Sparky is obese, put him on a diet or he will not live long
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- Thread starter themeowsercrew
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That's rather blunt... I think it's obvious that Sparky's carrying way too much weight, too, but you're basically saying "your cat is going to die". I'm socially awkward myself, and at one point I might have said it the same way you did, but... look, if you're worried about a cat's health, there are nicer ways to say it. Like maybe asking how Sparky's owner is managing his weight, whether he has weight-related health problems.
By the way, overweight is a health concern, but it's not a death sentence. Just like with humans, if an overweight cat is kept active and fed healthy food, the harm that the extra weight does can be minimized to the point that it affects lifespan minimally or not at all. In extreme cases like Sparky's, just being active and eating healthy food would probably result in enough weight loss to put the cat in the overweight category rather than severely obese as we see in the photo.
Not everyone who owns a fat cat is to blame for the cat's extra weight. Quite a few people here have adopted overweight cats just because we knew nobody else would, and they caught our hearts with their personalities. Once the cat loses enough weight that it can comfortably play, jump, and move around, things always get much better.
By the way, overweight is a health concern, but it's not a death sentence. Just like with humans, if an overweight cat is kept active and fed healthy food, the harm that the extra weight does can be minimized to the point that it affects lifespan minimally or not at all. In extreme cases like Sparky's, just being active and eating healthy food would probably result in enough weight loss to put the cat in the overweight category rather than severely obese as we see in the photo.
Not everyone who owns a fat cat is to blame for the cat's extra weight. Quite a few people here have adopted overweight cats just because we knew nobody else would, and they caught our hearts with their personalities. Once the cat loses enough weight that it can comfortably play, jump, and move around, things always get much better.
I'm assuming you meant to quote @catzsnot and not me since they posted after my reply, but that poster hasn't made a post since May. Considering the number of posts that get added to threads that are image-based, who knows if they'll see it by now? I certainly agree there are more tactful ways to get a point across. Slapping someone in the face with a line that their cat's future doesn't bode well often causes people to shut down and feel like they're going to receive criticism before they receive help. It's hard to know and make assumptions that someone isn't already trying to improve their cat's diet and weight and to have someone just give orders like that without knowing your plans can be hurtful and counteractive to helping the cat(s) in question.
Anyway, what I came here to do was leave a smokey kitty belly
Anyway, what I came here to do was leave a smokey kitty belly
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Blame my brother the vet, he told me to warn them, maybe I was blunt but my brother told me he puts so many cats down because their owners let them get too fat then all the diseases kick in, he feels it cuts their life short by 5 to 10 years. He has been practicing for 35 years. It is ultimately the owners fault unless cat has a can opener of his own. Sorry to be so blunt.
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That's okay. Like I said, I've done the same, and I managed to embarrass myself and offend others multiple times before I figured it out. Think of it this way: A warning is more likely to be taken seriously when it is given in a polite, compassionate way that makes it clear you want to help the cat--not shame the owner.
Many good owners just have their cat's weight sneak up on them. They free-feed a cat with a tendency to overeat, or they don't realize the importance of high-quality food, or they're the kind of person who expresses love by giving treats. It happens slowly. They aren't malicious. They might need a heads-up--that overweight is a sign that the cat's diet or lifestyle are not ideal. But they do usually love their cat. Think of how it happens to humans; we just have the extra dinner roll or the extra scoop of mashed potatoes, and years later we're carrying around fifty extra pounds. That's the way it is for cats, too.
The people I really would want to shame are the ones who have skinny, flea-ridden, obviously uncared-for cats. Those are the really malicious or uncaring people, and they're the ones you can store up your anger for, because they're the ones who deserve it.
Many good owners just have their cat's weight sneak up on them. They free-feed a cat with a tendency to overeat, or they don't realize the importance of high-quality food, or they're the kind of person who expresses love by giving treats. It happens slowly. They aren't malicious. They might need a heads-up--that overweight is a sign that the cat's diet or lifestyle are not ideal. But they do usually love their cat. Think of how it happens to humans; we just have the extra dinner roll or the extra scoop of mashed potatoes, and years later we're carrying around fifty extra pounds. That's the way it is for cats, too.
The people I really would want to shame are the ones who have skinny, flea-ridden, obviously uncared-for cats. Those are the really malicious or uncaring people, and they're the ones you can store up your anger for, because they're the ones who deserve it.
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Here's Dusky!!!
Lovely! What a gorgeous shot of those eyes too!
Sweet Jackson (Jack) and our new kitten, no name yet 
If anyone looks at this pic and has any suggestions on a good name for her, feel free to share!! Thanks 
If anyone looks at this pic and has any suggestions on a good name for her, feel free to share!! Thanks
This little girl needs a name! I am having trouble coming up with a suitable name for her. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated
thanks!
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Thanks! out of my 3 cats (the other two are black and calico), Dusky loves the camera..or the camera loves Dusky!
Looks like my Miss Purrdy
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What a sweetie!! How about Koala?
Being that it's a girl, & a tabby, "How about Tabatha?!"This little girl needs a name! I am having trouble coming up with a suitable name for her. Any suggestions are greatly appreciatedthanks!
I was thinking the same. That would be a good one for the "Show me your eyes" thread!
Anastasia, Annie for short
Being that it's a girl, & a tabby, "How about Tabatha?!"
Heidi
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Just to clear things up for all of you regarding pics of Sparky. She is not obese - it is just the angle of the camera. I think it got set on 'fisheye', that is why she looks so large. I thought it was a cute picture of her though so thats why I put it on. Sorry if I started an uproar. It is an important issue though. Once again she is not at all obese.
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Are they both boys?
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Catzsnot, I think Sparky is absolutely beautiful. She looks like my boy Zets that passed away in Jan 2013. I think she has a lot of fluffiness to her and that makes her look chubby. My boy was a big boy but never was he overweight. A vet once told me that indoor cats usually range in weight 14-16lbs and my boy was 16lbs.
I wouldn't worry too much, depending on her age, but just make sure you are feeding her good quality food. Both of my boys ate very good food especially when they got to be around 13yrs old. I started to feed them spcl stuff for their kidneys and I believed that really helped them. My other boy, Domi, got checked by the vet when he was 17 and she couldn't believe how good his kidneys were, but he was overweight. He weighed 19lbs when he was 14 but we brought that down together with a bit of exercise and less dry kibble. He would wake me up to take him outside for a walk on his leash. That was amazing exercise for him. Unfortunately, I lost him 3 months ago but he was never sick in his 17 1/2 years of life.
Just take care of your kitty the best that you can and love her as much as possible. Give her a cuddle for me please. [emoji]128522[/emoji]
I wouldn't worry too much, depending on her age, but just make sure you are feeding her good quality food. Both of my boys ate very good food especially when they got to be around 13yrs old. I started to feed them spcl stuff for their kidneys and I believed that really helped them. My other boy, Domi, got checked by the vet when he was 17 and she couldn't believe how good his kidneys were, but he was overweight. He weighed 19lbs when he was 14 but we brought that down together with a bit of exercise and less dry kibble. He would wake me up to take him outside for a walk on his leash. That was amazing exercise for him. Unfortunately, I lost him 3 months ago but he was never sick in his 17 1/2 years of life.
Just take care of your kitty the best that you can and love her as much as possible. Give her a cuddle for me please. [emoji]128522[/emoji]
