Anyone else love fat cats?

[MarcoMcHairyPants]

Been a cat lover all my life. There is however a special type of cat that I ADORE. The fat cat. I love watching the tummy swish side to side as they attempt to walk, I love rolling them on their back and seeing their shape resemble a blob as the fat spills on the sides, and I love snuggling with them. They are just too cute.

Thing is, I think it's really sad when people make negative remarks just because some of us love our pets unconditionally. I'm sick of people calling us "negligent owners" or "abusive" or "fucked in the head" just because we don't serve our pets anorexic portions! Anyone else had to deal with friends and family members who show their true, un-supportive colors during such situations?

[tmyers09]

1. YES.

Mine's name is Chauncey. He's mostly white, with caramel spots, and fluffy as heck. We feed him a normal amount, but he just likes to lay around and sleep.

[tango-tee]

2. The only really fat cat in my house

is my husband. I know all about him looking weird when being rolled on his back. Sigh.

[Bertha Venation]

7. "looking weird . . . "

LOL :thumbsup:

[tango-tee]

11. Ahem....

:silly:

Sending hugs your way!

[Bertha Venation]

12. and to you, tango-tee

:hug: and welcome to DU :hi:

[tango-tee]

13. Thank you, darling BV,

and.... :hi:

It is so wonderful being welcomed by fellow DUers. Gives me warm fuzzies down to my tingling toes!!! Luv it.

[fizzgig]

3. you mean like this one?

i :loveya: my fat cat to bits and pieces. nothing gets me laughing like watching her play with her little mouse :rofl:

[NJCher]

22. I have a cat who looks just like yours!

But she's really not fat. She just nibbles a little every day and rarely eats much at one time.

I think her fur is exceptionally thick and that is one reason she looks like a chubber.

On the other hand, I have another cat who is always hungry. She has the beginnings of a round little tummy. I am carefully controlling the food with all of them, as I do not want to have to go through any weight loss sessions with any cats. I know someone who did that and it was hell on earth.


Cher

[MiddleFingerMom]

4. Disagree

.
I used to be of the mind, "Why NOT feed a cat 'til it bursts? They
live in the moment. All they know is NOM NOM NOM THIS TASTES GREAT!!!"
.
But then I realized how much it sickens them as they get older.
.
There's a great deal of difference between anorexia and obesity. That's
simply hyperbole.
.
Being an aging fat cat myself, I personally know firsthand the eventual
perils of overindulgence. Not that I wouldn't do it all over again,
but I wouldn't facilitate obesity on anyone or anything entrusted to my
care, be they children or cats. I have loved them too much for that.
.
Down 60 pounds from several years ago. On a long plateau, but still
anticipating less............ convexity.
.
.
.
I think that's my word, but feel free to use it.

[MiddleFingerMom]

5. My last cat....

.
...was a tuxedo cat, NoName (no-nah-m'hay).
.
I lost her four months ago to SUDDEN respiratory problems. Shelter-found,
we had eight years together. Attitude and personality and absolutely the
sweetest cat I've ever had - but not one bit obsequious. STILL grieving.
.
Not an ounce of fat, but far from anorexic. I used to marvel at how l-o-o-o-o-n-g
amd sleek and MUSCLY she was... every bit of a miniature jungle cat.
.

[Kali]

15. damn, you must be looking svelt!

agree 100% on your post. Lost the beloved brown mutt Taco, to obesity-related panceatitis. Never again with the critters. Just wish I could muster the will power to address the self!

[Bertha Venation]

6. I don't love them specifically, but I do think they're sweet.

We have one fat cat: O'Malley. I believe she ought to lose weight, but how? With eleven cats, it's not like we can deprive them all of free-feeding. Sigh.

[MiddleFingerMom]

18. Exercise?

.
I was lucky. NoName took right to a leash (one of those 15' retractable ones)
and we went for a lot of long walks together (I lived in an 8'x33' RV, so it
gave her a chance to really stretch her legs). I saw a neighbor years before
with a tuxedo cat on a leash, so maybe it's intrinsic to their breed?
.
Feather on a stick? Catnip toys? "Wrestling" with you?
.

.

[WolverineDG]

20. Here's what I did

I have a fat cat. Tried everything in the book, including the special diet food the vet put her on (with other cats in the house, not one of my brightest, or cheapest) ideas. All she did with the diet food was eat more. :banghead: She was a sweet orange blob with paws & ears.

