Agree Chris.
Harleys Owner, Please have a read of the info below posted again for you about the serious dangers to continue feeding Harley in the same way, he will die an awful death if you carry on.
PLease please get him to a vet and on a weight loss system. If you care anything for him, please put him 1st and not a way for you to make and advertise for money from his condition.
I am sorry but this thread will be locked and your account suspended for time being. Please contact me at email Purrs@chaptan.co.uk, if you are serious about helping Harley and we can reopen your account so you can post and get lots of support from us to help Harley loose weight and get back his health. We are on your side if you care enough to help him. Please don't let him suffer.
Please have a read of the following;-
EFFECTS OF OBESITY
Obese cats, like obese humans, are generally less healthy and have shorter life expectancies. There will always be exceptions, but it is not safe to assume that your cat is the exception. The detrimental affects of obesity include:
Cardiovascular disease
Diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes), specifically late onset diabetes.
Hepatic lipidosis (a type of liver disease)
Lameness due to arthritis (joints wear out due to carrying too much weight)
Cystitis (lower urinary tract disease).
Because obese cats feel less healthy, they are less likely to take exercise and, if the owner doesn't reduce the number of calories fed to the cat, they become more obese. Moderate to severe obesity should not be ignored. Maintaining the cat's bodyweight close to optimal (this can be determined by your vet based on the cat's size and age) avoids obesity-associated diseases.
WHAT CAUSES OBESITY?
Studies have shown that cats at higher risk of obesity include: non-pedigree cats, male cats, neutered cats, indoor cats (and cats with little outdoor access) and cats that are "only cats" or only have one other feline companion to interact with. Neutered cats require fewer calories than unneutered cats. Some cats are genetically predisposed to weight gain. There are breed differences too - the more "hyper" breeds tend to burn off more calories. Endocrine diseased/malfunctions can also cause obesity e.g. under-active thyroid gland. As they age, cats become less active and their food intake needs to be adjusted accordingly. The main cause of obesity is over-feeding. Overweight owners frequently have overweight cats - people who have weak wills with their own diets tend to give in more easily to a begging cat. Boredom is another cause. Just like bored humans, bored cats often snack. Cats can become couch potatoes too!
32 lb (14.5 kg) "Tiddles" lived in the ladies' lavatory at Paddington Station, London, England for 13 years. He was adopted in 1970 as a stray 6 week old kitten by lavatory attendant June Watson. He dined on chicken livers, lambs' tongues, kidneys, rabbit or steak brought in by his admirers and had his own personal fridge. Tiddles piled on the pounds, but his fans continued to send him titbits. Vets' attempts to put him on a diet failed due to all the titbits and, one assumes, the weak wills of his carers. By then, he was eating himself to death. He was put to sleep in 1983 after vets found fluid round his lungs. Tiddles had been killed by kindness. Photos show a grotesquely overweight and sad-looking cat, immobilised by his own girth.
LIKE OWNER, LIKE PET
Owners like convenience food for themselves and their cats. More and more people like to snack while doing other things (watching TV, using the computer) rather than eat set meals at the table. They extend their snacking, food-on-demand, habits to their cats. Research into the snacking lifestyle vs the set meals lifestyle show that snackers underestimate the amount of food they eat. Likewise, owners underestimate the amount of calories fed to their cats in the form of snacks. Studies in humans indicate that snacking also affects the metabolism leading to weight gain. People who are generally less active are less likely to encourage their cats to be active. Fit, active, health conscious owners tend to be more aware of their pet's health needs. Pets' lifestyles mirror the lifestyles of their owners.
If the owner has, or can make, a few extra minutes each day to help a cat lose weight that time would be well spent in interactive play and getting the cat into the "exercise habit". A wand-type toy or games of chase with a table-tennis ball or scrunched ball of paper are suitable interactive games. There is far too much emphasis on static toys such as climbing posts - cats quickly grow bored with static toys and stop playing with them. There is also too much emphasis on technological toys that don't require owner interaction such as battery operated toys, but these are predictable and cats soon lose interest. Most cats want to interact with the owner so those extra 5 minutes should be spent on encouraging the cat to take whatever exercise is suited to its age and state of health.
