Girth View: Tab’s ever increasing belly
A while back I wrote about Tabby’s eating disorder and how she’s packing on the pounds lately. That’s why when I finally booted up my computer today and saw the title “Morbidly Obese Cats On The Rise” for a Comcast Fan story I clicked on it.
Apparently a university in Edinburgh (might have even been the University of Edinburgh) did a study and determined one third of cats are now overweight. They also calculated that diabetes in cats has risen 500%. They attribute it to the same thing that befalls many humans these days: cats are eating more and exercising less.
In Tabby’s case she’s definitely eating more. I see it happen daily.
It starts with Murph’s food in the morning. She has to sneak at least one kibble from his breakfast helping. Then she darts to her bowl, eats most of what’s there, then moseys over to Mr. Meow’s bowl and finishes off whatever he’s left behind. (Mr. Meow’s never been one to eat all that I give him. He sort of grazes periodically during the day –or he used to. Tabby doesn’t let him do that anymore.)
For a while there I worried about Mr. Meow’s weight as he’d gotten a bit porky, and the vet recommended getting him back down. With Tab’s help now he has! I took him in for his annual check up last week and he’d dropped from nearly 16 pounds back down to 13.
It’s not because he’s exercising more, although he is back to being playful, but because Tabby takes care of his leftovers. And hence now she’s porked out.
However, it is definitely a matter of too high a caloric intake and not a lack of exercise in her case. She plays for hours with her Wiffie. (Usually at night when I’ve either been asleep or am trying to fall asleep. It’s her newest “disturbing” behavior.)
So now I have to watch portion sizes –specifically giving Mr. Meow just the right amount so there aren’t leftovers for Tab to tackle. Sheesh, she is proving to be my little challenge. I don’t remember having to make so many adjustments with any of my other animals.
Related Articles
Confessions of a Fat Dog Owner
Body Condition Checklist for Dogs and Cats