Tiger Lilly: One Contented Fat Cat

Tiger Lilly: One Contented Fat Cat

The first thing my daughter wanted when we finally parked our RV from a year long trip across country was a pet. The trip had been a lonely time for her moving from place to place and she wanted a pet to love. She was five years old and we decided maybe she was old enough to care for one. She and a friend found a tortoiseshell cat in the trailer park where we were living while our house was being built and she caught the cat and brought it home for inspection. She told us the cat had been living in the woods with 16 brothers and sisters. She was certain she rescued him from starvation and deprivation. We knew Sam was stretching the truth some but decided she had waited long enough. We checked around the neighborhood and after ensuring no one was missing a cat we decided she could keep him. Sam named him Tiger, because of all the different colors striped through his fur.

We made an appointment with a veterinarian and Sam took the pet in to discuss her findings. First thing, the Dr. advised Sam that cats do not have litters of 16 kittens so perhaps maybe she was stretching the truth a little. Upon examination it was decided Tiger was actually a female so we changed her name to Tiger Lilly. We made an appointment to have Tiger Lilly spayed so as to keep the woods from being overrun with any more cats. When we picked Tiger Lilly up after her surgery, the Dr. told us they had to wear padded gloves to handle her because she had attacked everyone there on duty. Seems Tiger has a very obstinate disposition and didn’t make many friends at the Dr’s office that day. Over the years, she has proven to be one torbie with a tortitude.

When we brought Tiger Lilly home she made herself comfortable and we found that she didn’t really care to go outside. When she did go out she would get a few feet up a tree in the front yard and start screaming for someone to rescue her. This was very odd behavior for a cat that had been living in the wild.

Tiger was comfortable in our home. Sam enjoyed playing with her and loved the way Tiger Lilly would wake her in the morning, chewing on her toes. When we finally moved into our new home, Tiger had plenty of room to wonder and made no effort to get outside. We had a screened in porch and she would rest on the back of the chair that was pushed against the wall and would look out to watch the birds landing on the feeder. She would chase bugs on the porch and seemed very contented with her new life. She also loved to bat around our pet hamster while she was out of her cage during a cage cleaning. http://annrandolph.hubpages.com/hub/Our-Two-Jessies

Once Sam and I attempted to take Tiger Lilly for a walk but she refused to walk on a leash and I had to pick her up and carry her. She became very frightened and used the bathroom down the front of me. She hasn’t been on a walk since.

The years have gone by and we have been in our house 9 years so we are guessing Tiger must be about 10 years old. She has slowly put on the weight and now weighs 16 pounds. She prefers spending her days laying in the sun and scratching and licking herself. We also have a Jack Russell terrier that she loves to take a swat at occasionally

http://annrandolph.hubpages.com/hub/Twinkle-Our-Jack-Russell-Terrier-with-Nine-Lives

but most of her energy is reserved for an occasional rolling over that we encourage her to do. We say “roll over Tiger” and she has to roll back and forth several times to get a good momentum built up to thrust herself completely over. We’ve put her on a diet and now she sits on her kitty condo and screams her head off if she isn’t fed promptly at 6PM. As soon as my husband gets up in the morning, Tiger Lilly sticks her paw under the bathroom door to ensure she hasn’t been forgotten at feeding time.

It seems that she doesn’t actually eat that much. It’s just that she never exercises. I guess her life of leisure is catching up with her. We’ve bought toys and tried to get her to play and chase them but Tiger Lilly is content to lay and stare at them deciding that they aren’t worth the effort. She is very talkative however, and purrs, meows and even screams until she gets the attention she wants.

She loves to jump up on the bar where I brush her every morning and after she has been thoroughly groomed she jumps down to go about her business. When she hits the floor there is a loud “kerplunk" and I’ve noticed she’s now walking with a limp. The Dr. says the weight is hard on her joints and has prescribed cosequin for joint relief. The Dr. did say that cats are becoming more and more obese from their sedentary lifestyle and is concerned that Tiger Lilly may become diabetic if she doesn’t lose the weight.

Attempts have been made to get Tiger Lilly moving but our fat cat is not open to change! We have decided just to love our fat cat and let her be.