“Don’t Give Me Advice On How To Starve My Cat”: Woman Flips Out After Getting Called Out

All of us, no matter who we are, can probably agree on one thing: we want our pets to be healthy and happy! Would anyone disagree? We doubt it. However, what you think your pet needs and what it actually needs are sometimes two very separate things. Take food, for instance. Obviously, you want the animal to get all the nutrients and energy that it needs. But if you go overboard with your generosity, you risk hurting your pet’s longevity. To put it bluntly, being chonky isn’t healthy.

Redditor u/divorcedbbmama turned to the AmIOverreacting online community for advice after sharing how she gently called out her sister for overfeeding her already “severely overweight” cat. However, the owner didn’t take kindly to the criticism. Keep scrolling for the full story and the internet’s advice. Bored Panda reached out to the author of the story, u/divorcedbbmama, and she was kind enough to answer our questions. You’ll find our interview with her below.

Loving your pet means taking care of its needs as best as you can. However, if you overfeed your cat, it can become overweight or even obese, wrecking its health

Black and white cat eating from a metal bowl as a person pours wet food, highlighting severely overweight cat care.

Image credits: Chalabala / Envato (not the actual photo)

One woman shared how she gently called out her sister’s feeding habits because her cat was getting increasingly chonky

Text conversation about sister overfeeding her severely overweight cat while on vacation.

Text describing a cat named Loki who is severely overweight and has faced health issues due to his weight.

Text on white background discussing feeling like a jerk about a severely overweight cat and concern for its well-being.

Overweight black and white cat resting on a backpack on a bed in a softly lit room.

Image credits: divorcedbbmama

Here’s how the conversation between the two sisters went

Text message conversation showing concern about feeding a severely overweight cat three times a day with large portions

Text message exchange about feeding cats and concerns over one cat being severely overweight and needing a diet plan.

Text message conversation about a woman calling her sister out over her severely overweight cat's care and feeding.

Text messages discussing concerns about a severely overweight cat and the importance of proper feeding and diet.

“I know she loves her cat”

We were curious to get the author’s perspective as to why her sister reacted to her criticism so strongly.

“I believe she felt as if I’d accused her of animal [mistreatment], which I didn’t, but she’s very sensitive,” u/divorcedbbmama opened up to Bored Panda.

“I know she loves her cat, and doesn’t want to be considered a [maltreater] because that would devastate her if anyone thought she wasn’t a good cat owner.”

Bored Panda also asked the author about the health scare that the cat, Loki, recently had.

“The health scare he had wasn’t anything terrible. He ate a sock, and my sister had to rush him to the vet. He was fine, but it terrified my sister to the core,” u/divorcedbbmama said.

Meanwhile, she said that, from her point of view, if you want to show your cat love, you should give it space and not overfeed it.

The author added that she’s extremely allergic to these animals and only had one cat back when she was around 6 years old.

Here’s what the cat, Loki, looks like now. He’s a very big boy

Overweight black and white cat sitting on a bed looking out a sunlit window in a cozy room.

Image credits: divorcedbbmama

To be very clear, if you’re giving your cat too much food, you’re increasing the risk of it developing serious diseases

Ideally, you’re not overfeeding or underfeeding your pet. However, especially for new owners, this balance can be hard to find at first. How much you should be feeding your cat depends not only on the breed, but also on the animal’s age, activity levels, and individual characteristics.

And, just to be clear, the owner’s instinct to overfeed their pet is understandable. It’s how they show their love. That being said, there are lots of other—far healthier—ways to show your pet that you care about it. For one, spend more quality time with them. Food is good. Food is essential. But too much food is utterly awful for your pet’s health, just like it is for us, humans.

PetMD explains that you can consider your cat to be overweight if it weighs 10% to 20% more than its ideal bodyweight. Anything above that enters obesity territory.

Unfortunately, cat obesity is a very common disease. It occurs in a jaw-dropping 63% of all felines in developed countries.

