"Fat Cats and Greedy Dogs": Discussion of Animal Obesity on Social Media Varies by Species
If you scroll social media these days, you’ll likely run across a funny cat video. A seemingly endless pageant of feline videos has crowned internet celebrities, inspired international ad campaigns, and even earned their own award ceremonies.
As you peruse your socials, you’ll also see many dogs hiking trails, leaping for frisbees, and traveling to exotic locales with their humans. These doggie influencers amass huge online followings, and their posts garner thousands of comments.
If you look more closely, you’ll also see that how we portray and discuss dog and cat obesity varies widely.
Common Cat Obesity Portrayals on Social Media
Many viral videos poke fun at a cat’s waistline, eating habits, refusal to exercise, and overall life of excess. Despite the “Garfield” cartoon series being retired thirty years ago, the notion of “a lasagna-loving, lazy, fat, and cynical cat” continues to capture the public’s attention. “Fat cats” are “funny cats” in most posts and comments.
“Fat cats,” “chonky,” and “chunky monkey” often accompany descriptions of cats with obesity and are promoted with “likes,” “hearts,” and “thumbs-ups” by many viewers. It seems like “fat cats are happy cats” is the prevailing wisdom on the internet in 2024.
Common Dog Obesity Portrayals on Social Media
But what about “man’s best friend?” How are dogs portrayed on social media?
Dogs on social media are often seen accompanying their pet parents on outdoor adventures, traveling in cars, planes, and trains, romping in parks, and enjoying an active lifestyle.
Canine companions are often positioned as an extension of their owner's values, interests, and beliefs, unlike felines portrayed as relaxing, napping, or lounging.
Dogs and humans are commonly engaged in healthy activities, reinforcing the narrative, “Look how well I care for my dog.”
When a dog with obesity is seen being fed extra treats or attempts to convey humor with begging or overfeeding, many commentators blame the dog owner for poor care, accusing them of causing harm or lacking the discipline to feed and exercise their dog properly.
Differences in Pet Obesity Comments on TikTok
Cats and dogs are depicted in different ways on social media. But is obesity perceived and commented on differently based on species?
Terms highlighting a cat’s obesity are prevalent in social media, particularly on TikTok.
In January 2024, there were over 4.1 billion views of TikTok videos with the hashtags #fatcat (2.8 billion views), #chonkycat (900 million), and #fatcatsoftiktok (400 million).
The terms and comments concerning dogs with obesity differ, at least in volume.
During that period, there were only 0.2 billion total views of dog videos tagged #fatdog (169 million), #chonkydog (11 million), and #fatdogsoftiktok (14 million).
See a pattern?
Cats with obesity are potentially being normalized and celebrated on the internet. On the other hand, dog owners risk being vilified or chastised for “bad pet parenting” when posting pictures or videos of dogs with obesity or feeding excessive amounts of treats or food.
Research on Canine YouTube Videos
Researchers at the University of Liverpool have researched this phenomenon in dogs in a 2023 paper co-authored by former APOP Board member Dr Alex German titled “He’d Be Happier if He Wasn’t Chonky” – Qualitatively Exploring Canine Obesity Perceptions Using YouTube™ and Discussion Fora.”
In this study, scientists searched YouTube videos and associated comments for terms such as: “Dog overweight,” “Dog obese,” “Dog weight,” “Dog fat,” “Dog chubby,” “Dog diet,” “Dog hungry,” “Dog begging,” and so on.
At least four themes emerged around weight management in dogs:
1. Balancing conflicting responsibilities – dog owners appeared to balance their responsibility in providing their dogs with happiness, health, and love, and how these choices were prioritized impacted feeding habits and weight management. Owners who valued a healthy lifestyle were more likely to share how they made and engaged in healthy options for their dogs. Positive humor techniques were often utilized in posts and comments.
2. Need vs. greed – dog owners felt compelled to alleviate perceived hunger in their dogs, often in response to begging behaviors, which made sticking to reduced food diets difficult. Begging behaviors are more likely to be met with sympathetic and agreeable reactions on social media posts.
