Skinny the cat sheds the pounds

[Little Tich]

Source: The Telegraph

Famous 41-pound cat loses more than half its body weight

A former 41-pound cat nicknamed Skinny has lost more than half of his weight to become the darling of a Dallas veterinary clinic.

Dr Brittney Barton says the orange tabby she adopted in 2013 has slimmed to 19 pounds with exercise and a special diet.

Dr Barton called Skinny the “resident cat” at her practice, HEAL Veterinary Hospital.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11766816/Skinny-the-cat-sheds-the-pounds.html

[irisblue]

1. underwater treadmill walking

like a water exercise class.
good for Skinny & her human.

[Suich]

2. The sit-ups are ingenious!

[840high]

4. Oh yes!!!!!

[3catwoman3]

3. He must feel...

...so much better. 19 pounds is still a damn big cat.

[vanlassie]

5. How in the HELL did they get that cat to go in the water?

[awoke_in_2003]

17. Insist the cat stay out of the water. nt

[Arugula Latte]

6. Aww, Skinny, you adorable big lunk.

[Cleita]

7. Nineteen pounds is still a really big cat.

But good for him. Staying fat would have made him diabetic.

[passiveporcupine]

8. Oh man...I have a cat who needs help

I have eight cats and free food out to make sure they all have food when they need it. There is no way to restrict it for one cat. But I have one fat cat who is otherwise healthy and I don't know why she is fat...except that she is. She is not quite as bad as this cat, but not far from it. I want her to go a home where she can be put on a diet, but damn...I've had her all her life and I love her. I don't love her so much that I won't part with her to save her life. She is a beautiful orange and white long-haired cat. She's very vocal and loving and demands attention all the time, so she needs someone who wants that kind of a cat. An elderly person would be great.

She is my Charmin Armin puffball cat, and she deserves a home where she can be healthy.

After watching this, I know I need to call the local rescues and see if they can help find her a better home.

Oh crap, this is just making me cry.

[1monster]

9. I have seven cats and one is almost (but not quite) as big as Skinny was... I'm gonna

try those kitty sit ups... I may get a treadmill and modify it so he can't get off...

[passiveporcupine]

10. Those kitty situps look good

but I'm afraid it's all superficial...she needs a real workout.

[pstokely]

12. how many jobs has your fat cat created?

nt

[Gormy Cuss]

14. The solution is to stop free-feeding all of the cats, if you can manage it.

Free feeding is the #1 cause of fat cats. At feeding times, isolate the fat cat and give her measured portions. The other cats will adapt to fixed meal times. Yes, they'll all meow their discontent for a while but this is the best way to help her lose weight.

When I worked as a pet sitter it was not unusual to have instructions to segregate cats at feeding time because of all sorts of dietary restrictions. These cat households were used to the routine and didn't object most of the time.

[passiveporcupine]

15. I really cannot do that.

I have no way to segregate a cat, except to lock her outside or put her in a cat carrier, and I just can't do that to her. But you did just give me an idea. I have food bowls in the bathroom/pantry/utility room, where the dogs are never allowed. Charmin is too fat to climb up on things now, but most of the cats still can and do, so moving their free choice dry food up onto the dryer (there is a dog food can they can use to get up there) may help, and then I could feed her twice a day and control her food intake. I really need to get a digital baby scale to monitor weight here. I have two skinny cats that I'm fighting to keep weight on, and they should be weighed at least twice a week. They also need free choice food because they don't eat much at one sitting.

It might take a little while to train all the other cats to find their food up there, but when they are hungry, they should be easy to train.

Now, the trick is, if she sees other cats up there eating when she can't find food on the ground, will she try to get up there too? Because she probably could if she tried. Hmmm. It's worth a shot.

[Gormy Cuss]

16. That should help.

I had to do that sort of separation for some pet-sitting clients. Also had to measure food and watch the cats eat it and keep track of intake. Many of the cat households hired us specifically because of the cat's special diets.

Cats with a healthy weight can probably leap straight up to the top of the dryer without stopping at the dog food bin, so if she figures out how to get her ample self up there by way of the bin, consider moving it ( I know, limited space. )

[passiveporcupine]

18. because of age and health issues

some of the cats who need free choice food, would not be able to get up on the washer/dryer without the aid of that can. One girl goes up there to sleep on the hot water heater (right behind the washer). She has problems with balance, and probably can't get up there without the can. She needs that warm spot to sleep at night. I finally have her weight back on her, but she is now deaf and still dealing with the dizzies sometimes (vet cannot figure out the problem, after lots of money spent on tests and x-rays). Some of the other cats have old-age joint problems. The can needs to stay where it is.

Lots of things to consider here in a house full of older cats and rescues.

Charmin really is not as fat as Skinny in the video. She's long-haired and it makes her look a lot fatter than she really is. But she doesn't climb up on things because of her weight, so it's enough that I really need to address it. It creeps up over the years and you don't see things sometimes that are right in front of you, until something makes it stand out.

[passiveporcupine]

19. Just found a really good link for people with overweight cats

http://www.petmd.com/cat/nutrition/evr_ct_obesity_in_cats_and_what_to_do_about_an_overweight_cat

this explained a lot about why cats gain weight (diets high in carbs), and why cats with weight issues need to be on a higher protein diet.

I do cook up chicken for my skinny cats and make a puree out of it, and maybe I need to focus on this to get Charmin's weight down. Feeding her mouse sized servings twice a day (after gradually shifting from her dry food to this).

[NJCher]

20. don't do that

I have the same situation, except my cat is only mildly overweight.

You have to put the food out for a short time for them to all eat. Then put Charmin Armin in a cage or a separate room to eat.

Food put away for everyone, end of story.

Really, that's the only way to handle it and it works. I know because I've done it.

You can't separate yourself from Charmin. It's obvious you love her too much. Do the tough love thing and you will never regret it.



Cher

[ThingsGottaChange]

11. Why do people do this to their pets?

Just makes me sick to see these poor animals. Their lives are drastically shortened and it is very difficult, if not impossible, for them to groom themselves properly. Their owners had done this to them and they should be charges with animal cruelty.

[pstokely]

13. GOP has lost a major donor

but they'll just find another fat cat 1%er