He may be too big for his own good, but the Moose Jaw Humane Society's resident Fat Boy has managed to squeeze his way into the hearts of many.The eight-year-old tabby cat has eaten himself into becoming the Humane Society's poster kitty for healthy eating - even if he isn't entirely sold on the idea. Even so, he's generated quite the fan base, which is growing thanks to the society's Facebook page featuring his diet.
Karla Pratt with the Humane Society said there was nothing tiny about Fat Boy when he was surrendered to them in 2006 for eating the food meant for his owners' other cats. In those days, the tubby tabby was known as Boots - but that soon changed after he was allowed out of his kennel and into the free-range cat population.
"We have free-range feeding stations around the shelter for these cats so they can kind of come at their own leisure and eat," Pratt said. "This was probably not the best idea for a cat that was already a little bit big. He was able to help himself and he did so gladly, and over time he assumed the moniker of Fat Boy."
It was during a yearly checkup that the vet warned staff to get the cat's weight - then 23 pounds - under control or risk serious health problems.
Fat Boy had already developed quite a local following, drawing regular visitors to the Humane Society to see him - by then a permanent resident and no longer up for adoption. ("We love him too much here," Pratt explained.)
"We've got our regulars who come to visit him and they're always upset if they can't find him," she said.
But there is a place where the popular puss can always be found - Facebook. The society started its page several months ago, and when Fat Boy's diet officially started five weeks ago, it became a weekly event on the page - with weigh-in Fridays referred to fondly as "Fat Boy Fridays."
It's a slow process, to which many dieters can attest. With a goal to weigh 15 pounds, Fat Boy has some distance to go - and he isn't making it easy for staff. While he hasn't lost his easygoing, couch potato ways, he's shown staff he can be quite resourceful when it comes to food. They were stumped during a previous weigh-in when they discovered he'd gained back the two ounces he'd lost the week before. The answer soon became clear.
"We went out into the main cat adoption room and here he was stealing food from one of the caged cats' kennels," Pratt said. "He had reached in, tipped the bowl over and was scarfing it down off the floor as quickly as he could like a ravenous wolf."
That problem was fixed by putting the caged cats' food dishes at the back of the cages where they're out of reach. Staff have had to be equally resourceful in keeping up with Fat Boy's other methods of securing extra food while contending with restricted-calorie food and smaller, controlled portions.
"He is very determined to get any food that we have down," Pratt said. "He's in there like a dirty shirt, so we really have to be careful where we leave the food even around the shelter now. We do have a food room and we have to keep everything else locked up in cupboards where he cannot open the doors or else get a big Rubbermaid tub type of thing where he can't get into it - because he will actually rip the bags open. So we need to be very strict with him, that's for sure."
One method they've tried has been a box with a hole cut out - big enough for only the slimmer cats to squeeze through to get the food inside. It's still a work in progress as staff discovered Fat Boy was reaching in and grabbing the forbidden food.
"He's a bit of a MacGyver," Pratt said.
The Humane Society is hoping Fat Boy's exploits help with some of the organization's other goals. Attracting people to the Facebook site means they'll be able to, during the same visit, view profiles of animals needing a good home or details of upcoming society events. It also means pet owners might learn the importance of keeping their furry family members at a healthy weight.
"He's going to set a good example for all the other overweight felines out the1.Read here
© Copyright (c) The StarPhoenix2. facebook- Fat Boy. Moose Jaw Humane Society
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