Kansas ranks No. 8 in U.S. for overweight cats

A new report has found that one in three dogs and cats are overweight nationwide and the numbers are growing.

The number of overweight cats and dogs is higher here than the national average — with Kansas at the No. 8 spot in the nation for overweight cats.

In Kansas, 38 percent of cats are overweight, compared with a national average of 33 percent.

The Banfield Applied Research and Knowledge Team created its state of pet health report based on data from the 2.5 million dogs and 505,000 cats seen at Banfield Hospitals in 2016. Banfield operates three veterinary hospitals in Kansas, in Wichita and Topeka.

“Maintaining a healthy weight in pets is critically important,” said Kirk Breuninger, veterinary research associate at Banfield Pet Hospital, in an email. “Being overweight does not simply impact how a pet looks or feels, it is also associated with other chronic conditions that can have negative consequences for a pet’s overall health and quality of life.”

Kansas ranked 15th for overweight dogs among U.S. states, with 32 percent of dogs overweight compared with a national average of 30 percent.

While the report also noted health issues like dental tartar, it focused on “the alarming levels of obesity affecting dogs and cats in the United States.”

In the past 10 years, the number of overweight cats has gone up by 169 percent, according to the report, and the number of overweight dogs has gone up by 158 percent.

Carrying extra pounds is related to more than 20 ailments, whereas a healthy weight may delay the onset of many chronic diseases, Banfield says in the report.

Prevalence of overweight cats in 2016

1. Minnesota

2. Nebraska

3. Iowa

4. Idaho

5. Delaware

6. Michigan

7. Nevada

8. Kansas

9. Utah

10. New Mexico

11. Oregon

12. Washington

13. Illinois

14. Virginia

15. Massachusetts

16. Colorado

17. Missouri

18. Pennsylvania

19. Florida

20. South Carolina

21. Oklahoma

22. Tennessee

23. Maryland

24. Texas

25. North Carolina

26. Ohio

27. California

28. Montana

29. New York

30. New Hampshire

31. Indiana

32. Wisconsin

33. New Jersey

34. Georgia

35. Arizona

36. District of Columbia

37. Kentucky

38. Rhode Island

39. Louisiana

40. Alabama

41. Connecticut

42. Puerto Rico

43. Arkansas

44. Mississippi

Prevalence of overweight dogs in 2016

1. Minnesota

2. Nebraska

3. Michigan

4. Idaho

5. Nevada

6. New Mexico

7. Washington

8. Utah

9. Indiana

10. Oregon

11. Illinois

12. Colorado

13. Virginia

14. Iowa

15. Kansas

16. Florida

17. Massachusetts

18. Pennsylvania

19. South Carolina

20. Oklahoma

21. Missouri

22. Ohio

23. Tennessee

24. New Hampshire

25. Arizona

26. California

27. Delaware

28. Texas

29. Maryland

30. New York

31. New Jersey

32. Montana

33. North Carolina

34. Georgia

35. Kentucky

36. Connecticut

37. Wisconsin

38. District of Columbia

39. Rhode Island

40. Louisiana

41. Alabama

42. Arizona

43. Puerto Rico

44. Mississippi

This story was originally published June 27, 2017 at 6:48 PM with the headline "Kansas ranks No. 8 in U.S. for overweight cats."