# Adiposity and Muscularity Evaluation Using New Objective Morphological Methods Available in Clinical Veterinary Practice: Feline Body Mass Index and Ultrasonography

## TL;DR

The paper introduces a new, objective method for evaluating feline body composition using a body mass index and ultrasonography.

## Contribution

A new clinical method for assessing feline adiposity and muscularity using BMI and ultrasound is proposed.

## Key findings

- The feline body mass index and ultrasonography accurately reflect body composition as measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.
- The proposed method allows for precise and stable obesity assessment in veterinary practice.
- The method is objective and easy to use for evaluating fat mass, fat percentage, and lean body mass.

## Abstract

We introduce a new method for assessing feline nutritional status that is available in general veterinary practices. We demonstrate that the feline body mass index and the ultrasound evaluation of body fat and muscle mass reflect the gold standard for the assessment of body composition. Adopting this standard in veterinary practice will ensure a high-precision assessment of body fat mass and percentage during health checks or while setting weight reduction targets. We further review nutritional assessment methods used in routine veterinary practice and research, and introduce the latest feline nutritional assessment techniques.

In this narrative review, we provide an overview of morphology-based body composition measurement techniques and introduce evaluation methods relevant to veterinary practice. We specifically focus on previous work on the feline body mass index and body composition assessment methods using ultrasonography, creating new figures and tables from previously reported data. Based on these modalities, we introduce an objective, easy-to-use method for estimating obesity and assessing body composition. We highlight that adiposity and muscularity evaluation via the feline body mass index and ultrasonography appropriately reflects the total fat mass, fat percentage, and lean body mass assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The proposed method objectively assesses obesity and can be easily and stably used in clinical veterinary practice.