At this point I am done discussing my cats weight. I can't deny that it honestly hurts that some comments are suggesting I don't care about my cat or her weight situation. I've been trying to get her weight down for months now. I know she loves me, she never leaves my side when I'm home. I love my cat dearly and I do care about her health. For the record it will definitely become easier when I move in a few months time.
Might be family. My dog was constantly overweight and we couldn't do anything to bring it down. Soon as husband and I moved on our own, she dropped to a healthy weight within like a month. Turns out MIL was constantly feeding her treats, despite us telling her not to đ
OP, just focus on your cat, and disregard the negative comments. You know you love her, you know she loves you, and you know she needs to lose weight, it's that simple. She should be getting about 1/4 cup dry kibble twice a day, and no treats until she's a healthy weight. Idk what her weight needs to be, since my cat is healthy at 9lbs but is tiny. Your vet should be able to help tell you how much she needs to lose đ
I once had a cat almost die from that when she was 6 months old. She wasn't overweight and I hadn't put her on a diet, she just stopped eating much all of a sudden, and it was hard to notice because I had three cats and didn't feed them separately, so the other two would eat what she didn't. Never did figure out why it was happening, like if the other two cats weren't letting her eat, or if she was stressed out about something, or what. I just noticed she was jaundiced and took her to the vet, and they told me she had fatty liver disease and had a 50% chance of dying in the next few days, and the only thing I could do was take her home and force feed her until she decides to start eating again. Took several weeks of thinning out a high-calorie canned food formula and squirting it down her throat with a syringe six times a day, then another couple weeks of sitting with her in the bathroom and encouraging her when she finally started eating on her own.
Then nothing like that ever happened again. I was a little overindulgent with her for a while and she got to be a bit overweight, and then I did put her on a diet, which was kinda terrifying, but she lost the weight and she lived to be 16 years old with no more health problems until the last year.
This is what was happening with my corgi. They're prone to gaining weight anyway if overfed, and my MIL just couldn't resist the puppy dog eyes. He's cute and loved my MIL and would just follow her around the house and she couldn't resist giving him treats and parts of her meals any time she cooked. He was getting so fat he couldn't stand up from sitting! It was so sad, even my coworkers noticed how chunky he was and as much as I cried and begged and pleaded for her to stop feeding him, she would just give him as much food as he desired when I wasn't around. And this dog can pretty much eat until he bursts, there is no limit.
Eventually my SO and I moved into our own place and within a few months my dog had shed all that excess weight and is slimmed down and healthy again. He has a waist again and can jump up on the bed and run around and swim without limping or getting totally exhausted.
I totally understand the struggle of family not listening when it comes to pets, hopefully the situation improves and kitty can get back down to a healthy weight again!
Since moving away from my momâs house, my cat has shed two pounds! It was slow going, because my mom would feed her or give her treats whenever she asked, and the cat is a lazy goblin, but itâs definitely doable!
I'll never understand why people do this. WHY would anyone find joy in giving a beloved pet endless treats, especially when it is so very obviously hurting them? But apparently it's common.
IMO it's the same thing as never saying no to your kids and spoiling them. Doesn't matter if it's hurting them in the long run as long as the person giving doesn't have to say no or change their habits.
Yup. Live with family, and my cats weight got so bad that I had to resort to putting a lock on the cabinet where I store cat food. My family was filling up the dish with food anytime it got low. Once I got her feeding on a proper schedule, the weight slowly but surely came off. Portioned meals, Two times a day is plenty for a cat. They are suppose to be very hungry by feeding time.
Besides, they're not actually hungry by feeding time đ they'll only get truly hungry after 3 days. They're just incredibly dramatic lol. One of my cats is on wet food and is actually being overfed (he was in the hospital, lost a lot of weight, it was a whole thing) and he still screams 2 hours before dinner time lol
This is absolutely correct. My late cat could act like he hasnât been fed for a week straight just a couple hours after mealtime. If someone came by and didnât know that we feed the cat regularly, they wouldâve thought that we starved him just based on his behaviour. đ
Same issue happened with my dog. She didn't gain weight, but she was constantly having diarrhea because of my grandmother feeding her cheese. đ Moved a month ago and suddenly she's regular again.
Honestly, the negative comments are important I think. These unhealthy cats being upvoted so much normalizes this.
And I'm not saying OP is lying but literally every obese cat is "on a diet" when the owner is called out in the comments.
The upvotes and the "aww, more to love" are irresponsible and normalizing, but the negative comments are only detrimental. Are you more likely to listen to someone berating you and saying you obviously don't care about your cat, etc or are you more likely to listen to someone who says they're concerned about your cat's health and gives you tips on correcting it.
