feel awful sorry for my cat!

poozers

i have an 8 year old female cat since August just gone! she breaks my heart! i am her FIFTH owner!!! the last one was my sister who had her for two months and she got her from a vet before that who claimed (on FACEBOOK!!) her previous owner wanted her put down if a home couldnt be found (and later claimed that they would never do such a thing, even though there was physical evidence on an FB post that they would, and then completely washed their hands of this poor thing)!

Poppy (my lady) is an alpha cat and there was absolutely no chance she would integrate with my sisters own cat. Poppy would terrorize her to the point of my sisters cat hiding out down at the bottom of the garden. They were afraid she would run away, so Poppy just had to go!

It was nearly impossible to find a new home for an old cat who cant live with other cats. So, i offered to foster her until a home can be found if ever! Poppy is a beautiful cat, but very very fat!! she is 9.2kgs (and was like this when my sister took her), i dont know how anyone can let a cat get that fat!!! but she has a big lump of furry belly skin that hangs down, ive never seen anything like it, and it swings from side to side when she trots!it breaks my heart!! her teeth are fecked! theyre not in advance gum disease but theyre nearly there! but the procedure to get her teeth cleaned and some pulled costs over 100euro which i just cant afford right now. (long story, but we've tried unsuccessfully to claim something from the vet we got her from as they should have really checked her out before handing her over!!!)

She sits at home all day, has NO interest in going outside whatsoever which suits cos of us living in a top floor apt. She is very timid if we walk near her when she's on the floor, but if she's up on a couch she doesnt mind us coming over! well, she has really taken a shine to me, but not my boyfriend AT ALL!!! but i know cats are just like that anyway!

i have really gotten to know her and she is a wonderful little thing! i just feel sorry for her sometimes cos of her weight, and her being shipped around from pillar to post! she is not playful so losing the weight is a bit of a challenge!!!
i just hope she's happy with me, and i've stopped looking for a new home for her!
has anyone any thoughts on this???
Am i just overreacting? do cats really care?!
im going away for a week in new years, and my sister is taking her back for the week and going to try keep her in a spare room where she can sleep and keep to herself (which is what she does best anyway )! is this goin to affect Poppy???
sorry bout the long post!!

strandroad

Just spend time with her, pet her, cuddle and she will be happy. If she is timid and therefore avoids any activities she will find it difficult to lose any weight but you can control her portions and if you don't overfeed her she should slim down a little with time and possibly more if she starts exploring her surroundings as she grows more confident. Loose skin on her belly is probably the result of past pregnancy/ies, especially with large litters.

If you are going away perhaps you can get your sister to visit your cat, feed and pet her instead of handing her over - it might be a bit of a shock especially if the other cat is there and they start fighting again.

Good luck - your description reminds me of my old kitty, sadly no longer with us here, who was also quiet and heavier but she was the sweetest and cuddliest cat in the world.

poozers

yeah, its only been nearly 3 months, so it might take her that bit longer to settle in!

the thing is, i dont really know anyone who has time to come up and pay her attention when im away! my sis has 3 kids under the age of 9 and is pregnant with her fourth! my brothers are busy with kids and work too, and my best friend has so much goin on now! and i wouldnt really feel comfortable with anyone else goin up while we're not there!

She plays with my hair clips the odd day for a few mins, but gets bored quickly! i am so happy to have her tho! we lost our family cat of 16 years last march, and then in july, lost our dog of 17 years! i was devastated!!

she sleeps with us every night at the end of our bed! and ive really gotten attached to her! and i get big meows from her in the mornings when i wake up, and when i come home from work (she doesnt get up mind you!:D) but its my boyfriend she has no time for(we live together)! she's always cuddling up to me, but hasn't even sat on his lap yet! i think its quite funny, but he's really disappointed about it! hopefully she'll come round!

ive worked out my finances for the next two months, and i think i can afford to get her teeth done! hopefully your right about her loose skin! i took her to my own vet in september for ear mites, and he said that cats can manipulate you into feeding them ! and im trying to resist it! i feed her a small handful of hard food in the morning and at night! hopefully thats not too much! im goin to ring the vet tomorrow anyway, and get her sorted!!

mymo

The only way to do it is to be really mean with the food:(
As the weight comes off, she will become more active, and so it will speed things up.
I used to get the dry nuts and flick them around the kitchen floor to get the cat to chase it.
Find a toy the cat likes and try playing with that, even if for only 2 minutes, just do it more often.

On the teeth front, I am currently trying a stuff called plaque off, I got it for the small dog as I could see plaque on her teeth (she's only 2) and it works great, tried it on the cats too, Older fella has great teeth, younger fella not so good (rescued him as an adult and suspect he ate breed and milk before we got him, he goes nuts for bread or cereal with milk, have to hide these from him).
I also give raw pieces of stewing beef or chicken wings once a week, the chewing helps clean teeth, so if she's able for them they may help.

Good luck, and she will come around to your other half, but only when she has him suitably under her control:D

doctor evil

Good luck with her. It may be prudent to have some bloods pulled to check for diabetes/thyroid activity.