A good start would be to stop thinking of her as 'lazy'. A more accurate description would be bored, lonely, understimulated, and overweight. All of which are in your control, as you aptly pointed out when indicating she rarely has any companionship.

I understand what Spencer was trying to say however I don't believe it was really accurate. Often the calorie content is considered proprietary information by the pet food companies, we don't really know what that is. Each manufacturer can make their 'Senior' formula however they wish to make it. It may have less fat than their 'Adult' formula, but that doesn't mean it has less fat than any other manufacturers 'Kitten', 'Adult', OR 'Senior' formulas. Nor is it true that canned is more fattening than dry. Most cats in the U.S. eat dry cat food only and there is a serious obesity problem already. A 50/50 mix of dry and canned food is best for overall kidney and bladder health. It isn't always possible to do this, but best when it can be done.

If your lifestyle is such that Ginger can reasonably expect little time with her owner(s) for years to come it might be best if you considered finding her a home where she will get the attention that all domestic pets need to thrive.

If you are not willing to do that then it is likely to be best to get her a companion cat and commit the time needed to select a good match for her, introduce them properly, and provide enough supervision to ensure all is well with the two cats before resuming your regular lifestyle. Since she needs to be more active a somewhat younger cat, around 2 years old, female, fixed (as I presume she is), friendly and of even temperament would be a good choice. A no-kill shelter or rescue organization is generally the best place to find a adult cat of known temperament - they have volunteers and foster parents who keep track of the activies and temperaments of the cats in their care.

Cats are not supposed to lose weight too quickly, they can get liver damage and other illnesses. For feeding it is best to feed a high-quality cat food and slowly (a tablespoon at a time once or twice per week) adjust the daily allotment such that slow, gradual weight loss takes place. This means you need to monitor the weight loss. And be home often enough to properly feed the cats, you cannot leave out big bowls of dry food and expect to control their weight.

Since she's overweight I hope she has thorough yearly vet exams (at a minimum) to watch for diabetes, liver, skin, and coat problems common to overweight cats.

Here are two excellent discussion threads on helping your cat lose weight: http://pub6.ezboard.com/fcatchatatca...icID=163.topic http://pub6.ezboard.com/fcatchatatca...icID=166.topic

Here is an article on cat food categories: http://www.paws.org/shelter/resource...1_copy(37).htm

Here are some articles on weight issues: http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases...tcats.hrs.html http://www.petsource.com/OBESITY1.HTM http://www.altvetmed.com/diet.html http://www.allpets.com/petcyclopedia...dme/fatcat.htm