Fat Boy's Slimdown Effort Brings Him Fame
Moose Jaw SK Humane Society resident cat Fat Boy was put on a slimming program in July, as he tipped the scales at more than 22 pounds, and he’s made progress despite his best efforts to thwart the program. Fat Boy’s progress can be followed at the humane society’s Facebook Page, and his story was broadcast to the public at large yesterday, as shelter promotions coordinator Karla Pratt was interviewed for CBC radio.
Fat Boy came to the Moose Jaw Saskatchewan shelter in 2006 with the name Boo but, for obvious reasons, became known by his current name instead.
Not only does eight year old Fat Boy like to eat any cat food he can get his paws on, he is sedentary. The well loved and popular cat became the object of increasing concern from friends of the shelter and staff alike due to his excessive bulk so in late July he was put on a strict diet.
Fat Boy is one of four resident cats at MJHS and like others of his kind, he tended to take more than his fair share from the group’s feeding station, and so, over time, he became fatter and fatter.
Not one to just meekly scale back on his feedings, the resourceful Fat Boy managed to subvert his weight loss regimen by putting a paw into other cats’ crates, tipping their food bowls toward him, and gobbling up what he could, leading shelter staff to realize that they need to stay one step ahead of the wily puss. Staffers have now devised a protected box system, where smaller cats can get though openings for their food, but a certain tubby tabby cannot squeeze in.
After heading the wrong direction for a while, thanks to his efforts to compensate for being put on a diet, Fat Boy had finally lost several ounces after the first bumpy month. The goal is for Fat Boy to slim down to a much trimmer 14 to 15 pounds.
Spokesperson Karla Pratt told CBC radio “People will come to the shelter just to see him,” in explaining Fat Boy’s popularity in his home city. That popularity and the publicity surrounding the cat’s weight loss program may inform and inspire others to help their own fats cats to slim down, which promotes better health as well as improved quality of life. “We’ve had lots of positive feedback,” Ms. Pratt told her interviewer.
Fat Boy’s story also illustrates this: Even if your cat is way too fat and has been way too fat for quite some time, it’s never too late to get him back on track. This writer knows from personal experience that a mature cat with a food fixation can be rather painlessly slimmed down, and he will likely regain his spunk and vitality afterward if he is in otherwise good health.
PURR FAT BOY PURR!
I just liked the Facebook page. He is so cute, but I know it’s not healthy.
Me too
Aborable tubby Tabby, soon he’ll be “Slim Jim” 
)
SO CUTE.
Go Fat Boy! You can do it!
I am having to do this with my fur grandchild, who weighed in at 24.5 pounds when he arrived at our house. Don’t know how long I’ll have him, but while he is here he is getting the “diet” treatment.
my maggie is a hog as well. she weighs 12 kilos (about 24 pounds) problem is she lives with 13 other grown adult cats so it is impossible to monitor her food eating. if the cats run out of food she will eat the dog food that is there. she has an adiction. good thing she is at least big. any ideas to stop/slow her down? thanks! she got lost once for a month and she got down to 3 kilos (about 6 pounds) and she looked perfect. HELP!!!
We’ve got a chunker, Monte Kor. He weighs 18 lbs. He’s one of three (normal sized) cats we have. When he hears the cat dish he knocks the others out of the way to get at the food ~ acts like he hasn’t eaten for days.