In two years, your cat could start taking the same type of medication as Oprah Winfrey.
UF veterinary professor Dr. Chen Gilor is leading a large pilot study of a GLP-1 weight loss drug called MEOW-1, or ManagEment of Over Weight cats. The study began in December 2025 and has enrolled about 50 obese felines.
GLP-1 drugs, the most common of which is Ozempic, mimic a natural hormone released from the gut after eating. They regulate blood sugar by boosting insulin production, slowing digestion and reducing appetite.
The drug was designed to treat Type 2 diabetes in humans. Now, use of the drug for weight management is rising. A Gallup poll found over 12% of U.S. adults reported taking it for weight loss last year, and several celebrities have made headlines for undergoing body transformations while on Ozempic or similar medications.
In Gilor’s placebo-controlled study, two-thirds of the cats will receive the drug, while the others will serve as controls. Researchers will follow them for three months. Owners can then choose whether to agree to a three-month extension.
Gilor developed MEOW-1 in partnership with San Francisco-based Okava Pharmaceuticals. The drug is administered in small implants, slightly larger than a microchip, that slowly release the dose under the skin for as long as six months.
Gilor said he was inspired to lead the study because of the amount of diabetic, obese and overweight pet cats in the U.S. There are around 600,000 diabetic cats in the country, and 60% of the 70 million cats in the U.S. are overweight or obese.
Gilor has worked with the GLP-1 family of drugs for two decades, starting with his doctoral dissertation on feline diabetes. He initially intended to treat cat diabetes.
Over time, Gilor, along with the rest of the world, realized these drugs effectively treat obesity as well. He added it’s much easier to study them in the context of obesity than diabetes.
Gilor decided to test the drugs on cats because GLP-1 drugs are most effective in Type 2 diabetes. Dogs almost exclusively develop Type 1 diabetes, with only rare instances of Type 2. By contrast, about 80% of diabetic cats have Type 2.
“I’m doing this to treat obesity in cats, but the urgency for me is preventing diabetes,” Gilor said.
Upon diagnosis with diabetes, Gilor said, many cats are euthanized because owners are unwilling to treat the condition with twice-daily injections of insulin.
“[I’m] trying to prevent death from happening,” Gilor said.
Obese and overweight cats can experience greasy coats due to their inability to groom themselves, said Dr. Kaela Navarro, an associate veterinarian at Suburban Animal Hospital in Gainesville. This can also sometimes lead to dandruff, skin flakes and skin irritation, she said.
“I think it’s something that could be good if it’s proven safe, because cats do have some trouble losing weight,” Navarro said.
Navarro said she’s concerned about potential appetite loss in cats receiving MEOW-1.
“I definitely want to see how much the cats' appetites are decreased, because I think owners overall are not going to want to see their cats not want to eat,” Navarro said.
Dr. Kimberly Hall de Vries, a veterinarian at Newberry Animal Hospital in Spring Hill, said obesity can increase the risk of diabetes, joint issues, urinary issues and certain cancers, and it can place added stress on the heart.
“Your cat actually should have an hourglass waist,” Hall said. "If you are standing on top of them, looking down and you run your hands down their ribs, their ribs should come in a little bit and then go out to their hips.”
Weight management is important for cats’ health, Hall said, but some pet owners have a distorted perception of what cats should look like and have grown accustomed to their pets being overweight.
Dieting can also be difficult for cats due to their limited activity levels or owners’ lack of education about how much food a cat needs based on breed and size.
The MEOW-1 implant has its obstacles. Hall said researchers could encounter an excessive inflammatory reaction that some cats develop in response to anything that goes underneath the skin. The reaction can increase their risk for certain types of tumors, she said.
However, the MEOW-1 researchers have developed a theory that the physical act of injecting under the skin does not cause inflammation. Rather, the vaccine or medicine being injected ramps up the immune system, potentially causing overactivity and eventually inflammation.
“I have zero concerns,” Gilor said. “The capsule [implant] that we’re using … is completely inert. It doesn’t cause any inflammation."
Still, it remains unclear whether the drug will appeal to pet owners.
“I don’t know that they need it,” said Steven Schwartz, 57, who owns two overweight cats. “As long as they at least demonstrate that they’re enjoying their life.”
So far, it’s still very early in the study, and results are premature, Gilor said. But the placebo treatment group has not lost weight, and the cats being treated with the implant are losing weight.
Results should be available by this summer. If all goes well, the researchers plan to seek approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration within 18 to 24 months. The drug is expected to be ready for the commercial market by 2028.
Contact Coral Uzgiden cuzgiden@alligator.org. Follow her on X @coraluzgiden.
Coral is a sophomore Sports Journalism student in her first semester with the Alligator covering Lacrosse. She also has experience writing for WRUF and covering beats such as high school football and Gators swim and dive. She is an intern for the Women of the Lowcountry and in her free time enjoys playing waterpolo, going to the gym and being outside.