"On a diet" as is, is definitely a lie, but OP said it has to do with the home situation. Most boomers and older don't see a problem with obese pets and won't stop giving them treats and table scraps despite warnings from their kids. All you can do is try your best until it's your pet by yourself.
Tell that to the wet food shortage that has been escalating for a year now. There was an accident at the aluminum plant in China that supplied the US . Also, companies are having problems sourcing ingredients so even the food in the (stupid) plastic containers arenât available. Weâve no choice but to feel them dry with some chicken and supplements.
Grain free kibble is good for their teeth. If you aren't feeding any kibble, you need to make sure they get grain-free crunchies so their teeth don't all rot out.
I agree, your catâs vet would definitely know best for your cat! In general, though, the fat is easier to digest for cats than carbohydrates. As obligate carnivores, their digestive systems are designed to eat prey animals that contain more protein (and fat, like you said!) instead of carbohydrates.
During my last 2 years of college, it didn't make sense for us to get an apartment because I wouldn't be able to help my bf (now hubby) pay for it and I wouldn't live in it for most of the year. Soon as I graduated, we moved out
It's grain free, and yes, wet food is good, but if they don't get kibble, their teeth rot prematurely and it's not good for them. They gotta cronch for the teefs.
Then tell people to stop or remove it from that situation. It isn't fair to keep abusing it because youre in a difficult situation. If you can't take proper care of your animal then give it to someone who can.
I meant its clear they think you're being malicious in some way when you only care about the health of an animal, and will downvote you and not even read your comment
And they always obey your every command and don't think "awww I just think it's fun to give the kitty a treat, there's nothing wrong with that, OP will never even know, fat cats are best cats anyway" and do whatever the fuck they want anyway, right? Honestly, if you've always lived with people who are willing to do what you ask with regard to your pets, you are extremely lucky.
I came home from work to find my cats declawed once after specifically telling my father's wife that I did not want my cats declawed. She took them to the shitty unethical country vet while I was at work and had it done anyway. I guess if I just talked to her more about it, that would have made her not fucking batshit crazy.
The thing is, your cat didn't get THAT fat over night. That's several YEARS of excess feeding and at this point, it *might* be too late, your cat could well be on her way to diabetes or kidney disease.
The cat isn't just "fat". That's a triple-wide cat, morbidly obese and honestly the poor thing can barely walk! "can't do anything about it" is the same excuse as a human who weighs 600lbs saying they "don't know why they're so fat"
Your cat relies on you to keep it healthy. If your family is feeding the cat a bunch of shit, start bitching them out, show them what happens to fat cats.
I understand that some people are dense as hell and just don't "get it". I am forever telling my grandfather NOT to give the dog chocolate, or grapes, or onions and what do I get in response? "Well, why not?"
Seriously. After I left for college, my dad fed our cat constantly. She got to be as horrendously fat as opâs cat. And she had to be put down bc of a tumor or something. She wasnât very old. I think she was around 9 yrs old. Opâs cat is dangerously overweight. Yes redditors are harsh and giving unsolicited advice⊠but⊠dude your cat is morbidly obese and prob wonât live a long life.
It boggles my mind that this comment was downvoted. We have a case of unintentional animal abuse and there are people who would rather use terms like "chonker" or some other bullshit to whitewash the situation. Makes me sick.
What does your cat loving you have to do with anything? Your actions have, and continue to, put your cats life at risk. No amount of excuses or self victimisation will change that fact. People arenât being mean, theyâre worried for this poor baby who is struggling because you have chronically over fed her. She deserves so much better, and if you arenât actively doing everything you can to safely decrease her weight as soon as possible, you have failed her. It may not make you feel good, but itâs as simple as that.
I also have a large and heavy cat that I have on a diet. You dont have to wait months. It can start today simply with a little less food, and less treats.
The hard part is for you/us having to know and suffer that are beloved animals are hungry.
An automated feeder costs like 60 bucks on Amazon. Changed the game for me and made it easier to help my cat lose weight. I had a very similar looking boat, even the same coat.
That's a good response. You have the ability to request that a mod lock your post from further comments, should you desire to do so. You seemed to have gained some valuable information from myself and other commenters here, which is excellent. I am always available to offer information should you require it, just shoot me a DM.
Or, alternatively, r/askvets is another excellent sub!
