Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: Kelly on March 01, 2007, 18:01:52 PM
-
Well, me and Desley both have cats that are not best suited to our environments for one reason or another so this weekend we will both be having new/different fosters.
I currently foster Lucy, a huge monster of a cat who really is a beauty but I'm struggling to get her weight down. Desley was so successful with Tom that we've decided she is better qualified to help this little (big!) one.
Lucy really is gorgeous! She's a semi long haired tortie who loves attention, isn't mad on my resident Archie, but loves snuggles and fusses - she really is going to make a fantastic companion when she's lost weight.
In order for Lucy to move to Desley's, and to help poor old Tom, he will be moving in with my brother - he has a huge house with plenty of space for Tom to enjoy his older years. He also has 2 middle aged ladies, Holly and Scrabble (age 10) who will welcome Tom with open paws!
As for us here - Poppy is on her way back when I can arrange a time best for everyone and I'm still trying to get in contact with a lady who has 2 cats she wants us to take on.
So that is CAT77's fosterers as we stand! I'm sure Des will fill you in on how Lucy settles in when she goes on Saturday!
And for those of you who missed my original post on Lucy - here she is!
(http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r280/kelly_2706/CATS/PIC_0096.jpg)
-
Lucy is gorgeous and yes I can see that jelly belly :rofl:
I do hope that Tom will be happy , he deserves a good home ;D
-
I'm glad Tom is going to have a permanent home at last, that's great news.
And I look forward to the story of Lucy's Diet as it unfolds - good luck, Desley
-
I am glad I have been able to see her pic again, couldn't find the old one. Lets hope Tom wasn't just a one off with his weight (I wasn't actually as successful wtih getting Ginger to lose weight as I was Tom!!), and Lucy can lose some here. And that a semi-longhaired cat wont be a prob with my asthma. I will be booking Lucy in for a weigh in on Mon, so the vet can say just how much she needs to lose (am hoping her fur accounts for some of her weight!!)
-
sounds like Lucy and Tom both end up winners, which is great. Shame about little Poppy but am sure she'll find someone who has been waiting for a cat like her.
-
That sounds like a good arrangement. And I'm glad Tom has found himself a home.
-
That's great news about Tom ;D
I am sure you will be successful Desley :) and you can give me some tips for Smokey :rofl:
-
WEll, I will be setting off in 45 mins to go and meet Kelly and do the swap - feel a bit nervous about it strangely enough. Not sure if the nervousness is letting Tom go or having to live up to people thinking I will do a good job with Lucy!!
-
having to live up to people thinking I will do a good job with Lucy!!
Well, it's always good to have performance targets, Desley :evillaugh:
Seriously, good luck with Lucy!
-
I'm sure she will have you retrained in no time Des and afterall you seem to need the challange of another lady cats after all these boys! ;)
-
Well, she is here now, and miles worse than Tom was, no idea how I am going to tackle this one, I have never seen such an overweight cat in the flesh - esp as she is sharing a room with Patches at the mo and he could do with gaining a bit!! I am going to attempt to integrate her, and allow her outdoor access as I did with Tom, or she has no chance of losing weight at all!! She isn't actually a semi-long hair, she looks it from certain angles, but it is really just the flab that makes it look like that. Fortunately for me, she is nice tempered, which is unusual for me, I dont normally get to meet nice torties!!
Liz - my two are girls, and they are definitely challenging!!
Pics
(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b45/booktigger/incarrier.jpg)
(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b45/booktigger/standing.jpg)
(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b45/booktigger/topview.jpg)
-
Oh dear what a big girl you are Lucy. Beautiful markings but hooooooge. How much does she weigh Desley, how old is she and what's the story of how she got that big? Talk about killing with kindness.
Better get her chasing the wiggly waggleys pretty soon!
-
I know, and I thought Tom was big!! You should see how she looks when she sits, as she actually has a normal sized head, will try and get a pic of her sitting tomorrow. We will find out on Thurs how much she weighs - I do have scales, but not sure they are that accurate for cats, they didn't say the same as the vets for Finn!! She will be 7 in June according to her vacc card - she was taken every year for boosters, I am really surprised at her vet practice, we obviously dont know how she got that big, the reason she came to us was cos her owner had to move in somewhere (Kelly will have to explain better), and could only take one of her cats - she thought she would take the eldest out of the two, as it would be harder to home a 12yo than a 6yo, just forgot to mention how overweight Lucy was - unless she was blind to it of course.
-
oh gosh - she is big! I don't know why some people let their cats get that big. Do you know if her former owners were trying to do anything about her weight? Still, if anyone can get the excess weight off her it's you, Desley. Despite her size she is a very pretty cat.
-
A tubby tortie, what a surprise LOL. She is gorgeouse and looks a bit like Sasas size but Sasa has long fur and much to my amazenent only weighed about 5kg or was it 5,5 lol, last check up.
