to understand the health concerns that having a cute, fat pet will bring,” she said.

“Having an overweight pet can take two years off its life.

“Some people blame underlying medical conditions on their animal’s weight gain but many are just desperate to find a label for it as an excuse.

“If there is an existing medical condition aiding weight gain, then let’s treat it.”

Long-time dog owner Jason Pettit, 49, said social media trends promoting overweight pets infuriate him.

“I think it’s abuse. When you consciously make a decision to affect the well-being or mental stamina of a pet, it’s not fair," the British citizen said.

“If you prevent them or limit them from being able to move about, like they’re supposed to, it’s cruelty.”

Late last year Mr Pettit, who works in the food and beverage industry, adopted 12-year-old Charlie, a black Labrador who weighed 42 kilogrammes at the time.

Within the past four months, he has managed to get Charlie’s weight down to about 36kg.

“Charlie was not overfed to gain popularity on social media,” he said.

“His previous owner passed away and they had been together for over 10 years. He was a well-loved pet who was probably depressed.

“We suspect that in the final year or so, the owner was not able to exercise him as before and probably took a great deal of comfort from having Charlie by his side, sharing treats from his plate with him.”

He said Charlie no longer struggles to breathe after small amounts of exercise, has a lot more energy and has gone from barely managing a 15-minute stroll around the block to being able to walk 45 minutes in one go.

“Seeing him happy and enthusiastic is the best feeling,” Mr Pettit said.

“I don’t I understand the mentality of why some owners have a pet and intentionally mistreat it for someone else’s enjoyment.”