24-pounds big. That's how much Velveeta weighs. She is an overweight cat that we started fostering this week. The shelter was in a quandary over what to do about Velveeta. When she was kept in the cat room with the other cats, she would sit on top of the food and not let the other cats eat it, obviously so she could eat it all herself. When they put her in a cage so they could control her portions, there was no room for her to get any exercise. For the past few weeks, the shelter kept asking for a foster family, but no one had stepped up.
My daughters have been missing our cat Angie, who passed away last February. When I mentioned the idea of fostering Velveeta, they didn't hesitate for a second. Tiny kittens may be adorable, but these girls are all about helping the underdog...or undercat, in this case.
Velveeta is no shrinking violet. It only took her about a day to come out from hiding under one of our beds. Since then, she has surprised us with her ability to get around. Despite her enormous size, she can squeeze into some tight spots. She can climb the stairs, and to my amazement, she even jumped on top of our piano!!
I don't think Velveeta was an outdoor cat before because when we first brought her outside, she ran right back in! But our backyard is enclosed with 6' high fences, and because we need to encourage her to exercise as much as possible, we will take her on "outings" when we are able to supervise her (she's already surprised me with her nimbleness, so who knows, she might be able to climb our fence).
Velveeta is a very pretty cat and super sweet. Even when I've had to perform unpleasant but necessary tasks on her, she never scratches me. She did hiss at Cabana once to tell her to keep her distance, and Cabana, ever respectful, has complied.
I don't know how long it will take for Velveeta to lose enough weight to be adopted. A healthy cat weighs between 8-10 pounds, so she is 2-3 times as big as she should be, and her stomach is just shy of dragging the ground. If you'd like to follow her progress, I've started a
Facebook page for her. Hope you'll "like" it and root Velveeta on to a healthier life and a wonderful new home!
Wow, that's a biiiig kitty! She looks JUST like my kitty brother Scribbles, too, except he's about 16 pounds instead of 24! He's not fat, though, just a big kitty. I'm sure with her new exercise program, she'll be slim and trim in no time!
Love ginormous Velveeta! Our fat cats lost weight when we switched them to grain free food, it seems to fill them up more.
I couldn't help but laugh at how she sits on the food so no one else can get to it. Please share some pictures of Velveeta the Obese and Cabana together!
Velveeta will be a new cat in a few weeks. I can't wait to watch her progress.
Mango Momma
Big Cat! lol but glad you guys are able to work on her weight. Very pretty color too!
She is beautiful. Love that you had it in your heart to open your home to such a special animal.
shes so cute. she looks like my cat except mine is a lot thinner. is she a grey tabby?
very nice cat, and she will be back down to a healthy weight in no time with your help!
Ashley Carroll, grey tabby would be my guess--but I really don't know!
Min, I need to take some photos of V and Cabana together--but they're never together, so it's tough. Plus, the flash on my camera is broken, adding to the challenge.
2PunkDogs, thank you for mentioning grain free food. That really helped Cabana trim down, so I think I'll try that with V.
Velveeta is BIG and still beautiful. Lucky cat, she's in good hands now so I'm sure she'll get down to a healthy weight soon. My two cats could stand to lose a few pounds as well. I'll have to try the grain-free diet, too.
So great to see you!
Whoa. That's one bit kitty cat! I didn't believe you when it was just pictures of her face, but wow. Big kitty. Hopefully she can lose the weight quickly.