Cats found to eat more in the winter

The study found cats eat approximately 15% less food during summer Cats eat more during the winter and owners should give their pet more food during this time, University of Liverpool research has found. Researchers from the University's School of Veterinary Science , in collaboration with colleagues at the Royal Canin Research Centre in France, spent four years monitoring how much cats chose to eat, and found that food intake increased in colder months and decreased during the summer. The 38 cats studied had a microchip on their collar which allowed them to take as much food as they wanted from a dispenser which only opened for them. At the same time, this microchip recorded how much the cat had eaten and when. "Cats, like many humans are more inclined to comfort eat when it's cold outside but, in their case, it's likely to be due to the extra energy they need to keep warm when out and about" - Veterinarian and study author, Dr Alex German , said: "Cats, like many humans are more inclined to comfort eat when it's cold outside but, in their case, it's likely to be due to the extra energy they need to keep warm when out and about." The study found that cats ate approximately 15% less food during summer, and the vets have concluded that the extra effort to keep warm in winter and the temptation to rest during hot summer days contributed to the swing in activity levels during the year. The cats were all inhabitants of a centre in southern France where they were allowed to play and exercise outside all year round.