Fiona and Paul Bearcroft knew it was time to do something about their 10 year old cat Milo’s weight when he got stuck in the catflap at their Pershore, Worcestershire UK home one day last year.
The Bearcrofts got Milo in Italy when he was just a kitten and later sent him back to the UK to stay with friends. By the time they returned home on 2010 they discovered that Milo had ballooned to a hefty 23 pounds.
‘Milo couldn’t actually get through the cat flap and when he did try he got stuck half inside and half outside,” Paul said, ‘He didn’t really do much. He’d just like to lie around a lot. Quite often, he’d lie on his back with his legs akimbo because he was so heavy. When we took him to the vets they said he was massive.’
After the catflap wake up call, Milo underwent an exercise and weight management plan under the “chub club” program supervised by veterinary nurse Sam Beer by at de Montfort Veterinary Hospital in Evasham. The formerly fat cat has since slimmed down to a healthful 14 pounds.
“He’s a lovely cat anyway, but without that help he would have just been lying around, so it’s been very beneficial for him and also for us because his weight loss means he’s going to have a much more satisfactory life,” said Paul.
Ms. Beer told the Evasham Journal, “Obesity leads to so many other problems – 80 per cent of pets are overweight. People have forgotten what a healthy cat or dog should be like. With Milo, it’s nice to show what can be done with a bit of perseverance.” The veterinary practice includes pet obesity and weight management as one if its specialties.
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Photos: Sam Furlong/Newsteam
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