Fun is part of cat's weight loss plan

Angelique may be two and a half years old, but she doesn’t know it. She’s as spunky as an eight-week-old kitten wrapped in an adult cat’s body. And that's a good thing, because Angelique is a — shall we say — full-figured cat. She lost her home when her person could no longer care for her, and by the time she found her way to the Sanctuary back in October, she needed to shed a few pounds.

Having a few extra pounds of Angelique to love wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, and her little round cheeks were undeniably adorable. But, just as in humans, excess weight can cause health problems for cats, and the Best Friends veterinary team, along with Angelique’s caregivers, want her to have a long, healthy life.

Cat weight loss plan

Angelique had her two-week quarantine period, which is required of all new cats who come to the Sanctuary, to make sure they don’t have any communicable diseases that could be spread to other Sanctuary cats in a group setting. After completing her quarantine at Hope House, the medical building at Cat World, she went straight to Sinjin's House, Cat World’s weight loss building.

At Sinjin’s House, Angelique is on a strict diet to ensure she’s getting enough calories and nutrients to keep her going throughout the day — but not enough to add any additional weight. Angelique seems to think the whole diet thing is OK, but she’s a lot more excited about the other half of her weight loss plan — exercise. Forget Richard Simmons or the Nintendo Wii. Angelique burns calories and has a blast with her new healthy obsession — a laser pointer.

When the laser light (operated by a caregiver or volunteer) comes on, Angelique turns into a feline gymnast, sprinting back and forth across the room, spinning in circles and somersaulting after it. If only exercise were this fun for everyone, we’d all look like Olympians. Angelique is getting there. She’s starting to slim down under her sleek, shiny black coat.

Guilty cat napping pleasures

However, even athletes need a break from physical activity, and Angelique is still feline — a species famous for napping skills. She gets plenty of downtime to nap or sit in her outdoor cattery, watching birds and making chirpy noises at them.  

Because her ultimate guilty pleasures involve little beams of light rather than culinary temptations, weight loss might be a little easier for Angelique than for some of her friends at Sinjin’s House. But even as those pounds melt away, Angelique and the others will continue to get all of the help they need at the Sanctuary to be the healthiest, happiest (and sveltest) cats they can be.

See Angelique in action in the video below.