Fat Cat...

Piquant_2

It's not been easy dieting my boy. He wolfs down his meals in record breaking time. He must still worry that each meal will be his last! He still fusses around me when I'm in the kitchen, staring at me in a very pointed manner and marching to his bowl and miaowing pitifully.

However, we've had some success and he has lost some weight, not that he was obese, but the vet wanted to watch his weight before it spiraled out of control. By weighing me alone and then him and me I can see it's coming down.

All was going well, until I came down one morning to find the contents of the fridge on the floor :eek: The cheese had been gnawed, the creme fraiche enjoyed and there was a pleasing tongue sculpted butter shape in the fridge door.

I wondered if perhaps I hadn't closed the door properly.... until I watched him roll onto his back in front of the fridge, stretch out, hook his claws into the rubber seal and pull. Job done, fridge door open.

I can only imagine his disappointment to have finally broken into the fridge of a vegetarian...

scaredy_cat

Cool_Chick

Hi Piq, I've just found your thread and read a few responses (not all, sorry). I hope I might be able to help a little.

My boy is 2.5 years old and chubby too. His brother and sister bullied him as a kitten so he wouldn't eat. So it's very important to me that he enjoys his food and I know that I spoil him.

I feed him Hills Science Plan (very expensive but they do a low calorie version) and Whiskas treats. So I follow both on Facebook. Hills gave me some great advice, and I know that Whiskas will too if you message them. But the absolute best advice will come from your regular vet.

If your vet has already diagnosed that your baby is overweight, then a nurse will be able to monitor him back to a healthy weight. In most cases Weight Management programs are free as it's so important (diabetes, etc.). And if you are on a low income or certain benefits, the RSPCA, PDSA, etc. will always help animals for a very small fee. And you can spray his carrier with Feliway first to make him more relaxed during the journey. Your vet may sell it cheaper than elsewhere.

Hills's website also lets you register and sign-up your cat. Then they have an online Weight Management program where you can record your cat's weight and they give you £5.00 off vouchers every so often. But they cannot examine your cat in person so this is why you need a vet to give you the best, personalised service.

And they can only eat what we give them, so we really are partly to blame! I know I'm guilty, even though I feed him with the best intentions. And it's easy to forget how many treats we give in addition to regular meals. And does your baby go out? Might a neighbour be feeding him too? Cats will never say no to food!

And have you thought about Catgrass? Me and my baby love it, and I give it as presents to cat-owner friends. Basically it is Wheatgrass (also known as Sweetgrass or Oatgrass), totally safe and healthy for humans and cats. Humans normally consume it in smooties and health food products. I buy it on ebay from a great supplier (never buy it from the pet shop - so overpriced!). It is cheap and very good quality. And it always arrives through my letterbox in less than 24 hours! PM me if you want her details. Just over £3.00 will pay for seeds and P&P, and will last you around 9 months. I then fill a plant pot with compost, sow 2 tablespoons of seeds, top up with compost then leave it in a windowsill for a week. I put the grown pot on the floor in a sunny corner and my baby chomps on this all day long. He especially loves it just after he has woken up. Then I throw it away and give him a fresh pot every couple of weeks. It is natural, fresh, low calorie, and brilliant for his digestion. And looks nice. And stops him eating my houseplants. And because it is great for humans too, we sometimes eat from the same pot together, or eat the same strand of grass like they do with the spaghetti in The Lady And The Tramp! Great bonding!

And you will need to increase his exercise/playtime. The best toy I have found is called "Da Bird", manufactured by GoCat. With P&P, you should be able to get it for under £10.00. Again, PM me and I'll give you contact details for the UK's official importer. It's a wand toy, but it really is the best. Your cat will leap in the air and contort it's body trying to catch this thing. It's hilarious! It looks simple, but you will only be convinced by seeing it in person. Google it and look for some reviews.

I hope some of this helps. I will read through the rest of the thread so please forgive me if I am off-track. Your poor baby has been through a very terrible time and I don't blame him for being scarred by it. There are many awful pet owners out there, and I wish I could give them all a taste of their own medicine.

But thank heaven for wonderful people like you! You really are so lovely to rescue and adopt poor cats in need. I wish you both all the very best.

rising_from_the_ashes

Piquant wrote: »

All was going well, until I came down one morning to find the contents of the fridge on the floor :eek: The cheese had been gnawed, the creme fraiche enjoyed and there was a pleasing tongue sculpted butter shape in the fridge door.

I wondered if perhaps I hadn't closed the door properly.... until I watched him roll onto his back in front of the fridge, stretch out, hook his claws into the rubber seal and pull. Job done, fridge door open.

