Showing posts with label cat exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cat exercise. Show all posts

Monday, 26 January 2026

Your Obese Cat Is Dying Slowly And You’re the One Feeding the Disease

Here is a tough-talking article about domestic feline obesity in the modern age. 70 years ago cat obesity was rare. 70 years ago we might say the same about human obesity. Both ate less, ate more pure foods and exercise more indirectly. Here goes...

Let’s stop pretending your cat “just got a little chunky.” Let’s stop hiding behind cute internet slang like “chonker” and “floof.” Your cat isn’t adorable. Your cat is obese. And the reason is brutally simple:

You made it that way.

  • Not fate.
  • Not genetics.
  • Not “he’s just hungry.”
  • You.

Cats Were Built for Violence, Not Your Sofa

A cat is a precision‑engineered predator — a creature designed to stalk, sprint, leap, and kill. Their metabolism expects:

  • protein
  • fat
  • movement
  • unpredictability

Now look at the life you’ve given them.

They live in a climate‑controlled box.
They eat industrial pellets that crunch like cereal.
They sleep 20 hours a day because there’s nothing else to do.
Their biggest thrill is when the Amazon driver knocks.

You’ve taken a biological weapon and turned it into a throw pillow.

Obesity Isn’t an Accident — It’s the Environment You Built

  • A cat doesn’t choose its food.
  • A cat doesn’t portion its meals.
  • A cat doesn’t decide to free‑feed on kibble all day.
  • A cat doesn’t design a home with zero stimulation.

You do all of that.

So when your cat becomes obese, the cause isn’t mysterious. It’s not tragic. It’s not “one of those things.” It’s the direct result of the conditions you created.

  • You didn’t mean to.
  • You didn’t want to.
  • But you did.

The Dark Mirror: Owners Pass Their Habits to Their Pets

Here’s the part people hate the most.

Cats often become obese for the same reason their owners do:

  • too much processed food
  • too little movement
  • boredom mistaken for hunger
  • emotional eating disguised as “treats”
  • a warped sense of what a healthy body looks like

If overeating is normal in your home, overfeeding the cat feels normal too.
If you snack when you’re bored, you’ll feed the cat when it meows.
If you avoid exercise, you won’t create an active environment for your pet.

Your cat becomes a reflection of your lifestyle — a living, breathing mirror of your habits.

The Pet Food Industry Is Happy to Help You Kill Your Cat Slowly

Pet food companies know exactly what they’re doing.

  • They sell calorie‑dense kibble because it’s cheap to produce and addictive to cats.
  • They market treats as “love.”
  • They print portion sizes that are laughably generous.
  • They rely on the fact that most owners can’t tell the difference between “healthy” and “on the brink of diabetes.”

A lean cat looks “too skinny” to many people now. That’s how far the baseline has shifted.

The Excuses Are Pathetic

  • “He’s fluffy.”
  • “She’s a big girl.”
  • “He hardly eats anything.”
  • “She cries if I don’t feed her.”

These aren’t explanations. They’re denial.

  • Cats beg because begging works.
  • Cats overeat because the food is there.
  • Cats gain weight because the calories exceed the output.

It’s not complicated. It’s just uncomfortable.

The Slow Death You Don’t Want to Think About

Obesity isn’t cute. It’s not harmless. It’s not a personality trait.

It’s:

  • joint pain
  • chronic inflammation
  • diabetes
  • heart strain
  • reduced mobility
  • shortened lifespan

Your cat isn’t “living its best life.”
It’s slowly dying in a body that can’t support itself — a body shaped by your choices.

The Brutal Bottom Line

If your cat is obese, it’s because the environment you created made obesity inevitable. Not because you’re cruel. Not because you don’t care. But because you control every variable that determines your cat’s health.

  • Your cat can’t fix this.
  • Your cat can’t change its environment.
  • Your cat can’t say no to the bowl you keep filling.

You are the architect of its world — and its weight.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also, sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. And, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable. Finally, (!) I often express an OPINION on the news. Please share yours in a comment.

Thursday, 20 October 2011

The Cat Wheel

My cat has never had the privilege of using the cat wheel. These are becoming more and more popular particularly in North America. I guess they are an excellent way for an active cat that might be a permanent indoor cat to get some exercise. And the domestic cat needs exercise because Mr Domestic Cat is becoming obese. There is an increase in feline diabetes that appears to be linked to obesity and there is an increase in overweight domestic cats with all the encumbant health issues that excess weight brings with it.

We don't tend to play with our cat enough. Cats are very independent minded and we think that they are OK. They might not be. They might need some input from us as we can distort the natural life of a cat. The cat wheel is an innovative way to make life more natural for the domestic cat.

I don't have personal experience of using one (err..I mean my cat..) but I would guess that if you put a cat on it he or she will run instinctively if she is naturally active and inquisitive. Not all cats are like that so some cats will need encouragement or training. That is probably an obstacle to purchasing one.

Savannah cats are ideal candidates for the cat wheel because they are smart, athletic and active. Any wildcat hybrid cat will probably like the cat wheel (Bengal for example). Apparently the Sphynx also likes it. Sphynx cats are athletic and very smart so no surprise. Here is a video of Zuri (human companion: Paige) on a cat wheel bought from the Cat Wheel Company:



Zuri was born and raised at A1 Savannahs, the best in the business. I know as I have been there and lived there and played with the kittens - gorgeous.

Some tips on getting a cat to use the cat wheel by the Cat Wheel Company:
  • use a laser light toy for your cat to chase. Make sure the wheel is static before using the laser light.
  • put catnip on the wheel!
  • place your cat's favorite toy on the wheel and gently rotate the wheel to stimulate activity (this a modified version of the advice given by the Cat Wheel Company).
Can you buy these in the UK?  Yes, there are several businesses selling cat wheels. This is one: http://www.thecatwheelcompany.co.uk/

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