My mother had a Maine Coon that weighed 25 pounds on a normal day. He wasn't overweight. Add to that his long fluffly fur and extra jowl hair and you get an awesome looking cat. Picling him up could surprise you if you weren't ready for it.

Most visitors to the home would stop in their tracks when he appeared, and exclaim, "My, what a large cat."

None of my other cats have ever been overweight. I do treat, but with home-cooked meats. I also play with them and encourage them to run around the house.

I had one cat, Rosie, that looked underfed, but always weighed in at 12 pounds until kidney disease took her at the end. She had a very slender frame, small head, and feet.

Since America is overweight, it shouldn't surprise us that our animals are overweight.