'That also affected the fecal microbiota of the cats, likely due to the reduced digestion (more nutrients passing through).'īecause the cats were not getting all of their proper nutrients, the researchers noticed 'significant changes' in the gut microbial compositions in the fat cats. 'That led to a reduced amount of time for the body to digest the food consumed, resulting in a reduced digestive efficiency (nutrient digestibility),' Swanson said. (To measure this, cats were fed a bright-green, non-digestible dye that turned their poop green.)

The overeating cats' average body condition score (BCS) - a measurement system similar to body mass index (BMI) in humans - was 5.41 on a 9-point scale at the beginning of the study, but after 18 weeks of overindulging, that number shot up to 8.27, which corresponded to being 30% overweight, according to the study.Īs the felines tipped the scales, researchers observed not only a surge in poop production but also a rise in gastrointestinal transit time, which is the amount of time between eating and bowel movements.

Poker gut shot