Cat Obesity Hits Epidemic Proportions! #HillsPet

CK here with some breaking news. This may sound like a headline from The Enquirer but it’s true. Over 50% of all U.S. cats and dogs are overweight; and, in most cases, their pet parents don’t care! It’s an outrage! That’s what it is. A study by the Banfield Pet Hospital State of Pet Health 2012 says that over the past five years the number of overweight cats has increased by 90%! Tell me that’s not an epidemic.

One common misconception I actually heard during a keynote at Blogpaws last year was that heavy humans tend to have heavy pets. *GONG* Wrong-o!

Autumn sure is cute but they don’t call her “Plumpy” for nothing.

I’ve been telling you about Chizzy and plumpy Autumn, Gramma’s cats. Gramma was a petite woman, never weighing more than 115 lbs. Her cats weren’t. File that misconception in the circular file.

Another misconception is that flabby tabbies are cute. There’s nothing cute about a grossly overweight cat. Yes, we all laugh when we see internet cats that have a wide girth. A lot of dumb people also laugh when they see overweight humans, especially kids. These kids are laughed at, picked on and bullied—unless they’re on the football team and can crush the bullies. Do you want your cat laughed at and bullied? I didn’t think so.

Misconception number three is humans think the way to Fido or CK’s heart is through their stomachs. They rationalize the best way they can show their love is by feeding us food and treats on demand. It’s easier than watching us beg. Some humans don’t know that you can also show love by giving us your time. Cats love to play. There’s nothing better than playtime with our humans with a wand toy or laser. We may love a human who stuffs food in our faces but we also see them as someone we can control.

Bulletin board items courtesy of Hill’s Pet Nutrition.

What to do when the strategy backfires? Once humans realize their fur child is overweight, they have to rethink their strategy. Suddenly portions get cut and we may not get treats at all! We’re angry cos we thought we had them trained. They claim they still love us but we don’t see it. I have a solution!

Cats need exercise like wand toys.

You can make life easier for Plumpy by going to your vet and getting a prescription for Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution. Watch the pounds melt off as Plumpy exercises more. You don’t need to change the way you feed your pet; you just need to change WHAT you feed him or her.

What human wouldn’t want to feed their dog or cat a food that’s beneficial to their well being? The Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution arsenal includes wet food and dry kibble, and even treats, for both cats and dogs. Unless your pet is smart like me, they won’t even realize their new good-tasting food is diet food. You don’t have to withhold food/love, you’re just redefining that love. That redefined love may just help your fur child live a longer and healthier life.

Keep checking back here and I’ll tell you how to get one of 500 rebates via Hill’s to encourage humans to take their pets to the veterinarian for a wellness visit. To claim your rebate, please fill out this form. Details can be found by biggifying the image below.

Extraordinary nutrition + redefined love = YOUR PET AT THEIR VERY BEST.

This post is sponsored by Hill’s and the BlogPaws Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s Prescription Diet Metabolic Food, but Stunning Keisha only shares information I feel is relevant to my readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.