Fat Cats

I’ve been following the plight of this lost cat being housed at the Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society in Menands. Why is she so special?  Because she tips the scales at thirty pounds. That’s a lot of cat.

Thirty pounds is sort of ridiculous. That’s the weight of three and a half gallons of water, or three ten pound bags of sugar. Imagine 120 quarter pound hamburgers. That’s her.

This cat’s also gotten rather famous, being featured on WTEN, in the TU, and in a hilarious photo spread at All Over Albany. Not as famous as Luna the dog, but famous.

It was hard to read the story — not because it was upsetting, but because my cat Maeve was trying to sit on the keyboard of the laptop. Maeve, you see, is also a large cat. During her last visit to the vet she weighed in at something like seventeen pounds — and I think she may have gotten bigger. I was going to weigh Maeve, but she doesn’t like getting on the scale any more than I do. And I wasn’t about to carry her up the stairs.

I suppose that the animal rights crowd will say that I’ve mistreated poor Maeve by not feeding her responsibly, so I just want to say that she’s now on a program that includes a modified diet and daily exercise. We’re doing it together; it’s always easier when you work with someone else.

By the way: If you think your cat has a little weight issue, here are some ideas to help you get her back in shape.

14 thoughts on “Fat Cats

  1. Your cat’s lucky, she has a home. I’m just hoping someone will come forward and either claim or adopt the chubber at the shelter. It’s amazing to me that someone hasn’t, after all there aren’t too many thirty pounders around.

  2. I think Flabby Tabby ate all the anchovies that were supposed to be delivered to a certain local pizzeria where they would have been sold, but held in reverence by the owner.

    BTW, Maeve looks absolutely marvelous in that photo. Don’t change a thing about her. Tell the haters to move on.

  3. These are two gorgeous cats. There’s a world of difference between a cat weighing 17 pounds and one who can do little more than roll around at 30 pounds.

  4. That’s the weight of three and a half gallons of water, or three ten pound bags of sugar. Imagine 120 quarter pound hamburgers.

    Another perspective: 30 pounds is about the size of your average 3- or 4-year-old.

  5. Poor thing. She’s clearly got a larger breed mix in her (tree cat, maybe), but she’s definitely overweight.

    Not all 30lb cats are, though – I have a desert lynx/domestic hybrid who tips at 30lbs, and while the vets would like to see him lose one or two pounds, that’s all.

  6. We have the twin of this cat (female) in our family, but she’s only 18 pounds. I hope the owner finds this guy soon. So sad.

  7. The owner probably lost their job and cannot afford to feed this little porker anymore. I am sure that once he goes up for adoption, the line will go around the corner trying to adopt him because he is famous and whoever adopts him will have their name in the paper for their “moment of fame”. Hopefully they will have a savings account just to buy his food.

  8. I wish I could take her. However, we already have two rambuctious corgis and one huge black male cat that we rescued. I don’t think our cottage can handle another fur-bearing creature at this time.

    I really hope someone will adopt her. She’s a lovey.

  9. Flabby Tabby Update: Apparently this is a male, not a female, and he weighs 35 pounds not 30. Guess he’s got that “dickie do” disease – His stomach sticks out farther than his dickie do. (sorry couldn’t help myself)

    I also had this same experience 8 years ago when I adopted a cat from the Humane Society in Menands. I adopted a pure white cat with blue eyes and was told it was a female. Brought “her” back the next day to be spayed and was told “this cat is a neutered male, and oh, by the way, he’s also deaf.” (the majority of pure white, male cats with blue eyes are deaf). I still have him though, and he’s been the best cat, so lovable and it’s amazing most people don’t know he’s deaf until I tell them.

  10. Maeve is sure a pretty kitty and not yet a weight problem (c’mon, how much does that fur alone weigh) but good you’re checking it before it becomes one.

    The poor kitty at the shelter. I hate it when people just stuff their animals full of food until they can hardly move. What is the mentality behind that? Make them utterly dependent on you because you have some mental need for it? Or just unable to run away from you?

    I had a cat 18 and a half years. Whenever she got chubby, I’d buy one of the foods she liked least (not hated just wasn’t nuts about) but would still eat. She’d eat but not overeat and once she slimmed down, she’d have a favorite again. But I couldn’t get a favorite food too often because she wouldn’t keep up her good eating habits.

    Sigh. Now if only I had the will power I forced on her.

  11. Fat cat aside, I like the ryhthm of the writing in this graph:
    “Thirty pounds is sort of ridiculous. That’s the weight of three and a half gallons of water, or three ten pound bags of sugar. Imagine 120 quarter pound hamburgers. That’s her.”
    Nice post.

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