Ozempic for CATS: Chubby felines could be offered weight-loss jabs,
Weight-loss jabs have revolutionised the way we treat obesity in humans – and scientists now want to do the same thing for cats.
Fat felines could soon be offered Ozempic-style jabs to help them ‘live healthier, longer lives’.
OKAVA Pharmaceuticals, a San Francisco-based drug development company, has announced that the first cat has been dosed with a new weight-loss treatment.
However, this is just the first stage of the company’s MEOW-1 (ManagEment of OverWeight) trial that could make Ozempic for cats a reality.
Ozempic and Wegovy both contain semaglutide, which is a type of drug known as a GLP-1 agonist.
Now, for the first time ever, OKAVA is testing a new GLP-1 drug specifically designed for pets, called OKV-119.
Instead of receiving weekly injections of the drug, like human patients, cats will be given an ultra-long-lasting implant slightly larger than a microchip.
This injectable implant will sit under the skin and provide a steady dose of weight-loss drugs for up to six months.
Should we be using medication to manage our pets’ weight, or is this taking the easy way out and risking their well-being?
Go to comments GLP-1 drugs work by mimicking a naturally occurring hormone called glucagon-like-peptide-1, which stimulates insulin production, limits digestion, and creates feelings of fullness.
By activating the same receptors in our bodies, GLP-1 agonists like semaglutide recreate these effects to limit the appetite and support weight loss.
Some trials have shown that GLP-1 drugs designed for humans can reduce appetite and improve weight loss in cats and dogs, but there is a shortage of pet-specific treatments.
Likewise, limited studies have shown that the drug OVK-119 is safe for cats, but there isn’t very much clinical evidence to show it can effectively treat feline obesity.
In the new MEOW-1 trial, OKAVA hopes to enrol over 50 cats, two-thirds of which will be given an implant containing the drug.
The initial study will track the cat’s weight loss for three months, with owners given the chance to opt in for a further three months.
If the drug proves successful, OKAVA intends to launch a larger clinical trial next year and apply for approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
That means cats could be getting doses of weight-loss jabs around 2028 or 2029.
For pet owners and vets struggling to control their moggy’s weight, this could be a major breakthrough.
Currently, the standard method of treating pet obesity is a so-called ‘therapeutic diet’ involving restricted calories and increased exercise.
However, this is a major commitment for both pets and owners that must be strictly adhered to over many years.
These diets often fail due to what vets call ‘pester power’, meaning most pets are better at begging for food than their owners are at saying no.
Dr Michael Klotsman, CEO of OKAVA, says: ‘Caloric restriction, or fasting, is one of the most well-established interventions for extending lifespan and improving metabolic health in cats, but it is one of the hardest to maintain.
‘OKV-119 is designed to mimic many of the physiological effects of fasting without requiring significant changes in feeding routines or disrupting the human–animal bond that often centres around food.’
Research conducted by The Royal Veterinary College found that nearly half of all pet cats in the UK are classified as obese.
Just like in humans, this increases their risk of heart problems, liver disease, urinary issues, and cancer.
Obese cats are also at a significantly increased risk of developing diabetes, which requires expensive daily injections of insulin to treat.
If OKV-119 does prove to be a safe and effective way of reducing appetite, it could help cats lose weight to live a longer and healthier life.
But it isn’t just cats that might be getting a new type of Ozempic-style treatment.
In August, OKAVA announced that a series of trials testing OKV-119 implants in dogs.
The company said that it planned to release the implant commercially sometime in either 2028 or 2029.
However, at the time, veterinary experts warned that appetite-suppressing drugs for cats and dogs could have some unintended side effects.
Professor Alex German, a dog obesity expert from the University of Liverpool, told the Daily Mail that a weight-loss drug for dogs named Slentrol was launched in 2007, which worked by suppressing the appetite.
However, the drug failed to perform well on the market and was eventually discontinued, partially because owners didn’t like how their dogs began to act.
Dr German says: ‘Normally, the dog would be waiting at the door to greet them; delighted, happy, wagging their tail.
‘But, because they weren’t hungry, some of that behaviour and interaction with the owner changed – the suppression of the appetite was something that was seen as a negative by the owners.’
If GLP-1 mimics are going to be successful this time around, Dr German says owners will likely need counselling and support to ensure they understand any potential behaviour changes.
He adds: ‘Having an alternative approach, such as drugs, could be useful for clinicians on the ground to have an extra option.’
HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR CAT? THE 13 SECRET SIGNALS FELINES GIVE THEIR OWNERS
Cats are often branded aloof and solitary creatures who spend their days plotting their human owner’s demise, but such characterisations could not be further from the truth.
In fact, our feline friends constantly communicate their feelings of affection to us, whether it be through their whiskers, tail, face or body language.
In her eye-opening new book Kitty Language: An Illustrated Guide to Understanding Your Cat, author Lili Chin – with the help of animal behaviourists – explains how to interpret your pet’s movements.
Below are some of the most common behaviours and what they could signal.
