Get ready, it’s coming…Ozempic for pets!

BY PAWS 4 SAFETY

Ready or not, here it comes. It should come as no surprise that with the popular weight loss craze of Ozempic and Wegovy and others that pets will soon be included in the weight loss chaos. With obesity in pets being at an all-time high causing such health problems for pets as diabetes, arthritis and heart problems, it was just a matter of time until the powers that be came up with an instant answer…drugs!

Trials for our feline friends have been going on since November 2025. Askton, being one weight loss drug with a once-a-week injection of GLP-1 for cats, was first to make it to the starting line with a trial of approximately fifty cats. Meow-1 is actually an implant that began trials in this past month of December 2025. The cats participating in the study will have their health metrics measured at 3 and 6 months. If successful, with study results anticipated sometime in the summer of 2026, trials for dogs will come next. And why not?

These drugs have changed the landscape for humans suffering from obesity and diabetes. The statistics in our pets are no surprise with some studies reporting anywhere from 51% - 60% of cats being obese. And our dogs are showing up consistently at 59% obesity just in the U.S.

With an anticipated out of pocket expense of $100 per month for these weight loss options, many pet owners just won’t be able to afford the ongoing cost. So, what are some options if the drugs either are not available to us for some time or are too expensive when they do become available?

For our feline companions, the number one thing to help control weight is … drumroll please, you guessed it, FOOD! Michael Klotsman, Ph.D., MBA, CEO of OKAVA Pharmaceuticals, said in a recent press release: “Caloric restriction, or fasting, is one of the most well-established interventions for extending lifespan and improving metabolic health in cats. But it’s also one of the hardest to maintain.

Here are some feeding tips we use here at Paws 4 Safety for our Chief Curiosity Officer (CCO) Merlin the Persian cat.

When it comes to his regular daily diet, we personally recommend NOT free feeding your pets. That goes for cats and dogs or any other animals you might have. Free feeding may be the easy way to feed but it makes it difficult to constantly ensure FRESH food and monitor the quantity of food consumed in any given time period.

If you have a pet emergency one of the first things your vet will usually ask is, when was the last time your pet ate? How much was eaten etc.? These questions are hard to pinpoint if you free feed. Remember cats in the wild must search and hunt for food, it’s not just sitting in a bowl 24/7. We like to change things up for Merlin. Although he has a “normal” feeding area, occasionally I will put his food somewhere else and once in a while I’ll split it into two separate dishes just to keep him on his toe beans. He gets a high protein, low carb diet. He also gets only canned food for a couple of reasons.

One, it helps ensure he consumes enough water (in his food) to help him stay hydrated which helps reduce kidney issues that cats are famous for and two, canned foods have a lower calorie content than dry foods, helping Merlin maintain his feline figure.  And beware of the “treat monster” Merlin would like you to think that his very existence depends on daily helpings of treats. Don’t be fooled, it doesn’t! When he does get treats, it’s either just a dab of his regular food on the tip of my finger or a lickable puree or a freeze-dried single ingredient meat. The pugs we share our home with see to it that Merlin gets a fair amount of daily interactive play. If you don’t have pugs, a laser toy works great to help keep your cat purring right along to ensure a long and healthy life.