22 pound fat cat put on diet [Video]

This fat cat has been treating himself to too many kitty treats, weighing in at a whopping 10kg.

When it comes to bolting down all the nosh on offer, Lion has lived up to his name, taking the lion’s share of whatever is put in front of him — and then some, we suspect.

Lion has always enjoyed the finer foods on offer, preferring to dine on gourmet meals of chicken and rice.

As a result, he weighs about the same as a standard barbell, so no wonder this five-year-old cat is part of the growing obesity epidemic of fat cats waddling along the Gold Coast.

The weight problem for Coast felines has alarmed Cats on the Coast veterinarian Dr Kate Adams, who said Lion must lose weight in order to stay healthy.

She said the problem was more prevalent with indoor cats of people living in high-rise apartments.

“The overweight cats I’m seeing are much less active than cats with a healthy weight and face serious health risks simply because their owners may be giving them too much food,” she said.

“Obesity in cats increases the risk of a whole array of health problems such as diabetes and arthritis.

“However, we have an excellent weight control program available that will help cat owners to bring their cat back to its healthy weight.”

Depending on the animal’s size, the average weight for a healthy cat should be about four or 5kg.

Dr Adams said she had seen cats weighing as much as 11kg, putting them in the morbidly obese category.

“We have put Lion on a low-carb, low-fat eating program,” she said. “You can also incorporate exercise into a cat’s life by increasing their play, as well as putting their food on a shelf and making them jump for it.”

Lion’s owner Fiona Mattig said too many rich treats had seen her kitty put on the kilos.

“Lion has always loved his food,” she said.

“I used to feed him supermarket food but now we have him on obesity food for cats.

“We are hoping that Lion gets down to five kilos.

“At the moment he doesn’t have any major health problems but for him to live a healthy life, he has to lose the weight.”

Watch the video and see more fat pets: Lion’s share for this hefty feline

Family finds the Easter Bunny’s nephew? [Video]

Doctor Carrie Sutor lives across the street from where the baby bunny debuted.

It was certainly the hours-old bunny’s misfortune to become separated from his mother who must have built her nest in the mulch pile, but the fact that Doctor Sutor is a veterinarian may have proven lucky for the little guy.

“He got into the right mulch delivery,” Dr. Sutor said.

Unfortunately, a second baby rabbit who rolled out of the mulch didn’t make it.

The Sutor children were thrilled with the unexpected arrival and have named the bunny Sweetie Pie, although Floppsie might be more appropriate.

“I thought it was the Easter Bunny’s nephew because it’s little,” Olivia Sutor said.

In 11 years of practice Dr. Sutor has never had a patient or pet this tiny. Giving Sweetie Pie some oxygen was a challenge. Instead of wearing a mask, the bunny sat inside the mask. He also got some fluids.

“He’s looking better than he did yesterday afternoon, so I think he’s going to do okay,” Dr. Sutor said.

In a couple of weeks, the Sutors will know if the bunny can be domesticated or must be set free. Of course, the children are hoping they can keep him.

Dr. Sutor will take Sweetie Pie home over the weekend so she can keep an eye on him, so the lucky bunny will spend Easter with his new, if not accidental, family.

Watch this story: Baby bunny surprise for doctor’s family

Massage therapy works well on animals too [Video]

We love massages, so why not animals? Massage is an increasingly popular therapy for our pets, including large animals like horses.

Cowboys aren’t the only ones with sore muscles after a day at the rodeo. Often animal athletes like horses need a little rub down at the end of a long day.

“So I’m going to come along on his chest area and I’m just going to squeeze like I’m squeezing an orange,” said Polly Webb, Colorado State University Equine Sports Massage Therapist. “Actually ancient Chinese and Indians used massage for their horses all the way back to 3,000, B.C.”

Webb showed a tour group at CSU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital the basics of horse massage to increase circulation and flexibility.

“These show horses are athletes and the same things we do for people, we do for these horses,” veterinarian Lisa Carson said.

From horse massage to dogs on water treadmills, veterinarians are increasingly using physical therapy on animals because they benefit the same way humans do.

Read more and watch this story: Massage Therapy Works Well On Animals Too