If the owner is genuinely unable to chase about with the cat (owner disability, illness and heavy pregnancy are valid reasons), there are radio controlled toys that encourage the cat to run around while the owner remains seated.
If you can make more than five minutes extra, alternate the proprietary weight loss diet with some home-prepared foods or use the time to cook some vegetables to add to the cat's diet.
If you think your cat is overweight, it is important that a vet examines it. The vet will rule out any underlying medical causes and will determine the severity of the weight problem. He will discuss a safe and effective weight-reduction programme with the owner and set targets. There will be regular weigh-ins, possibly at an animal weight clinic, usually every 2 weeks. Rapid weight-loss is dangerous for cats, so the regime will be aimed at slow weight loss and long-term success. In many cases, simply cutting out the titbits and encouraging the cat to get more exercise will solve the weight problem.
In most cases, dietary management will be needed alongside lifestyle changes. The aim is to reduce the cat's daily total calorie intake. This won't be a drastic reduction, but a moderate reduction so that the cat loses weight slowly. Importantly, between-meal treats must be cut out. The amount of food given at each sitting is generally reduced or a lower calorie food ("light" food) is given. If the cat eats canned food, mixing a bulking agent allows the cat to eat what feels like a full portion so its stomach feels full and it is less likely to beg or scavenge. Bulking agents include cooked mashed potato, cooked pasta, canned pumpkin and cooked rice. "light" cat foods are available from vets in both canned and biscuit form. "Less active" formulations are also available in many supermarkets and pet supply stores.
THE MULTI-CAT DILEMMA
What happens if only one of the household cats is overweight? How can the owner prevent it from eating the other cats' food as well as its own? The most usual solution is to feed set meals in different rooms and to remove any uneaten food once the cats have eaten their fill. The fat cat is probably eating a different diet and is likely to view the other cat's food as tastier.
Ad lib feeding is right out in a household where one cat is becoming obese. The overweight cat probably snacks more often than its thinner housemate(s) and is probably eating the thinner cat's rations as well as its own. If the thin cat is agile, but the fat cat is not agile, then food could be placed on a counter or shelf. The thin cat can reach it, but the fat cat cannot (at least not until it gets slimmer and fitter). Another solution involves fitting a small cat flap in the door to a closet or room and putting the thin cat's food in that closet or room. The thin cat can get through the cat flap to its food (especially if it is fed ad lib), but the fat cat can't get through the cat flap.
THE ROLE OF EXERCISE
Exercise burns off calories. Cats that have outdoor access tend to spend time exploring, climbing, interacting with other cats, chasing things, investigating interesting sights, smells and noises etc. They are less likely to become overweight because they are using up the calories they have eaten. Indoor-only need to be encouraged to take exercise to prevent them from turning into feline couch potatoes. Unstimulated cats get bored and spend much of their time snacking (if fed ad lib) and sleeping. Snacking can be prevented by having set mealtimes and removing the uneaten portion after the cat loses interest in the meal. A cat used to being fed ad lib will take a few days to get used to not snacking.
Paranoia about the outside world means that more and more cats have less and less opportunity to burn off the excess calories through outdoor play. Indoor only cats need plenty of environmental enrichment: climbing and perching posts, toys that can be chased or thrown about, hidden (low calorie) food treats for them to hunt out and interactive games with the owner e.g. wand toys. Otherwise they tend to become inactive and the laziness habit is as hard to break in cats, as it is in humans. Just as there is growing acceptance of human obesity, there is growing acceptance of pet obesity and owners who take insufficient exercise themselves, often don't understand the importance of exercise for their pets.
As owners work longer hours, they spend less time playing with their cats. The TV-dinner culture (inactive owners) contributes to this. To compensate for working longer and longer hours, guilt-ridden owners give their pets treats which adds to the excess calories. Owners should compensate for long work hours by making time for interactive play.
