Re: 'Monster' Cat In China Weighs 33 Pounds


<jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:43fb9f85$0$58122$742ec2ed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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.

I agree. However, there is an "ideal weight for size" for humans, cats,
dogs etc. If this is exceeded too much it will certainly affect 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.)

You are an adult, it's up to you to control your weight, or not. You know
the score.
I got very thin when I was ill. Now it would not hurt me to lose 7lbs.

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).

I never heard this. Where did you get this from?


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.

But how often does this happen? Very fat people find it very difficult to
exercise. I have a friend who weighs probably 28 stones (14lbs = 1 stone.)
It's a Catch 22 situation. She needs to exercise to get her weight down but
she is already too heavy to exercise.

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).

I don't see any prejudice, it's a bad idea to allow your cat to get fat. I
think you are saying this because you let yourself get fat and want us to
say it's OK.
You will now hate me. Kitty says even if so, can she still be Licky's
girlfriend? and she says she didn't get a Valentine.

Tweed




We are in charge of our cats. We can control their diet.

Someone else compared the cat
in China to a bloated tick. We don't really need to go there, do we?



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