| Don't even get me started on people and their obese animals! I see sooo many overweight and obese cats every single day, that it is a rarity to see a cat who is at a good, trim weight. We are seeing more diabetic patients than ever before because of it.
As the obesity rate in Americans increases, so does the trend with their pets. People think it's "cute" that Fluffy's belly drags the ground, or that he can't walk 10 feet without taking a rest. It's abuse, imo.
I even saw a story on CNN about a year ago about a couple who had a 44 lb cat who could barely walk, and just laid there with its head in the food and water dish all day. CNN and the owners were making it out to be a "cute" thing! I was so angry that the media is perpetuating this idea that making your pets morbidly obese is socially acceptable, that I actually wrote a letter to CNN about it. I never received a response.
Then when these animals develop an obesity-related disease, such as diabetes, these people don't want to deal with it and end up euthanizing or not treating the pet - but they were the ones who caused the disease to begin with! People are literally killing their pets with kindness when they allow their pets to get obese.
Granted, Titus could probably stand to lose a pound, but he is by no means grossly overweight or obese. My other cat, Cloud, is an ideal weight and people often ask me if he's sick because he's so thin! But he is a perfect, ideal weight for his petite Tonkinese frame. Red was starting to get a little heavy at 90 lbs, so I had no problem cutting back his food and he looks better at a trim 85 lbs. I love my animals, and I want to keep them with me for as long as possible, and as healthy as possible.
Last edited by Burns; 07-02-2008 at 10:39 AM..
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