Obese Cats: Why are they so popular?
In the majority of highly developed countries around the world, we are constantly bombarded with information about healthy diets. Interestingly however, in Mauritania, a country located in North West Africa, for women obesity is both highly admired by men, and is considered a sign of wealth and "good mothering". In fact, female children are often "force fed" by their mothers to assure that they will grow up overweight, in order to attract a suitable husband.
But obviously, here in the United States "thin is in", accompanied with an emphasis on physical fitness, exercise and proper diet. After all, those who are obese are at high risk for heart attacks, diabetes, and other serious medical conditions.
So I got to wondering why it is that there are so many folks who actually take great pride in their overweight cat's appearance. While there are savvy cat lovers who are very careful about what they feed their kitties, some go to great lengths to publish their "porky" cat's photographs and upload videos to YouTube bragging about what educated and considerate cat lovers view as an "unhealthy" appearance. And after I watched several videos featuring "chunky cats" I was not surprised to observe that they all had very high numbered "hits".
Is it at all possible that these overfeeding owners are trying to win the title of "The World's Fattest Cat" and set a Guinness Book of Record award, or entering their cat into some bizarre competition? I find it so hard to believe that these people are not at all aware that there is no disparity between feline and humane robust health, or just choose to shut their eyes and ignore their cat's obesity in preference to win some ridiculous title?
This is highly disturbing and upsetting to me. I just can't wrap my head around this behavior. If our two cats spend too much time hanging out on the couch watching ANIMAL PLANET, I get worried. If they are bored and somewhat depressed because I have not been paying enough attention to them, I take the hint and immediately self-correct. I don't free-feed them either. Boredom is one of the main triggers for the desire to over-eat.
Felines have very specific nutritional needs. They also require lots of fresh water available all the time, along with an appropriate amount of exercise which utilizes their caloric intake fully. Additionally, interactive exercise provides an excellent opportunity to develop deeper bonds with our kitties, especially for those of us who are not home all day. With the wide variety of fabulous toys on the market from which to choose, we can find toys that will entertain both our cats and their kitty-servants for hours on end.
At least the Oregonian Humane Society that rescued Goliath, a stray "flabby" tabby cat who sought shelter in a Gresham garage, nibbling incessantly on stored kibble, ending up stuck in the doggie door, has put him on a weight reduction diet, neutered and vaccinated him, in preparation for finding him a new forever home.
Watch the video of Goliath, uploaded to YouTube by the Oregonian News, to catch sight of this pudgy pussycat who weighs in at over 22 pounds. Not so amazingly, the video has already received over 3,657,941 hits.
I still purrsonally don't understand the reason for obese cats' popularity, do you? How do you feel about fat cats? Please leave a comment and share your thoughts.
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Comments (0)
Diana January 29, 2010 11:22 AM
FlagI believe overfeeding is a form of abuse, but I have been very lucky in that all my cats could be fed 'free choice' and would not overeat. Even my last dog, a chow, had food available 24/7 and stayed within 2 ro 3 pounds his entire long life. (I've never had another dog that I could do that with.)
Replyjmuhj January 29, 2010 11:58 AM
FlagArnold/Goliath is adorable and I wish I could adopt him!
ReplyI love ALL cats, no matter what size, shape, color, gender, species, whatever. But overweight cats, like overweight people, would look and feel far better, be healthier, and probably live longer if they toned up and trimmed down. In our family, everyone's fed wet food twice daily (small quantities, super premium quality) and top quality dry food free-choice. Only one of the family is overweight, and I am concerned about her; she does seem to be trimming down a little, though, and she's quite active, so we're making progress.
Iniki January 29, 2010 12:01 PM
FlagI will never understand why people think fat cats are cute or adorable. I looked into Goliath's eyes and all I saw was a sad cat. In our multi-cat household we have one overweight cat. Mikey is just a "food a holic." He is loved and adored but no matter what we try his weight seems to stay up in the obese range. we continue to try to bring his weight down. So many health related issues are involved with overweight cats.
ReplyI kind of wonder about Goliath. I don't think he was actually a stray. I wonder if he got lost or maybe his story is like the cat next door. When his owner died the family tossed him out as none of them wanted to inherit mom's old fat cat. His story has a happy ending. After a two week quest for a new home he became the rodent control officer at the local church. He is adored by the members and the SUnday School kids too.
R January 29, 2010 5:18 PM
FlagI have seen this video before. For this particular guy, he was an outdoor kitty who got into the woman's garage. So it wasn't like somebody intentionally overfed him. HOWEVER, you're totally right. I've seen the video on youtube and many ppl DO think that is cute. I do think fat cats are cute (but what cat isn't?), yet at the same time, looking at them is heart wrenching and I feel so sad. It's abuse through and through. And any educated person knows that a cat that overweight is not as happy as he could be. I'm glad this kitty has a happy ending though. I'm sure all that hunting of rodents will help him shed some pounds.
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