Re: 'Monster' Cat In China Weighs 33 Pounds

In rec.pets.cats.anecdotes sriddles@xxxxxxx wrote:

I saw this on the news this morning. Poor kitty, it was really
pathetic that anyone would let their cat get that fat :(

Poor thing. Cherokee was 25 lbs but he didn't look anything like that!

It's not about how the cat looks, though. It's about whether the cat's
weight is affecting its health.

It makes me suspicious whenever someone tells me, "I'm just concerned for
your *health*", when they suggest I lose some weight - when I know that
what they really mean is that they don't like my looks. I am pretty healthy,
after all. (And I'm not young.)

Anyway, I don't think the issues are the same for humans and felines.
Human bodies can adapt to storing a lot of fat, and it doesn't mean one
is unhealthy (contrary to popular myth). But cats really can't tolerate a
lot of fat in their system, as it can lead to fatty liver syndrome and a
host of other problems. Also, a fat person can choose to exercise more,
to build up their muscles so they can carry their weight better and not
suffer so much damage to their knees and so forth. A cat isn't going to
do that. And since a person is in control of their diet, they can choose
whether to eat healthful food or not (which doesn't necessarily determine
one's weight, but certainly can affect one's health). A domestic cat cannot.

Still, when I hear someone talking about how bad a fat cat *looks*, I
wonder if we're not just projecting our own prejudices on the cat (and
by extension, onto their human caretaker). Someone else compared the cat
in China to a bloated tick. We don't really need to go there, do we?

Joyce
.