3. Minimizing – individuals varied in the extent to which they perceived excess body fat to cause health issues, and language used to describe their dog’s body changed when excess body fat was seen as an issue. In other words, if obesity was not perceived as a health threat, the dog owners and viewers tended to use fewer terms of blame and shame and persisted in making jokes or minimizing health risks using negative humor.
4. Control – individuals’ perceived control over their dog’s body condition and food intake varied hugely, with some owners believing they had little to no control. Dog owners who feel they have little control over their dog’s body condition are more likely to use terms of helplessness and blame the dog for its unhealthy body condition.
While we don’t have similar research in cats, based on these preliminary findings, the discussions surrounding feline obesity would likely differ, and I believe similar themes would emerge. Similar themes will appear, but it’s essential to connect feline obesity with poor quality of life and disease.
On Social Media, Fat Cats Are Funny; Dogs, Not So Much
The reality is that the public appears to perceive feline obesity as a less problematic, more humorous topic than the health threat it actually poses. #ChonkyCat is acceptable on social media, while #ChonkyDog is not.
When examining social media comments, dog owners seem more likely to associate excess body fat with poor health or quality of life. Unfortunately, the emphasis on owner blame must shift to address the underlying biological mechanisms of excess weight gain.
Dog and cat owners may perceive excess adiposity and obesity differently regarding causation, adverse health impacts, negative influence on longevity, increased healthcare costs, and a diminished quality of life. While some dog owners recognize obesity as a serious issue requiring intervention, cat owners often perceive excess fat in their feline as a “normal” health status and do not take steps to intervene.
Changing Clinical Language For Better Outcomes
How we portray and discuss pet body condition matters, and the research is clear about the long-term detrimental effects of excess adipose tissue. Shifting our language to a health-centered approach is essential, especially in a clinical setting. The emphasis should be on maintaining a healthy body condition or appropriate body fat levels instead of solely chasing a number on a scale.
Routine veterinary assessment tools such as body condition score (BCS) and muscle condition score (MCS) to estimate body fat percentage and lean muscle mass are more effective than relying on weight and breed averages for predicting health risks and outcomes.
Using language such as “healthy or unhealthy body condition” instead of “overweight” makes a distinction between the health impacts of excess body fat (excess adiposity, BCS 8-9) and body weight (mass) to measure and predict health outcomes. By labeling excess body fat as “overweight” or “too heavy,” veterinarians can miss the opportunity to discuss the immediate and long-term impact of chronic systemic inflammation from excess body fat for dogs AND cats.
In a clinical setting, obesity should be discussed in terms of a physiological disease state and not minimized by terms such as “fat,” “chunky,” or “chubby.” Pet owners often focus on breed size averages and weight comparisons, potentially putting owners in a defensive position due to a lack of understanding of healthy body composition and body fat. Healthy body composition is much more than breed size charts.
Changing Our Clinical Language For Better Outcomes
1. “Healthy Body Condition” or “Body Composition” instead of “Weight” - Body condition scoring (BCS) and body fat percentage estimation are superior to relying exclusively on body weight when it comes to risk assessments predicting health outcomes. Focus on achieving a healthy BCS, body composition, or body fat instead of solely chasing a number on a scale.
2. Unhealthy Body Condition versus “Heavy” - We must communicate the negative health impacts of excess body fat associated with an overweight classification (BCS 6-7). We must distinguish clinical obesity (BCS 8-9) as a disease. Obesity poses an imminent and potentially severe health threat with a need for urgent intervention.
By positioning excess body fat and an unhealthy BCS as “too heavy” or “they could lose a few pounds,” we may miss the opportunity to discuss chronic systemic inflammation and other harmful effects of an unhealthy body condition and excess body fat.
3. Health versus Disease - An animal with clinical obesity (BCS 8-9) should be discussed in terms of an active disease state, causing physiological harm, instead of potentially minimized or normalized using terms such as “fat,” “chunky,” or “chubby.”
The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP) is working on further studies into how pet obesity is perceived and discussed and creating practical strategies to aid animals in achieving a healthy body condition.
For now, the evidence suggests veterinary professionals should focus on species-specific communication tactics, treatments, and follow-up care based on the differences in the perception of pet obesity between dogs and cat owners.