Be careful with moving. I let someone baby sit a cat of mine for 8mos while away on military orders, then when she came home she was stressed out and lost weight too quickly, suffered liver failure and died. She was very loving and happy too, but died at 1yo because someone didnât take obesity seriously.
Itâs very easy for our house cats to gain, mine did as they got older, im trying to get their weight down now. I no longer leave dry food out for them to graze, cuz theyâll eat when theyâre bored like humans do. Get a timed feeder and try to give recommended daily allowance amount each day. And get a laser toy.
Thank you for trying to get it down. It took me a good two years to get my boy at a healthy weight. It was not easy, but definitely worth it. You got this!
I just wanted to tell you that I watched the video and your cat is absolutely adorable. My cats are also somewhat overweight and they are on diets and we're working on it. I'm sorry that people can't just focus on how cute and proud your kitty is at catching her "mouse" instead of repeatedly telling you something you are already aware of. Anyway, thanks for making my day by sharing your beautiful furball!
Ssssoooo yes the cat is fat but the way she's walking also has to do with having a giant ball of yarn in her mouth. My thin athletic cat does that exact walk when he can't see around something he's carrying.
Don't need to be a vet to see that cat is clearly at a very unhealthy weight. I'm not gonna assume it's your fault, but whoever is at fault for that cat's weight should be smacked upside the head.
Kudos for brushing off all the assholes. It always boggles my mind how many people will talk down to a stranger to try to feel better about themselves.
I'm willing to bet 99% of the people virtue signaling in this thread are not nearly the heroes for animals that they think they are.
Are you a vegan? Assuming not - how many animals have you paid to have tortured for every waking hour of their lifetime and slaughtered, this week alone?
I'm making a comment about the hypocrisy of everyone who acts like they're noble because they're badgering and insulting a stranger for overfeeding their cat - and meanwhile, the vast majority of these same people pay to support literal animal torture daily. Actual torture - not just giving too much food to a pet that is obviously loved. So, let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
I'm not even a vegan (Health/accessibility reasons + poverty lmao) but I agree with you wholeheartedly.
And the people here do not even know WHY this cat is obese. I had an obese cat in my childhood and he was obese because of the neutering which caused him renal and hormonal problems. He was never overfed.
Some cats also have mental health problems with food and it's not right to take it away all at once, you have to do it carefully if you don't want your cat to end up depressed. It's exactly the same way with humans.
Losing weight is a long process, it doesn't happen overnight, yes it can cause health problems, no it doesn't mean that the owner is enabling it. Sometimes the owner does, but I don't think it's always on purpose and it's not really productive to dogpile on someone on Reddit who just wanted to post their cute cat.
Yeah - I'm the one making the argument and I'm not even vegan myself (just vegetarian). I think everyone should do whatever they are personally able to, to reduce suffering in the world, and that shaming people or acting superior increases suffering rather than decreasing it. The world needs more spreading of love, support and encouragement rather than negativity.
I had a cat that was fat until he was old and got sick and it really didn't matter how much I restricted his diet (and I'm talking less than 1/2 a cup of food daily for 10 + years) he was still fat.
I'm not a vegan, and they are 100% correct. The way factory farmed animals are treated is horrific. If you're buying meat at a normal grocery store, you're eating animals that have been tortured. It isn't brainwashing, it's fucking reality.
How about you look up how slaughter houses are run?
Everyone knows what happens in factory farms. Everyone knows what happens behind a porn set too, but you don't hear weird asses screaming about how badly the porn actresses/actors are treated by the industry, do you? I bet you STILL watch porn, just like most other people do.
and it is brainwashed nonsense. No normal person spends time in their day screaming about animals meant to be food.
I don't watch porn, and I do have a problem with how the performers are treated. I know how slaughterhouses are run, I walked by one every day on my way to work in a meat packing plant, and I don't know what the fuck your point is supposed to be. How about you stop harassing people about the health of their pets when you know absolutely nothing about their situation. If you do that while happily sucking down cheeseburgers that came from cows that suffered greatly so that you could suck down those cheeseburgers, you're a god damn hypocrite. And also for the porn.
Ok my cat was underweight when I adopted her. She quickly became overweight (I didnât realize she couldnât pace herself until too late). Now, she is only a pound overweight. Hang in there. I donât think people realize it takes years for cats to lose weight.
No, thatâs definitely not what they meant. Iâm correct about that.
Not trying to bother you either. Iâm just explaining to you that intentionally misinterpreting someone on the very first sentence of a reply is gonna instantly put people off. Just consider that going forward.
