Black is supposed to be slimming

Earlier this week Pete went to the vet to get vaccinations and the passport he'll need to fly out of the country in March. Yes, he had to get a passport to LEAVE Belgium. The U.S. doesn't require it to enter the country, and our dear departed Amy didn't need one to enter Belgium in 2005 but Pete needs one to leave. Go figure.

The vet checking out my glossy black cat noted that he was "overweight." He weighs 6.5 kilos.

Does this coat make me look fat? Maybe I should suck my stomach in?

The vet says he needs more exercise, which is why Petey has been hitting the gym.

I'd rather be kickboxing!  Will this flatten my abs?

Pete has been on light cat food since he was neutered last March, but apparently he eats too much of it. He's like a woman who binges on Snackwells.

Dr. Get Thin said I shouldn't put Petey's food into a bowl but instead hide little kibbles of it all over the house so he has to "hunt" for it. No more rolling off the sofa and grabbing a snack in the kitchen. Nooooo! Now he has to work for every bite that goes into his mouth.

"Where's my food? If I lie down next to my bowl, will it magically appear?"

His friends Sylvie and Martina, the women who saved his life when he was a kitten, hated the idea of Pete hunting for his food and staged an intervention. They saw him when he was only a scrap of feline fur, and now it brings them great joy to know he's "fat and happy." They sent salmon terrine to show their love. No more hunting for light food nuggets!

Thanks Sylvie and Martina!

Sylvie and Martina have rescued many, many cats in Brussels and continue to place neutered/spayed and vaccinated pets into people's homes. If you're in the Brussels area and are interested in adopting a cat, contact me and I'll put you in touch with these lovely, kind-hearted and generous souls. (You can also follow this link which has contact info.)

February 8, 2008

Comments

[sizzle]

i fear my cat, Dash, is too chubby. and yet i feel so bad cutting off his wet food supply.

gee, suddenly i am reminded of my childhood. is this how my mom felt?!

;)

[RD]

I think Petey looks dashing as is. If I were to hide my cat's food around the house, I'd have to pay for therapy sessions for him! No, that wouldn't go over at all. My Chester had to visit the vet before he left Belgium as well, but I don't remember the signed paperwork actually referred to as a "passport". Must be something new. There's never a good reason NOT to need some new "official" documents in Brussels!

[Granola-grrrl]

The problem in our house is that the kids make sure the food bowl stays full. Monica's cat comes running full tilt and literally skids to a stop in front of the food bowl whenever I come out of my room, thinking that OMG OMG YOU'RE GOING TO GIVE ME FOOD, RIGHT?? regardless of whether there's already food left in the bowl. All 3 of the cats have been looking rather plump lately, so I started putting food out twice a day, morning and evening. They are not thrilled with this arrangement, and sometimes they'll surround me and just STARE, like "I've got dibs on her eyes," but they don't look as portly either. I think Petey looks very sleek and healthy. What do vets know, anyway? Psshh.

[suburbancorrespondent]

What a great idea! I'll tell my husband to hide all my pieces of chocolate throughout the house, so that I can work off weight looking for it.

[Nance]

Some of us Americans would appreciate a conversion into pounds before we pass judgment on Petey's weight. LOL

[Lara]

Hee! Pete is precious. I had a black cat once who was just fabulous. Incidentally, the same thing happened to both my boys when they were neutered. At one time Alex, the biggest one, was up to 24.6 pounds. I have no idea what that translates to in kilos, but it's a lot. Two things helped him lose weight: moving to a 3 story house and getting a dog, which he hates.

[Peter]

Always a pleasure to read that there are any kind-hearted and generous souls left in central Brussels (he said, knowing that many downtown Brussels inhabitants would virtually give one of their kidneys in order to be able to live in the safe, green suburbs)

As for the passport issue: much like America distrusts anyone trying to enter the USA ("what's your business here" + a full body search when not 'compliant'), Belgium cannot believe anyone would like to leave this amazing country.

Aren't these waves of distrust disconcerting to the regular air traveler? I mean, having to show my personal toilet items [yes, some are very 'weird'] in see-through plastic bags has stopped me from booking that dead cheap 300 Euro all-in package vacation to the Mediterranean sun.

As for Pete: he reminds of one of my cats from a passed life. Kept on eating until I imposed very strict daily portions. Pete will have a great life in Va.

You know V, downtown living has its good-great-bad-very bad moments, but not being able to own a dog is a pain (a cat just doesn't work for me).
Wish I could get myself a border collie and start the day with a brisk run in a country lane.

[Shirley]

Poor Pete. Obviously he's grown since his kitty days, but he doesn't LOOK too heavy. Love the pics with the captions, especially the one of him exercising. LOL I have never heard of a vet suggesting hiding a pet's food to make him work for it. The next thing you know that vet will be suggesting giving him green beans to fill him up like they do for dogs. Ugh. Our cats are indoor/outdoor cats (which I know some people hate and doesn't work for lots of living situations), but they tend to get a lot of exercise and regulate their own weight. They gain weight in the winter (to help keep themselves warmer) and promptly lose it when the hotter weather returns ... works out well for those two.

[erin]

Oh, trust me...we have a fat cat in our brood too. I started her on a diet. I got this new no-byproduct food about 6 months ago, which is supposed to be much healthier, and I started pick up the other kitties bowls, so she can't snack on their left over kibble. She gets two 1/4 cup servings twice a day, and that seems to have helped...Her weight is slowly creeping down, although she's just as lazy as ever!

[Tonya]

Housecats are SUPPOSED to be fat and happy! I keep trying to fatten Conan up, but even though he is on full feed he never gets any fatter than 11 lbs. Enjoy your salmon, kitty!!

[AP in UK]

My two cats are like Jack Sprat & his wife -- one skinny, the other "big boned". My vet has all sorts of suggestions for getting weight off of our larger cat -- but it hasn't been easy.

We brought our cats from the US to the UK -- and had to get kitty passports to do so. Honestly, it was more hassle to get them over here than it was to get ourselves here... Hope Petey travels well and safely to his new home in the US!

[Diane Mandy]

I would never say the kitty is fat, more like "pleasantly plump."