So now I feed them all regular food. I put it out in the morning & then again at bedtime. It took a couple of days for them to realize I would not refill the bowls upon request anymore, but now they're okay with it. The law of the kitchen now is "You snooze, you lose."

The fat cat actually lost some weight & now looks like a cat instead of a blob. :wow:

dg

[ProfessorGAC]

8. We've Had A Few

Females, that are strictly indoor, seem to plump in a year or so after spaying. So, a lot of our cats developed a paunch, but we've had a couple that were just Garfield-like.

Right now, we've got one that's only 2 y/o, but weighs 18 pounds! However, she is really huge in every way. We got her and a litter mate at the same time. The "smaller" one is pretty much normal, but her sister is 3 or more inches longer (brestbone to tail) and at least 2.5 inches taller at the shoulder. She's just a big, big girl.

She sleeps on my legs every night, but she used to try to sleep on my chest. When she started getting this big, i had to retrain her to move down to my thighs, because it was hard to breathe with that beast on my chest!

The other cats we have are pretty much normal and one is getting the "old age skinny" thing going on.

GAC

[Demoiselle]

9. You RETRAINED a cat?!!!?????!!!

Please tell us how you TRAIN a cat in the first place. (Retraining sounds like a very advanced course.)
I love all cats, fat, skinny, you name it. I'd love to train the one sweet calico (of seven house cats) who climbs on to my tummy every morning to greet me to wait until I've been to the bathroom. It ain't gonna happen. But I love her anyway.

[ProfessorGAC]

19. We Will Disagree On The Difficulty

Every cat we've ever had will do what we need. They all come when called from a different room, will jump up onto a chair when told, will move out of the way by simply being told to "move".

We have NO scratched up furniture, NO shredded curtains, no urine stains, etc. Never have.

I think a lot of people don't train their cats properly because they simply accept the myth that they can't be trained.

Our experience is contrary to that. And, if i've got this number right, my wife and i have had 13 cats over the course of our 31 years. (Usually 3 to 5 at a time.) So, it's a pretty decent sample set.

We've always just been firm voiced, insisted they obey, (pick them up and make them do it if we have to) and praise the daylights out of them when they start doing it. We don't have them tried to jump through flaming hoops or anything, but they will do what they're told.
GAC

[Demoiselle]

21. I have noticed that a sharp, firm tone does get their attention.

Thanks. I will try to do better.

[barb162]

10. I had a fat female once and loved her dearly

She just loved food a lot because I think she had been a stray a long time. She just couldn't pass up the food bowl every time she passed it. She was not super fat though so I got no negative comments. I have a cat now who has a bit of a tummy and very thin long legs. They're all cute.

[david13]

14. No. For me, a cat should be lean and mean. A lean mean hunting

machine. Like yon Cassius.
That's just good shape.
dc

[EndersDame]

16. I loved my fat cat Grady who died from diabetes related problems

please dont let your cats become overweight !

[Kali]

17. Of course you love them, but really - REALLY -

as mentioned above, when you watch one suffer for it later you will regret your role in the matter.

[revolution breeze]

23. My Egyptian Mau

Has slimmed down to 17 pounds since we adopted a new playmate for him. He is not fat, just a big muscular cat. The breed has skin flaps that run from their abdoment to the legs, giving them a flabby appearance. I love my big boy!

[bobmorr1]

24. Max in his bed

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[davsand]

25. Chaucer is a big boy. I love BIG cats that know they rule the roost.

He weighs in around 16 pounds, but he really IS a big cat along with being heavy. I think he probably needs more activity, but good luck convincing HIM of that. We shoot for bout an hour of active play time per day, and he really is pretty athletic for being 8 years old.

Chaucer's big deal is that he knows his place in the household--the top of the food chain. If he is laying on the sofa he Will grumble if he's made to move, and if my daughter sits on HIS footstool, he will walk across the room and chase her off. The cat tree is HIS furniture, and woe unto anybody that sets something on it--it WILL be knocked off.

He also will converse with us. I have never lived with a more "verbal" kitty.



Laura

[Sy Kopath]

26. Cats Are Like People

Cats and people come in all different sizes and that's just the way it is. I have one Himalayan cat who is fluffy but looks fat. We just tell her she's not fat, she's fluffy.

Our older cat is 15 and even though she's never had kittens, she's looking a little rounder and her teats hang way down so she looks like she has a sagging chest.