I think what's actually happening here is that people are communicating over the internet like in real life. If I told friends from work visiting my house and seeing my cat for the first time that Yeah, I know my cat is fat, and yeah, I'm trying to get the little shit to eat less, I would also be very upset if the next time I invited them over to the house, they berate me as if they had completely forgotten that I told them that I care about my cat's weight.
Except the internet is an ever revolving door of new people, so you have to keep telling them over and over, making it emotionally exhausting if you're perceiving the internet to be a strongly amnesiac friend who is often judgemental.
Solution is to make your own comment to the post (a "top level" comment), and then ask the mods to pin it. Or maybe ask the mods to pin their own comment, with your broadcast inside.
Hey, OP. I had a cat who was on a VERY restricted diet and he was still fat. And very, very hungry all the time. It was sad to deprive him. In the end he did live until 17. Had him checked for diabetes more than once. He never had it.
Bone cancer is what killed him. I loved that kitty so much. He did get some bad joint pain in his old age. But once, he sprained his little paw, and I took him to the vet and the vet was borderline abusive, even when I told her he was down to 1/4 cup of grain free and a 1/3 can of cat food a day.
She didn't believe me and acted like I was abusing him. He was just predisposed to being fat. Another vet told me orange tabbies are frequently prone to that, regardless of a restricted diet. Anyway, sorry people are being so mean!
Thanks kind stranger. I am so sorry about the loss of your cat. I lost one last summer, who was actually an orange tabby, but she was a girl! Which our vet told us was very rare (an orange tabby being female). She was around the same age, 17 years or so (we found her on the streets when I was a kid so none of us know what her true age was).
Anyway, thanks for the kind words. It breaks my heart to think about losing this one. She's so sweet, and she's the first cat I've owned myself in my adult life. I do want what's best for her and I'm glad people like you can realize that
Good luck with your living situation. I recommend (if you haven't had all the recommendations you can stand) grain free. Cat's don't eat grain in the wild, or vegetables. There are some reasonable grain free options these days in kibble and canned food.
If youâve been trying then ignore the haters âșïž one of my cats (oddly enough also a mackerel tabby) gained tonnes of weight after we got him neutered. His diet became small and he was in distress wanting more food. He never lost weight at all the whole time he was on a diet (he is a strictly indoor cat, so no sneaky meals). Eventually he lost all the weight when we bought a house a puppy and a kitten. Playing with the new family members and having a larger space to run around motivated him into action. Now he has an unlimited food supply and never gets overweight. Your cat is playful and looks happy, but if you canât find a solution maybe a playmate could help. Very cute video btw đ„° such a fluffy baby
I just want to say OP, that I love your chonky kitty, chonky or not. Best of luck with your move, little girl could probably shred 5 lbs just so you can get the most time with her possible, but I completely understand that that is circumstantial and can be a difficult challenge, sometimes even just because of one animals specific needs compared to another, doesnât mean you donât love her. Sounds like youâre taking good care of her and doing your best!
People seem to forget that genetics and pre-existing conditions can heavily reduce your cats (or humans) ability to maintain a healthy weight/lose weight. People need to tone it down more than a few notches. Itâs not like the cat is morbidly obese.
The cat is absolutely morbidly obese. It is huge. Its at least 20 pounds it seems. I'm not talking shit about the current owner. I don't know the situation. But that cat has definitely been fed too much food. Its not genetics
Don't feel too bad about these comments (although weight loss is definitely much recommended). No doubt you love your cat and care about her health! Also, her strut is cute as hell, fat or skinny.
Do you let it go outside to get exercise? Or are you one of those people who think keeping a cat indoors is totally healthy for it (despite clear evidence to the contrary in this case).
I find greenies are actually less calories than wet and dry food. So I just toss them at my cats. 2 calories I think and they think it's a treat.
My younger cat is just a beast of muscle and hatred and fear of mailmen. He loves his greenies. And nulo. His goal is to lose 2 pounds. He runs stairs all day chasing sunshine spots. That did not work. He gained a few oz from his calesthetics. Like the vet cannot contain his 22 pounds of fear and mad.
Old cat is old and needs fats so I supplement his diet with fish oil and anything he will eat because he's 19 and has kidney disease.
Don't let the haters get you down. Kitty is best kitty. All kitties best.
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u/blues_and_baseball Mar 07 '22
At this point I am done discussing my cats weight. I can't deny that it honestly hurts that some comments are suggesting I don't care about my cat or her weight situation. I've been trying to get her weight down for months now. I know she loves me, she never leaves my side when I'm home. I love my cat dearly and I do care about her health. For the record it will definitely become easier when I move in a few months time.