Sasa doesnt look flabby just solid :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
-
I dont know Susanne, they failed to tell us that she was overweight!! She is a pretty cat despite her weight, I do hope that we can get some of it off her!! Gill, if she looks like Sasa's size, the pic is very deceiving, she is as wide as the carrier door in places. If I had to guess weight wise, it would be similar to Tom when he first came, which was 8.96kg.
-
she thought she would take the eldest out of the two, as it would be harder to home a 12yo than a 6yo, just forgot to mention how overweight Lucy was - unless she was blind to it of course.
That is nice though isn't it many people would want to keep the youngest.
-
Yeah, I suppose it was. I sometimes wonder if we woud have been better with the oldie, but who knows what condition that was in?
-
If s/he is six years older, maybe s/he had six more years to be overfed? Anyway, Lucy has a beautiful face even if she is on the matronly side. I'm sure the weight will gradually fall off her when she starts doing more exercise. I hope so, anyway.
Good luck!
-
She's beautiful; and I'm sure she'll be much more so when the weight starts to come off. Good luck helping her with her dieting, Desley! :)
-
Yep, thats the worry Christine - but then not all cats in households are overweight - my neighbour has a fat cat, but her other cat isn't. I hope I can get her to start shedding - she has lost some according to Kelly,
-
Her owner was moving to look after a sick relative who was allergic to cats hence only taking one. No mention of the cat being overweight at all - although when I picked her up she said that she had taken her to get her back end shaved recently - never twigged what she meant til I got home - I can't believe her vets hadn't gone mad at her! She can't reach round to clean - its such a shame cos she is absolutely gorgeous!
And yes, she has lost weight since being here - she had started going up and down stairs and also chases shadows on the carpet.
-
Cheers for that, I couldn't remember the story for the life of me!! I can't believe her vets would shave the cat for her with no reference to her weight - unless of course she was even heavier!!
-
Unless of course the vets did and the owners just dismissed it!
-
What a beautiful cat & I'm sure in your care Desley she will loose the flab.
-
Yeah, there could be that Susanne - to me, what they have done is cruelty, she can't reach near her back end to clean herself, and doesn't like you doing it either. I did groom her for a short while earlier, it was actually quite amusing, as she was growling away, and Patches kept coming to see and miaowing to her!! She got 2 light cat treats (what a bonus getting those from PAH last week), so will reduce her supper to accomodate that, and hopefully if she gets a treat or two at the end of each groom, she will resign herself to it that bit more. She has incredibly pale green eyes though, dont think I have seen cats with such pale eyes before.
I do hope so Saffy
-
She had a hissy fit at me everytime I tried to clean her back end. The vet MUST'VE said something - its unethical to allow a cat to get to that size and as a professional not say anything.
I had tried to show how large she was - but I'm sure Desley can vouch - you have to see her to believe it!
-
I was lucky, she only swiped at me once, the rest of the time she would growl, and then just move herself onto the other side when she realised I wasn't going to stop!! I would hope the vet said something, but it must have fallen on deaf ears - unless that was part of the reaso she let Lucy go rather than the oldest.
Yeah, you really do. Will try and get pics that show it more (i.e. in the cat bed so there is something to compare her too!!). Patches is feeling really thin after I stroke her, I am sure he isn't that bed, it jsut seems it!!
-
My she is big but have a gorgeous face :Luv:
I think she is bigger than Smokey :evillaugh:
What are the light cat treats you have? I feel bad that Smokey can't have any and my two do :-:
-
Yeah - and a normal size head!!
I think so too Ellie - here are a couple of pics taken after our play session, and one taken after I clipped her claws, she wasn't impressed, and poor Patches was getting worked up with her growling, he kept coming up and tapping her!! They do give something to compare her size too
They are from PAH, they did 4 bags of treats for £3, and I was a sucker!! The light ones are the only ones that have been touched though!! I even got some senior ones for the girls. And she gets Senior/Light JWB for her supper, so after I did her claws, I pinched 2 from her supper ration to pacify her.
(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b45/booktigger/bookcasesitting.jpg)
(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b45/booktigger/disgusted.jpg)
(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b45/booktigger/bookcasestanding.jpg)
-
She is beautiful and, after all the negative PR :scared:, I was expecting something bigger. I grant you she is not exactly size zero but I reckon with good diet and exercise, she'll be fine before long.
This is meant to be supportive and chivvying, not critical, BTW :rofl:
-
Christine - I have never seen a bigger cat than her, and I made the mistake of picking her up earlier, a lot heavier than Tom, so with how long it took to get him to lose some weight, I dont expect her weight to suddenly drop off, and I bet she is still here in the summer.
-
She looks happy, contented and gorgeoous; nothing much wrong with her!
