Projecting Prejudices (WAS: Re: 'Monster' Cat In China Weighs 33 Pounds)

jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
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 :(

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.)

I would *never* suggest to someone they lose weight, for their health or
otherwise. It's not my concern. You are, however, correct in your
assumption that it's about appearance rather than someone truly caring
(unless they know you've been diagnosed with a condition your weight - in
either direction - compromises).

What bugs me is overweight people complaining about being overweight *and*
about health problems but making no attempt to do anything about it.

6 lbs. of chicken per day for a cat is ridiculous. But then, I worked with
a man who weighed almost 400 lbs. and was about to go in for gastric bypass
surgery. The day before he took off to go have the surgery he went out and
got TWO large orders of batter fried fish, chips, hush puppies for lunch and
sat and devoured them at his desk. He seemed proud of himself as he
commented, "I'm going to eat as much as I can before I have this surgery."
Totally wrong attitude; I'm surprised the doctors agreed to do the surgery
since he obviously wasn't committed to weight loss or his health but rather
committed to a 'quick fix'. This same man didn't follow the doctors orders
after the surgery (liquid diet, then soft foods, then gradually work into
solids and NO FAT, NO SUGAR). He was scarfing down a cheeseburger and pizza
two weeks after the surgery and wound up in the hospital. His system
couldn't handle it.

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

What's her name, former model Tyra Banks, did a show where they padded her
up in a "fat suit" and she went out shopping in NYC so she could experience
the attitudes overweight people get. She had a tiny camera built into the
glasses they had her wear and was wired for sound. She (being a model) was
absolutely shocked at people refusing to look at her, ignoring her in stores
or saying things like "I don't think we have that in your size" when she
hadn't said whether something she was looking at was for her or a gift for
someone else. She heard rude comments, laughter behind her back.

Then they set her up on three blind dates. One guy would look anywhere in
the restaurant but *at* her. She asked each one if they'd ever dated a
large woman before. One guy was completely honest; said no, large women
weren't his "type". Another guy said he tried not to judge by looks but you
could tell he was uncomfortable. All three were floored when she announced
they were on a date with Tyra Banks and called the hidden camera crew over.

It was very telling.

Jill


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