Around five years ago, I finally got the orange tabby cat I had always wanted. I named the cat Shine. Shine started off as a small kitten that was healthy and well-fed. A year later, we decided to get a second cat. It wasn’t difficult to take care of two kittens, but this second kitten was much smaller and more delicate. I started to notice a change in Shine’s food cycle.She would always meow for more food after I gave her the second and final meal of the day while my other kitten didn’t eat nearly as much.
A couple of years passed and I noticed that Shine had grown a lot bigger, especially compared to my other kitten. At the time, I thought it was normal because some cats grow differently than other cats. Shine still ran and played with toys, but she continued to beg for more food. I assumed that Shine was just growing so she needed to change her eating habits.
My family and I then decided to feed her more food, as we thought it was a small change. We were wrong. When I decided to take Shine to the vet, it turned out that she was a little overweight.Hence, we were instructed to play with her more and to feed her more nutritious food. As we fed her richer food, her eating habits did not change.
At the beginning of 2023, Shine had grown to be about 20 pounds. We knew this wasn’t normal. I noticedShine wasn’t interested in playing with toys anymore and she slept most of the time. I thought that this was a sign of a sad cat, but that was not the case.
Shine would go outside to lie down and eat the grass. The grass obviously made her sick so my family and I tried to find the right food for her insatiable appetite. Although Shine was a very picky eater, she would always finish her bowl of food or treats and steal my other kitten's food and treats.
I finally found out the issue with Shine. She was a food-obsessed cat. This resulted in Shine becoming obese.
Obesity in cats is a serious issue that cannot be solved right away. My advice is to start off with a strict diet for your cat. Small issues with your cat should always be focused on, especially if it has to do with their diet.