Bob
-
Yep she beats Smokey :evillaugh: she is lovely though
Thanks for the treat tip I shall have a look in PAH tomorrow ;)
Have you heard anything about Tom yet?
-
I think the pictuires must be deceptive cos to me she still looks Sasa size lol, I think she is sooooo gorggeous bu must admit Sasa can get through some small places and also through the cat flap without any problem. Its only when I see her outside that she looks smaller and she grooms herself very well considering I cant touch her...........18months and counting...........and she gets rid of all her matts! and clumps and anything that gets caught in her fur.
Being white also she would show if she was dirty at all. Apart from fur all over the house, she is amazing .
Anyway back to Lucy, I love her
-
She is lovely Ellie, one of the few friendly torties I have met!! Kelly hadn't heard from her bro when I spoke to her this morning (always a good sign!!), he met one of her two yesterday and was fine - but they are both female, and Tom does like his ladies - on the next street, there are 2 males and a female, and he would only ever beat up the males, he never touched the female!!
Trust me Gill, she looks worse than all the pics you have posted of Sasa!!
-
OK :rofl: :rofl:
I do hope Tom is settling in cos it would be wonderful ;D
-
Update on Tom - he's fine - unfortunately the lovely female who loves to lick faces and be snuggled has apparently turned into Mike Tyson - has swiped at Tom and even turned on her sister! I just hope its the getting to know you phase and she'll settle in a few days!
-
Aww, I do hope it is nothing too serious Kelly.
To put Lucy in a bit more perspective, I got the tape measure out last night - she is about 24/25 (presumably inches) at the biggest part of her - my waist is 29, and I am a size 12!!
-
:omg:
Shes a big momma!
-
Bless he little chunky munky she is going to be a real looker once she shifts the gut..
Good Luck Des sure you can do it just as well as you did for Tom ..you can do a weekly weigh in at our vets for overweight animals
-
A comfortably waistline she has then :rofl: :rofl:
Sasa doesnt have a waist lol ;D
-
Lisa - it is a monthly weigh in at my vets, I think weekly is too much, the weight loss will be so minimal in a week. She has her first weigh in on Thurs night, so we will find out just how much she weighs then,
-
Hi Desley :omg: she is big bless her
I hope to get Smokey weighed this week but the nurses are only in on the afternoons I work so shall have to work something out.
I'll try and measure her tonight :evillaugh:
Glad she is friendly and give her a cuddle from me :Luv:
Kelly thanks for the update on Tom and I am sure they will settle soon xx
-
oooooooooooooo shall we start a book on the weights of smokie and Lucy :rofl:
I reckom 8kgs for Lucy and 7kgs for Smokie ;D
-
are we putting money on this i will say 9kg for Lucy not seen smokey though !
-
I dont think we can Lisa :evillaugh: :evillaugh: :evillaugh: :evillaugh:
-
Feel free to put money on, as long as it goes to the charity caring for the cat in question!! I think you are out with 8kg Gill, but I have the advantage of picking her up compared to picking Tom up!! My sis has seen her this eve, she thinks bigger than Tom too - then I showed her the photo album, and she said she looks bigger in this pic than she did in the flesh, poor baby!!
(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b45/booktigger/curledup.jpg)
-
Oh yes she looks big in that picture LOL and much bigger than Sasa, more soft and cuddly ;D
-
:-) - she is very soft and cuddly Gill. Tomorrow evening, we will know exactly how much she weighs, and what the vet would like her to weigh!!
-
Well, you were right Gill, she is 8.05 - I was gobsmacked, esp after carrying her, she certainly seems a lot heavier than the scales say she is!! The vet did say though that she is more overweight than Tom was, as she prob should weigh about 3.5-4kg, so 50ish % overweight!! Vet asked what I was going to do with her,and I said I had no idea, which I dont!! She has had to be shaved under her tail, and will need a lot of grooming, as she has greasy dandruffy fur near her tail cos she simply cannot reach herself to groom, and she will get to see the rest of the house on Sat, as she isn't doing enough in the cat room, and will never loose any weight!! As a result, she isn't eating a lot cos she isn't doing enough to feel hungry. Vet felt the owners were very cruel letting her get that big, and I have to agree with her - she told me it would take a long time.
-
Well, you know my attitude - it could be worse Desley. A long haul flight then...
:hug:
-
Your a lot more optimistic than me Christine, but that might help me!! I Really dont know how I am going to manage this, she needs to lose so much more than tom did, and isn't as active as he was - if she stays this active when loose in the house, then she is more like Ginger than tom, and he lost hardly any weight!! We will have to see about the outdoor access, a month might be too soon, as she doesn't seem to be walking too far before sitting down. Certainly a long haul flight
-
Well, you were right Gill, she is 8.05 - I was gobsmacked, esp after carrying her, she certainly seems a lot heavier than the scales say she is!! The vet did say though that she is more overweight than Tom was, as she prob should weigh about 3.5-4kg, so 50ish % overweight!!
