Cat owners should give their pets tags that say, “please don’t feed me,” a Dublin vet has warned.

Veterinary nurse Sarah O’Malley from MyPet in Firhouse told The Pat Kenny Show that nearly half the pets that come to her are “carrying some amount of extra weight”.

Ms O’Malley explained that a pet’s weight is determined by “80% diet, 20% exercise” – and said owners should be wary of their cats “visiting lots of neighbours' houses”.

She said one way to stop neighbours overfeeding your cat is to fit them with tags that warn people: “Please don’t feed me, I’m on a special diet.”

Ms O’Malley also said owners should also try to stop cats from bringing rodents into the home – explaining that cats do this “because they think [people are] incapable of feeding ourselves”.

She pointed out that cats often seem hungry, but they are just “crying for attention.”

“They want rubs or brushes,” she said. “It's not actually hunger.”

"Bottomless pits”

Ms O’Malley said advertising can lead to people overfeeding their pets.

“Because there's so much advertising for pet treats, people want to spoil their pets... Unfortunately, they spoil them too much,” she said.

The veterinary nurse said certain breeds of dogs are more likely to overeat – describing Labradors, pugs and beagles as “food-obsessed” and “bottomless pits”.

Digital weighing scales

Ms O’Malley recommended that owners use digital weighing scales to feed dogs of different sizes as measuring cups are not accurate enough.

“You may look like you’re level at, say, 100 grams, but the way the kibbles kind of sit, they can sit kind of funny,” Ms O’Malley said.

“They won't actually be even and you can easily overfeed by just judging from the eye.”

Ms O’Malley said owners should also avoid feeding their pets non-dog food and “work off smell and texture” when finding dog food that a pet will like as they have less tastebuds than humans.

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