Lily's Health Pad

I have a confession to make. 

I am a health blogger,

and yet…

I have a fat cat. [source] 

Ok, ok.  I don’t have a cat that big.  Meet Beatrice.  She doesn’t look like horse-cat pictured above; however, she is still rather rotund.

This fella is Irvin, another of my family’s cats.  He is also rather hefty. 

But for the purpose of this post, I will be focusing on Beatrice.  She is kind of my “favorite” because she’s been in the family much longer than Irvin.  I love her so much that my mom, an artist, painted me this picture and gave it to me as a Christmas gift last year.  Isn’t it awesome?!

Why is Beatrice so cherished?  Because she is one special cat!  She was an itty bitty, starving stray before she made it into my parents’ household.  My mom and dad fed her outside for a few months before she finally begged her way in.  Unfortunately, the sedentary lifestyle of an indoor cat caused her gain some poundage.  After the weight gain, my family became concerned about Bea’s excessive size.  Every year when she is taken to the vet, we inquire about how to control her weight.  His response has been that besides feeding her a limited amount of food and playing with her daily, there is nothing that can be done.  Cats that have been starved in their past often have a difficult time taking weight off.  His advice has been for us to let it go and let Beatrice live a merry life without deprivation. 

Interestingly, Beatrice is oblivious to her size.  She could care less about her appearance, and has always been a happy cat. 

Personally, I think that we can all learn a lot from Beatrice.

1) She is playful.  She certainly doesn’t let insecurities about her body get in the way of a good time.

2. She is oblivious to her flaws. She is determined that eighteen pounds of cat will fit under this tiny bench.  No. Matter. What.

3. She treats herself with respect.  AKA, she thinks that she is a queen.  Her highness demands reverence and will not be disturbed from her sunny perch.

4.  She knows how to love. Beatrice likes everyone, especially her ‘peeps’.   

5. She can turn the other cheek.  Despite enduring excessive torment from Earl, our late cat, Beatrice not only tolerated, but loved him nonetheless.

As you can see, despite having a few pounds to lose, Beatrice is content.  She isn’t waiting to shed 5 pounds before she respects herself; she is living her life in the now and loving every minute of it. 

So here’s the moral of the story: we all have inadequacies, and we will never be perfect.  Love yourself for who you are at this moment.  Sometimes it’s just better to let go and indulge than to fret over weight, calories, and body fat percentages.  Love and happiness are what truly matters!

Tags: Beatrice, cats, self-respect