Er Desley, I think that is 100% overweight not 50% .... errrr sorry can't let it go by...
Gordon Bennett. Poor mite. Now to be a little more positive. Am I right in recalling she is only 6 years old? A mere babe. Just think how much worse it would be if she were an oldie. I assume our girl likes her grub so why not make her work for it? Honest I'm really not this cruel but it's gonna take a really strict regime to get this girlie in shape and a cruel to be kind effort is the only way. She really is gorgeous tho so well worth the effort.
-
My wording - meant she is 50ish% heavier than what she should weigh, so a lot of work - and not just in getting her to lose weight, but keeping on top of her fur as well.
Yep, only 6, she will be 7 in June, so it does make it easier. That is the daft part Rosella, she isn't that fussed about food, she hadn't even finished her tea an hour ago when I popped in. And she is sharing a room with another cat at the mo, so it is making it a bit tricky, but the rescue are talking to someone about him tomorrow.
-
You've certainly got a hard task there, Desley! Tbh I thought she'd weigh a bit more than that but it's hard to tell from pics when you can't tell the height etc. Try not to let it overwhelm you though. Take it one step at a time. Don't think about getting her down to 4kg, just focus on a more achievable target and aim for that to begin with.
-
hmmmmmmm so i was right lol.........such a good judge of cats :rofl: hoping here that misa has lost a bit of weight, not such a good judge with mine :shify:
she is so lovely desley i am sure you will slim her down but wouldnt think she needs to go much below 5kg :rofl: :rofl:
-
I have Susanne. We will see how well this works. She isn't a large build though, which is why she looks worse at 8 than Tom did at 9. We will have to see with that Gill - I thought the vet was wrong wanting Tom down to 6kg, but he does look OK with it.
-
Crikey Des That is still VERY porky for a female cat though ..
Good luck with the little lady i hope it all goes okay
-
It is, the poor babe.
-
How are you doing with her ..Is tom settling in okay in his new home ..?
-
Still too early to tell - will have to see if she starts moving around more when Patches goes tomorrow, and she gets access to the whole house. We have someone on the American forum sponsoring her weight loss - £1 for every lb she loses!!
Haven't heard much more about Tom, when I spoke to Kelly the other day, one of the cats had issues with him.
-
Crikey has patches found a home ..they seem to be finding homes really quickly at the moment !Great that she has sponsorship !
-
Aye, he has his own thread!! They do.
-
Well, Patches went today, and there has been a difference in Lucy, I have found her exploring the room a bit more. She has also had access to the whole house while I blitzed her room (although she stayed in it most of hte time, even when I was hoovering!!), and has gone downstairs and come back up, which is good.
-
She is loving her access to the house, the girls aren't too bad, they have all found their own space!! Tiger was a bit iffy when I was trying to get Lucy to bed, but that could have had something to do with the growling and miaowing as I was convincing her to walk up the stairs, not go through them to get back down!! I hope they all continue to get on, it will make the next few months a lot easier.
-
Glad she's settling in - and moving around a bit more!
-
she is settling rather well actually, very little fuss from teh girls, as they all seem to find their own spot and not bother each other, so the integration might go a bit quicker than planned. She has a couple of toys that she really likes (and ones that no one else likes, one of the things I love about fostering!!). That and making her work a bit more for her wet food should make a difference, I shall find out next month, think she is up on the 8th.
-
WEll, we are at the next stage of integration now, she got to spend the full night out of her room, and things went very well, only a couple of growls from Molly, and teh first was my fault trying ot get her to come for a fuss. She is currently on top of hte stairs, Tiger is on the landing (closest they have got without noise) and Molly is on the bed asleep. So all nice and peaceful at the mo
-
So glad things seem to be going well Des ..Is she beginning to excercise a bit ??
Any further news on Tom ?
-
oh yeah - although I get more exercise too at the moment, trying to get her to go from her room to the front room!!
Kelly hasn't said anything more about him, hopefully she will see this and respond
-
Well she hasn't lost, but also hasn't gained, so will have to work a bit more on her!!
-
Sorry to hear she hasn't lost. Looks like more stair work then...
-
Is the stair workout for you or Lucy!
Perhaps we should sponser her diet to encourage her to loose wight to help needy cats - just an idea :shify:
-
Supposedly for her, but I suppose I Could do with teh extra exercise!!!
Would be nice - someone on my American forum is doing that - £1 per lb!! Might just about pay for some of her diet food, as she doesn't like the girls light food so I have to buy it specially for her!!
-
Next weigh in - still not a lot according to the scales, yet she is looking better in herself and can reach part of her belly to clean it now, so at least she is seeming better in herself. She has been very active the past few days, I have been making her do things since we got back, so at least I can lose some weight too!!