WHERE IS CARTER’S WAISTLINE?

Where indeed!

Strange, isn’t it, how so many waistlines fade away with age?  Whether it is because of inactivity, over-eating, over-indulging or a combination of all three, waistlines just seem to gradually disappear until they are only a vague memory of days gone by.

Many of you have met our clinic cat Carter, a superb specimen of feline handsomeness.  Carter is a domestic short hair (DSH in veterinary jargon), orange & white tabby who graces our counter on a daily basis casting his condescension on all those who do not  meet with his approval (especially large dogs).

Carter, to put it mildly, loves to eat and snack.  He has even broken into bags of food set aside for clients to pick up for their hungry pets.  He’s not terribly picky about which bags he breaks into – after all, food always tastes better when it is obtained on the sly. 

Unfortunately, with all this snacking when no one is looking, treats  lovingly given by staff members and his regular meals, not to mention hours and hours spent sleeping, Carter has gone from slender to chunky.  We can no longer pass him off as fluffy, husky, big-boned or short for his weight.

With his weight teetering on the wrong side of 6.5 kilograms, we must take steps to ensure that Carter returns to his usual svelte self.  We want to be sure that Carter’s joints are not dealing with unnecessary weight, that he does not become diabetic and that his heart does not have to work harder than it is already working. 

How are we doing this?  Firstly, Carter & Phoebe (see the blog titled Phoebe’s Tale) are now fed in their kennels so that there is no clearing out of one another’s dishes.

Secondly, treats are strictly rationed to 4 per day.  That doesn’t mean 4 treats in reception, 4 treats in the manager’s office and 4 treats in the treatment room.  Oh no, 4 treats per day – that’s it.  Thirdly, he is fed a carefully measured combination of dry food  (18.5 grams Royal Canin Satiety) as well as canned  food (1/2can Royal Canin Calorie Control) given to him twice daily that will ensure that he feels full after eating, but which at the same time, supplies him with all the nutrition, calories and energy that he needs to get through the day (and night) while at the same time losing those stubborn grams.

Carter currently weighs in at 6.6 kilograms, that’s down from 6.8kg.  His target weight is in the 5.8kg. to 6kg. range.   Stay tuned to see our progress in returning Carter to a lean, mean purring machine.