I’ve just got back from a two week holiday. While I was away my dm was staying at my house and looking after dcat. Cat is nearly 1, half Maine Coon (so fairly big breed) and usually has a pouch for breakfast and a pouch mid afternoon as well as a bowl of biscuits that are out all the time. He normally eats his almost all of his pouches straight and he munches through about a third of the biscuits throughout the day. Normally I let him out in the morning and he stays outside perfectly happily until mid afternoon when he comes in, has his tea and sleeps, follows me around, has cuddles and goes off on very important cat duties around the house.
As it’s been bad weather here for the last fortnight my dm said that he refused to go out. She said he was busy inside, not just lying around but wouldn’t even consider going out to the shed where he’s got a bed, toys and a litter tray. He was also eating his breakfast pouch and immediately finishing all his biscuits for the day, then following dm around crying for more food. She asked me and I said to give him another bowl of biscuits which he was then polishing off as well but still seemed hungry. I thought he might have had worms so dm gave him a worming tablet and flea treatment but he still spent the rest of the time I was away refusing to go out and starving.
When I got back on Sunday I got a shock as he is absolutely massive! He looks like a cartoon cat he’s so fat. I thought maybe it was his first proper winter coat coming through. I’ve given him a good go over with a Furminator and he’s still just a complete porker. Advice online seems to be to give him more exercise but he still won’t go out and isn’t really one for games. He just looks at me in disgust if I try to get him to play with a laser or a ball.
Any suggestions? Would the vet laugh me out of the building if I bring my cat in because he’s fat? Do cats sometimes have a big growth spurt just before they turn one or when they approach their first winter? 🤞 😬