PROBLEM: Both cats were being fed the same amount of dry food, yet one cat could hardly fit through the cat flap! SOLUTION: Both cats were, by any measure, fat. One cat was enormous! The fat cat took very little exercise, and neither cat was keen to play with any sort of toy. They spent the majority of the day lounging about, with the occasional short stroll of about 15 metres to the chicken pen, where the fatter cat would gorge himself on left-over chicken food.

The owner had sought veterinary advice and had been prescribed a complete diet food for both cats, yet they were still getting bigger. On careful examination of the instructions and by extrapolating the cats' weight (the packet did not cater for cats over 10kg), we calculated the correct daily ration.
The owner had calculated much the same volume of food. And then we discovered the problem. It was in the small print! The measure was in fact the DAILY amount, and the owner was feeding it twice daily!

LESSON: Read the instructions and never ignore the small print, especially when it comes to looking after your pet. Correct quantities of food and forced play time – even to the extent of carrying the cat 50m from the house and making it walk home will sort out the problem.