The Cats Are On A Diet

I took Lucy and Olivia to the vet last week. Both needed their nails trimmed and Olivia was due for some shots. I pulled Olivia out first and set her on the exam table. The vet tech was an elderly woman, new to the clinic.

"Oh my," she said, looking at the crouched ball of fur on the table and trying to conceal her shock. "Is the other one this big too?" 

Olivia weighed in at 16 lbs. Lucy is "down" to around 14, but that's only because she lost a few pounds due to her hyperthyroidism. The problem is the cats won't play. We roll jingle balls in front of them, dangle feathers in their face, and pull out the laser light. Nothing. Maybe an annoyed twitch of the tail that we've disturbed their slumber. 

Still, our vet gave me "the talk." Bottom line, our cats have to lose weight. 

So we've cut back on the food. One quarter scoop less in the morning and evening and eating times are strictly observed. No filling the food dish at 3:30 in the afternoon, just because it's empty. I have the hard part of this deal because I'm the one home when the cats are moaning in hunger and throwing themselves at my feet, begging for mercy and a tuna snack. Olivia stomped on my face the other night at 3 AM, hungry and wanting to "talk" about it.

I've been hard core though. No cheating. I wonder though, how long does it take a cat to lose weight? If it's anywhere near as long as it takes me, we're in for a long, hard summer.