When you visit your veterinarian, he or she will almost always weigh your cat. The vet will then compare the new weight to the weight documented during previous visits and, of course, evaluate whether this is a good (healthy) weight for your cat.
As with humans, obesity can be a problem for cats. A fat cat is more prone to some diseases—diabetes, for example. Excess fat is hard on the cat’s heart. Here’s a good site that discusses obesity in cats in clear language. And it offers solutions. http://www.catnutrition.org/obesity.html
It’s not easy to put a cat on a diet, especially when she isn’t an only cat. But it can be done. 
And it may surprise you to learn that experts recommend doing away with kitty kibbles in order to reduce a cat’s weight. Exercise is another important treatment when attempting to pare down your butterball cat.
On the other hand, if your cat has lost a lot of weight in a short period, that’s another red flag for the veterinarian. Something is wrong internally or emotionally. The cat might have bad teeth and it hurts him to eat. We learned that one of our perfectly healthy-seeming cats, who had stopped eating, did so because of a cancer in his throat—something we could not detect ourselves.
There are tricks for helping a cat put on weight, too. We helped bring Lily-kitty out of a crisis of weight-loss and illness by feeding her pumpkin—among other things. Of course, we also used Bach’s Rescue Remedy.
Keep an eye on your cat’s weight. A few pounds of sudden weight loss or gain can be crucial to a cat’s health—and is usually a signal that the cat has a health issue.
We missed a couple of special cat days last week. Friday was Black Cat Day and Sunday (yesterday) was National Cat Day. What does this mean? How are these days supposed to be celebrated or observed?
consider them to be lucky symbols. Here are a couple of links with more information about black cats and their special day of honor. 
I thought I’d offer up some chuckles and laughs today. And they all involve cats. If you’ve had a long, rough week or even a great one, watching some of these videos will be just the therapy you need or the cake icing you deserve.
Yesterday we talked about having fun with your cat. You’re probably still going through the 101 things you can do with your cat at that site I suggested. If you didn’t check this out, you should. It’ll give you some great ideas for bonding with your cat. You and Fluffy will benefit in many ways. You know how good laughter is for our health. You can’t interact with a cat without bursting out laughing. And some of the activities listed in the 101 ideas will help keep your cat healthy—she needs to exercise in order to stay trim and healthy. But beware of toys and activities that might harm her or frighten her.
We tossed the line out for her and she jumped at the feather, only to get tangled in the cord. She is a formerly feral cat who to this day cannot be picked up. Oh, Sophie will curl up in your lap, but you can’t put your hands on her and pick her up. When she felt that cord tightening around her body, Sophie went berserk. It took her a while to agree to play with us again after that. Of course, we tossed the fishing pole toy in the trash. With Sophie (and many other cats) the wand toy is so much better.
When you’re encouraging her to jump, have reasonable expectations. Don’t encourage her to go beyond her capabilities. And make sure there’s plenty of room for her to land without hurting herself. Likewise, when you’re tossing balls or wads of paper for her to chase, take into consideration the area you expect her to maneuver.
One of the charms of having a cat is the fact that they bring so much laughter into a home. You can’t spend time with a cat and not smile a lot. Around here, we break out in laughter fairly often. I still smile when I remember the way our Himalayan cat, Katy, used to cozy up to the window air conditioner which blew her long fur either toward or away from her cute round face and made her look like she was flying in an open cockpit airplane at high speeds.
and silly, we can’t help but laugh out loud. Her favorite thing is to lay on her back across the cat tree and stare at us from upside down. Must be a psychedelic moment for her.
Last week we talked about traveling with cats. One thing you will need in some cases when you’re moving with your cat across state lines, flying with your cat, or just taking your adventuresome cat on vacation, is documentation for the cat. Different states require different documentation and it generally involves health records.
peruse. For example, who among us would allow their cat to ride with the luggage? You can take your cat with you into the cabin under certain conditions. This is good to know. 
Putting cats to work isn’t a new concept. Relying on cats to save an industry or a civilization isn’t a modern concept. In ancient Europe, for example, the black plague was raging and people were dying. At one point, the death toll was 50 percent of the population. And when they realized that the disease was probably spread by fleas, cat ownership was outlawed. Well, I guess part of the reason cats were banned from homes and cities had to do with superstition. All in all, cats were kicked to the curb. Until someone finally realized that rats were the main problem in spreading the horrid disease. Once authorities began bringing cats in to eliminate the rat population, the human population finally got a break.
And as the cats worked, they began worming their way into our hearts and our homes. Well, that’s the happy story for many millions of cats. But, as we know, there are still many cats who are not suited to domestication. They have issues that aren’t easily resolved. So humane organizations across the US (and perhaps beyond) have found ways to save and protect some of these cats. They’re finding them jobs. Yes, they’ve become head-hunters for cats—career placement directors—employment agencies.
Four years ago in Philadelphia, the Animal Care and Control team began isolating cats with issues—that is cats that bite, hiss, swat and otherwise dis humans—cats that would ordinarily be euthanized. But in Philadelphia, they weren’t giving them the needle. They were assigning them special jobs. The cat might join the staff at a warehouse, storage company, distillery, etc. and spend his day keeping rodents at bay. The best part of this story—well, besides the fact that the cat is saved from certain death—is that the cat often finds some friends. He becomes more confident and comfortable in his surroundings, thus relaxes some and often soon welcomes a friendly gesture. Some become so friendly that they take on a second job as stress-reliever among the staff. Who doesn’t love a furry-purry interruption throughout the day while doing a mundane job.
My computer bit the dust yesterday and we’re struggling to get a new one set up. The first one we brought home, around five thirty yesterday evening, was broken–didn’t work at all. So we ran back down to the store, 40 minutes away, and exchanged it–testing the new one before bringing it home. Got home with it around eight-thirty. So far, we can’t get to any of my files, including the one where I’ve planned my weekly blogs. Unfortunately, as you glide along within your comfort zone with your computer over the years, technology continues to build (I won’t say improve) and a new computer becomes Greek. We will hire a computer geek. Hope they can make it today. Lily, Sophie and I hope to be back in the groove by Monday. Thank you for your patience and your loyalty to Catscapades and the Klepto Cat Mysteries.
Those of you who are reading my Klepto Cat Mysteries often have questions about my process. And I’m always happy to respond. Last week, my proofreader asked me if I started writing the series with a plan in mind. For example, did I plan from the beginning to bring in Michael’s twin brother, Keith?
(some of them staying)—well, that’s usually a surprise, too. I started with the premise of one story—one book—about cats being catnapped. Savannah and Aunt Maggie materialized as I started the writing and then Max and Michael appeared. In the second book, Craig Sledge came on stage and I liked his character, so he got to stay. And what better fit for him than Iris—so she became a good friend of Savannah’s. The only constant that I planned from the beginning was Rags—a cross between my mother’s gray-and-white part-ragdoll cat and Lily, my cat who brings me her toys and my slippers almost every morning. (That’s where the klepto idea came from.) So I’m as surprised as my readers are to meet new characters.
Here’s a site featuring gifts for cats. 