:rotfl:OMG ..... don't think I've laughed so much for ages

Glad to hear he's doing so well Piq - wee cat's wands have arrived & we're having 2 / 3 good play sessions every day so, fingers crossed, I'll eventually manage to get some weight off her:)

It will be a while before I can see it as she really is podgy & weighing is out of the question - she'd rip me to shreds if I tried to stand on the scales with her:eek:

Cool_Chick

Just read all of the thread. Colin is beautiful! From his little pink nose to his snow-white belly. And he really doesn't look overweight, just very comfortable and well-loved!

I agree that Zooplus is the cheapest website that I have found for cat food. And they have some great toys and offers, too. If you are wanting to try a premium food, Hills give a 100% money back offer if your cat does not take to it. But my boy and a stray I fed loved it from the very first mouthful. It even smells better (and I'm a vegetarian!).

And I can see that a few other cat-owners have tried Da Bird too! It really is an amazing toy. I bought a few attachments, but my boy loves the original feathers and Da Sparkler. We play with it twice a day. But balls and catnip are great too. And homemade toys like boxes and scrunched-up paper are always good fun.

Anyway, best of luck with Colin!

RosaBernicia

Am snorting with laughter and scrolling rapidly past your post just in case the furries here read it and get any ideas... :rotfl:


Rosa xx

Piquant_2

Thank you for your responses and especially the 'I lick the butter' picture :rotfl:

I'm not sure he is ever going to get over his over-eating. He was left to fend for himself in wasteland. He's not a very brave cat, so I think he went without a great deal.

He goes out in the garden for a few hours everyday, indeed, he was far more settled once he went outside. He always comes in of a night-time and sits as close to me as you can get, without actually sitting on me! I bought him a little house for the garden, it is hidden under the shrubbery and he happily sits in there safe and dry in the most horrible of weathers.

I moved him onto the Butchers Classic and Royal Canin low calorie dry food. He seems very happy with these, although he complains about the portion sizes :rotfl:[a lot!]

Unfortunately, he is terrified of anything that I carry in my hands that looks like a stick, so the da bird toy is out of the question. Anything stick-like causes him to run hissing to the safety of under my bed. I wonder if he's been hit in the past? He loves ping-pong balls and spends a lot of time scampering up and down the hall chasing them, he is getting plenty of exercise!

He is the dearest and gentlest of cats, apart from hissing at sticks, there is no sign of claws or teeth. He happily sleeps next to me in bed and is a very effective alarm clock!

Piquant_2

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

:rotfl:OMG ..... don't think I've laughed so much for ages

Glad to hear he's doing so well Piq - wee cat's wands have arrived & we're having 2 / 3 good play sessions every day so, fingers crossed, I'll eventually manage to get some weight off her:)

It will be a while before I can see it as she really is podgy & weighing is out of the question - she'd rip me to shreds if I tried to stand on the scales with her:eek:

The worst bit about standing on the scales is seeing how much I weigh:eek:

RosaBernicia wrote: »

Am snorting with laughter and scrolling rapidly past your post just in case the furries here read it and get any ideas... :rotfl:


Rosa xx

He uses the same technique to pull the duvet off me in the morning :eek: Once it's first breakfast time he starts by marching round the bed, over my head [the first thing I see in the morning is a cat's @rse] then some paw tapping, followed by the duvet removal....

Roz_V

Piquant wrote: »

He uses the same technique to pull the duvet off me in the morning :eek: Once it's first breakfast time he starts by marching round the bed, over my head [the first thing I see in the morning is a cat's @rse] then some paw tapping, followed by the duvet removal....

That's fairly standard... my cat soon learned that I'm immune (i.e. I pretend not to hear) her early morning meowing, so has taken to licking either my ear or my nose depending on what's visible above the duvet :eek::rotfl:

p.s. loving the idea of "first" breakfast :rotfl:

rising_from_the_ashes

Piquant wrote: »

[the first thing I see in the morning is a cat's @rse]

Me too! Big cat .......

Piquant wrote: »

He was left to fend for himself in wasteland. He's not a very brave cat, so I think he went without a great deal.

Poor wee lamb ... he may well never get over it - my old dog didn't have the best of homes before he came to me and wasn't particularly well fed - he did eat every meal like it was his last for the 6+ years I was lucky enough to have him .... never got any better & he was the worst thief ever (and when you've had 6 labs, you're used to thieving!) .....

Great he's going out & about a bit - I've got a shelter outside for big cat & he happily goes in there (but does tell me off loudly if it's been raining when I've been out ..... welcome to the world of being absolutely besotted by your pets wonderful isn't it!:D