Popular GLP-1 weight loss drugs could soon be available for pets.

Okava Pharmaceuticals, based in San Francisco, just launched MEOW-1 — a clinical study that utilizes a tiny, under-the skin implant in 50 cats to release a GLP-1 medication drug over six months.

The implant, called OKV-119, "is designed to mimic many of the physiological effects of fasting — improved insulin sensitivity, reduced fat mass, and more efficient energy metabolism — without requiring significant changes in feeding routines or disrupting the human-animal bond that often centers around food," Michael Klotsman, the CEO of Okava, said in a news release Wednesday.

It has the potential to enhance cats' quality of life and promote healthy aging, according to the company.

Experts say roughly six in 10 cats in the U.

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