Being overweight or obese puts a lot of strain on your cat’s well-being and poses serious health risks, such as:

• Weakened immune system
• Endocrine disorders
• Metabolic disorders
• Cardiovascular disease
• Arthritis

Meanwhile, PDSA notes that the main problems posed by cat obesity include:

• Diabetes
• Bladder problems
• Liver disease
• Arthritis
• Breathing problems
• Cancer

You should aim to feed your cat based on its ideal weight, not what it currently weighs

Calico cat sniffing a person’s finger near a food bowl, highlighting concern over severely overweight cat health.

Image credits: Toa Heftiba / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

The most at-risk cats are primarily indoor pets that are neutered and middle-aged (between 8 and 12 years of age), PetMD warns. Weight management essentially revolves around your cat’s diet.

Aside from visible chonkiness, some of the main signs that your cat may be obese are that it has difficulty climbing or jumping up the stairs, is unwilling to move around, has unkempt hair, has less frequent bowel movements, and passes more gas.

You can also tell that your cat has weight issues if it loses a visible waistline, you can’t feel its rib or hip bones when you pet it, and if your pet’s profile looks rectangular when looking at it from above.

Some of the main things to keep in mind, in terms of diet, are that dry food tends to lead to more weight gain than canned food, and that you have to be consistent with the portions you measure out. If you’re not specific, you can accidentally overfeed your pet.

Meanwhile, cats that eat too quickly can become bored and (loudly) beg for more food to stay entertained. On top of that, you want to stay on top of how many treats you’re giving your lovable cat. “Treats tend to be higher in fat and calories than a cat’s regular diet, so offering too many treats throughout the day quickly increases the total calories offered and can create a nutritionally unbalanced diet,” PetMD warns.

As per PDSA, if your cat happens to be overweight, you should feed them the amount of food recommended for their ideal weight, not their actual weight.

“Don’t panic if you have accidentally been overfeeding your cat, just reduce their meal sizes slowly over a couple of weeks. Ideally, your cat should graze throughout the day, split their daily allowance into at least two meals (ideally more).”

What are your thoughts, dear Pandas? Do you think the author of the online post was right to call out her sister for how she’s (over)feeding her cat? How would you have handled the situation if you were in her shoes? Have you ever had to put your pet on a diet because it was getting worryingly chonky? What was that like? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Some readers were quick to notice that the author’s sister lived with her mom

Comments discussing a woman calling out her sister over severely overweight cat and family responsibility issues.

Many internet users thought the woman was right to call out her sister and show concern for the animal’s welfare

Comments discussing a woman's overweight cat and contrasting it with her sister’s cat of normal size.

Screenshot of an online conversation about a severely overweight cat and its owner's reaction to the cat's condition.

Reddit discussion where a woman calls her sister out over her cat being severely overweight and concerns about pet obesity.

Screenshot of a conversation about a severely overweight cat needing a diet and advice from a vet.

Text conversation discussing a severely overweight cat and its limited mobility and eating habits.

Comments discussing a woman calling her sister out over her severely overweight cat and concerns about animal abuse.

Screenshot of an online discussion about a woman’s severely overweight cat and concerns over its food intake.

Reddit user comments humorously discussing a severely overweight cat described as a chonker and feeling bad for laughing.

Screenshot of a conversation about a woman calling out her sister over her severely overweight cat online.

Comments about a severely overweight cat and the sister's refusal to acknowledge concerns about the cat's unhealthy weight.

Screenshot of a Reddit comment thread discussing a woman calling out her sister about her severely overweight cat.

Screenshot of a Reddit conversation about a severely overweight cat and feeding concerns between two users.

Woman calls out her sister after seeing the severely overweight condition of her cat, addressing pet care concerns.

Reddit conversation about a woman calling her sister out after seeing her severely overweight cat’s condition.

Online discussion about severely overweight cat and concerns over overfeeding and animal cruelty.

Screenshot of an online discussion about a severely overweight cat noticed by a woman and her sister.

Screenshot of an online conversation about a severely overweight cat and its unusual behavior after overeating.

However, not everyone was on the same page. Some netizens questioned the woman’s way of handling the situation

Comment discussing concerns about a severely overweight cat and feeding habits between sisters.

Reddit comments discussing a severely overweight cat and its owner's responsibility in caring for the pet.

Text post discussing a woman calling her sister out over her severely overweight cat and concerns about overfeeding.

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