Baby-head and brother make 'lifestyle change'

My friend asked me if I realized that my cat, Scout, was obese.

“No, not really,” I answered. “I just thought she had a little head.”

Since that time, my friend has made fun of my cats because they are what I like to call a “tad bit” overweight.

Ten years ago, I adopted two kittens from the local pound. Not the shelter, mind you, but the pound — that scary-looking building over by the airport.

When I got the kittens home and fed them, they gobbled up their food  in record time and looked at me as if to ask, “Don’t we get more?”

Five years later, Scout weighed in at 15 pounds and Jem, who is part Maine Coon, was up to 20.

So, my veterinarian recommended that I start feeding them extremely expensive, prescription-only diet cat food. I fed them the diet food as directed (I promise!) for nearly a year, but neither cat dropped even a single pound.

So I did what any self-respecting cat owner would do in that situation. I ditched the diet cat food and found a new vet, one who suggested that I not worry about the cats’ weight as long as they are healthy.

I adopted her words as my new feline-nutrition philosophy, and I am pleased to report that five years later, they are still healthy. And even though I feed Scout and Jem only the amount of cat food recommended on the bag, they are still a “tad bit” overweight.

In recent years, they have even become somewhat sensitive about their girth. They now frown on my use of the “D” word and prefer that I refer to their revised eating habits as a “lifestyle change.”