Related story from 1997: Overweight cats risk disease and premature death, Cornell study finds

Update: Cat owners beyond driving distance of Ithaca, N.Y., also can participate in the diet study, although their pets will not be able to participate in the actual feeding trials. Cornell researchers want to know how cats communicate their feelings of hunger and satiety to humans. To participate in the cat owner part of the study, provide a mailing address to Dr. Emily Levine, el95@cornell.edu, (607) 253-4350, and you will receive a survey form and stamped envelope to return the survey to Cornell.

Researchers planning a feeding study at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine are looking for 60 clinically obese cats and some owners who can't say no.

The two-month feeding study will test alternatives to current weight-loss diets. In return for participating in the study, cats get a medical exam and a two-months supply of one of three kinds of cat food, all free of charge. Obese cats that are lucky enough to get the weight-loss food -- and stick with it -- might end the test with a sleeker physique and a diet plan for a longer, healthier life. To be eligible, cats must be at least 25 percent overweight and live indoors, within driving distance of Ithaca.

The study is based in the college's Animal Behavior Clinic, where the director, Katherine A. Houpt, VMD, Ph.D., says researchers will focus both on feline hunger and behavior. "We'll be asking questions about what the pet does when it is hungry. Does it meow all night? Scratch at the cupboard? Bite people? Or does the pet do what can be even more hurtful to some devoted owners -- ignore them altogether?" Houpt says. "We want to know why people give in and give more food when confronted with those big blue or orange eyes, looking sad and needy."

Those hungry-looking cats may feel sincerely needy, even when stuffed to the whiskers with food, Houpt says, "because gastric fill is not the only component of satiety. Animals are counting calories, as well as the state of their stomachs, and they find a way to tell us what their bodies are telling them: 'I want mo-o-o-ore!'"

Obesity increases a cat's risk of other diseases and can shorten its natural life by years, Houpt says, so veterinarians and pet-food companies are looking for better ways to answer the cry for "Mo-o-o-ore."

Participating pets must be indoors-only cats, "because we don't want them supplementing their diet with wildlife," Houpt notes. And driving distance to Ithaca is important because a total of three visits to the Animal Behavior Clinic are required. Information on joining the feeding study is available from the Cornell Animal Behavior Clinic at (607) 253-3450 or by e-mail at kah3@cornell.edu .