Animal

Woman begs people to stop blaming her for her fat cat’s massive size


Lauren insists she isn’t overfeeding her porky cat, Squishy (Picture: Caters News)

Meet Squishy. He’s a very large cat.

So large, in fact, that he’s four times bigger than your average feline, and weighs a whopping 36lbs.

Squishy’s hefty size has caused accusations of overfeeding to be chucked at his owner, Lauren A. R. Masterson.

But Lauren, 32, swears she’s not doing anything to contribute to her cat’s giant weight.

The seven-year-old cat is so big due not to too many treats, but a syndrome caused by a tumour in his brain, which secretes an excess of acromegaly, a growth hormone.

Lauren, from Chicago, US, said: ‘People are always making accusations about how I look after my cat.

‘They assume I’m either an idiot or a negligent person who is drastically overfeeding Squishy on purpose.

Squishy weighs a whopping 36 pounds (Picture: Caters News Agency)

‘But actually, he only eats 3/4 of a cup of dry food per day.

‘I am then called “cruel” for feeding him so little food for his size, even though I’m following the vet’s instructions.

‘People often assume different medical diagnoses and try to tell me what I should do or get him tested for, when the truth is my vet and I have been working for years on giving him tests, trying different things, and making and changing our plan for him the best we can.

‘It’s frustrating dealing with all the ‘armchair vet techs’ out there.’

Lauren hopes Squishy’s story will encourage people not to judge other hefty cats (Picture: Caters News Agency)

Lauren says Squishy is just naturally a large cat. He’s roughly the same height as a toddler if he was to ‘stand up’.

He is around 30 inches in length and doesn’t fit in a cat carrier.

When visiting the vets, Squishy has to wear a harness and a dog leash.

She adds: ‘Squishy has never been the kind of cat that just gobbles up food.

‘I put his food in little mouse feeders so he has to roll them around in order to get the food out.

Squishy has a condition that makes him very large (Picture: Caters News Agency)

‘He eats from them throughout the day, not all at once when he’s fed in the morning.’

Squishy’s condition means there is a high chance of him developing diabetes.

His forever growing body will not be able to regulate diabetes even with medication so it is imperative for Lauren to ensure he is eating the right foods – which she does.

‘Squishy is an enormous cat but he is so loving,’ Lauren adds.

He loves cuddles (Picture: Caters News Agency)

‘He is so incredibly big and strong so often destroys toys quickly.

‘He doesn’t like to be picked up because he’s so big, it’s uncomfortable for him.

‘Plus it is too hard for me to pick him up because he’s so heavy. But he does love to cuddle!

‘I hope his story helps people understand why some cats are chunkier than others.’

Do you have a story (or a fat cat) to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.


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