A tetchy topic. I mean: it can make people tetchy because at the end of the day feline obesity is down to people. The poor cat is the long-suffering victim. That’s hard to bear for many humans. It sounds like I am criticising people but I am not. I understand the difficulties. Most human obesity is because of therapy eating. Eating makes people feel better. That’s the immediate upside. The downside is long-term: obesity and a plethora of associated illnesses. But then humans are short-term thinkers. It is one of humans’ great failings.
It is no coincidence that the obesity stats for humans and their cat companions are in harmony (wrong word!). About 40% of cats and humans are obese in the USA. It appears to me that many people normalise obesity and consider it a near normal weight. They become blind to it. I understand that too.
When my metabolism slowed at around 60-years-of-age, I continued to eat the same diet as before. Result? Weight gain with linked higher blood pressure. High blood pressure is a huge health problem as is obesity.
I immediately completely changed my lifestyle meaning a completely rebuilt diet and more exercise. It has taken be around 8 years to profoundly alter my diet to the point where my weight, which is good for my height, is stable. It is hard. It require a lot of self-discipline. The body and mind needs to be retrained.
Yes, it took me a long time to work out how I could continue to enjoy food but eat far less. I eat about one-third of my previous food intake.
Why am I rabbiting on about my weight and human weight in general? Because as mentioned it is linked to feline weight. Obese people often have obese cats. Although there are slim people with obese cats. The reason? They want to please their cat. To make them happy. Wrong. Make your cat happy in another way. Love them. Be with them. Play with them and be kind by not allowing them to become obese.
Below are some more articles on feline obesity.
