Good news, everyone—cats may be the only cuddly creatures on earth who don’t resent a restricted calorie meal.
According to an article in the New York Times, kitty obesity is on the rise, mainly because neurotic cat owners are worried their babies won’t want pettings unless they feed them every single second. Scientists recently published research in The Journal of Veterinary Behavior that suggests it’s not too late to turn things around. For the study, 48 different voluptuous felines were put on restricted diets, and their owners were extensively questioned about the animals’ responses. The Times writes:
More than three-quarters of the cats lost weight. And though the frequency of pre-feeding behavior increased — begging, meowing, pacing — it did not begin earlier. (Translation: The cats may have intensified owners’ guilt about giving them less food, but did not protract their misery.)
Better yet, owners felt that despite the restricted feeding, the cats did not turn vindictive. Instead, owners believed the cats showed more affection. After feeding, the cats would more often purr and sit in the owner’s lap.
No one knows why kittehs don’t hold a grudge, but as someone who has yelled at her tabby to get off her keyboard five times in the course of writing this post, I think they’re just plain forgetful. While there’s nothing particularly appealing about a slim puss, your cat certainly won’t be ecstatic about human contact when you have to give it a daily insulin shot. Now, please share pictures of your fat cats in the comments.
Image via Shutterstock.
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