After one month with us, our overweight foster cat Velveeta got a new home! She didn't lose much weight yet, but the shelter vet said to strive for just 1 pound of weight loss per month. I do think she probably lost about one pound, so we were somewhat successful. Velveeta is on a healthy diet of Wellness kibble mixed with raw food medallions, which she will continue at her new home. Wellness even graciously donated a large bag of their Healthy Diet food for the new owner--I'm so grateful to them!
Velveeta learned to play and was slowly becoming more active. Sure, she lounged around for about 23.5 hours a day, but for that 30 minutes each day, she walked around, went upstairs and down, played, and used her scratching pad. It was progress.
One of my biggest concerns with having a cat in the house was the litter box (our previous cat never used a litter box, preferring to go outside). Knowing Cabana has a penchant for eating cat poop, I didn't know how I was going to keep Cabana away from it. We started out with a hooded litter box, but the high sides kept Velveeta from getting in and out of it comfortably, resulting in many accidents. I switched to a lower open-top litter box, and surprisingly, Cabana never even went near it! Cabana was the best host ever, always giving Velveeta space and respect.
Velveeta will be living with a 5-year old boy. Here they are, meeting for the first time. Right away, it seemed like they had known each other for years. Last night, I got an update from Velveeta's new owner, saying that Velveeta only spent about an hour underneath a bed, then came out purring, ready to play, eat, and get brushed.
When we first brought Velveeta home, which was at the insistence of my daughters, I thought, good lord, what have I done. Who is ever going to want this 12-year old, extremely obese cat? I feared we would have this cat for months, if not years! But Velveeta's new mom has had big fat cats before and adores them! And Velveeta's easygoing temperament is just right for a little boy's first pet. It all worked out--and there's nothing as rewarding as that.
Don't worry, sleeping 23.5 hours a day is typical cat! Sounds like Velveeta was doing grreat, and I hope he's very happy in his new home!
I must say that I'm VERY impressed with Cabana for ignoring the box of cat crunchies. I just can't stay away from those! Momma put up a baby gate to give the kitties a room to get away from us pups, and that's where she stashes the box. The gate's too high for me to jump, but there's a little gate at the bottom the kitties can get through.
I'm going to miss Velveeta updates, but I'm so glad she found a loving home. I can't believe how many animals you've fostered in such a short time. The world is a better place with you around, Mimi!
Oh that is such great news! Wow - 1 lb a month that is a long ordeal - glad its a little easier for us people :).