Q: I have had cats and dogs for years, and all of them have been spayed or neutered. I’ve noticed that they—and my friends’ sterilized pets—are almost all overweight, whereas friends’ dogs that are not sterilized usually remain slim. Is it true that spayed and neutered pets are heavier than sterilized pets? If so, why?
A: Your observation is accurate, although it doesn’t need to be this way. In the United States, 60 percent of cats and 56 percent of dogs are overweight or obese.
