Harley The Cat – A Weight Loss Success Story #HillsPet

Tsunami - Just Say No

Kittens are not born overweight! It’s up to us to feed our cats healthy food!

What Should You Do If Your Cat Is Overweight?

For the past few months, Create With Joy has participated in an exciting campaign designed to raise awareness of the plight of overweight pets and to help pet parents learn how they can prevent or reverse that trend in their pets.

According to the Banfield Pet Hospital State Of Health Report 2012, in the past five years, the number of overweight cats in our country has increased by 90%!

Did you know that excess weight is just as unhealthy and life-threatening for cats as it is in humans? We’re a lot alike, you know. If you’ve ever tried to put an overweight cat on a diet, you’ve probably discovered that traditional approaches to weight loss are just as difficult on your cats as they are on you!

For starters, when we equate food with love, it’s difficult to suddenly start depriving our cats of their favorite treats or the table scraps we’ve used to bond with them in the past – even if it’s in the name of health.

And – when we try to increase their physical activity – we soon learn that portly pets don’t have the energy or desire to get off the couch and play!

So – if you find yourself the living with a gargantuan Garfield of a cat, what are you supposed to do?

Turn To The Experts For Help!

Harley The Cat

Meet Harley – A #HillsPet Success

That’s the dilemma Create With Joy reader Tammie Pankuch of Tammie’s Reviews, Giveaways And More found herself faced with when she came to the realization that Harley – her beautiful half-Siamese, half Domestic Short Hair cat – was no longer the svelte kitten she once adopted!

So, Tammie and Harley consulted their vet and turned to the experts at Hill’s for help. Their journey illustrates how Hill’s® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution can easily help your cat lose weight without requiring you to follow strict protocols or precise measuring. The food activates your cat’s metabolism so that it regulates appetite and burns fat the way a lean cat’s body does!

Food Is Love

Can’t say NO to your cat?Hill’s has a solution!

To close out our series, I’d like to share Tammie and Harley’s story, which illustrates that health and weight loss is possible for even the most out-of-shape cats!

Tammie And Harley – A Weight Loss Success Story

Thank you, Tammie, for taking the time to share your story and photos with us.
We wish Harley continued success on her weight loss journey!

How Did Harley Become A Part Of Your Family?

Harley The Kitten

Bright-eyed Harley – the apple of Tammie’s eye!

My first cat of 24 ½ years old had passed and the Vet told me, when my heart would let me, to get two cats. So, one month later, I adopted two kittens that I saw on an ad on Craig’s list that a catch/spay/release was offering. They became part of the family as soon as they entered through the door.

How Long Have You Had Harley?

Five years.

What Are Some Of Harley’s Favorite Things To Do?

Harley The Kitten

As a kitten, Harley was so tiny and active, she could easily fit into an envelope!

From the time Harley was a baby, she has loved to play fetch! She brings a pom‑pom to us, we throw it and she brings it back to us with that whiny little screechy voice.

Harley also loves to play Birdie. We have a feather bird on a pole and swing it back and forth. Harley jumps and tries to catch the bird!

Harley is obsessed with sitting in the window and chirping at the birds. The birds do come and sit on the window sill but the window is closed and she cannot get to them!

When Did You First Notice That Harley Was Overweight?

Harley At Her Largest

Overfeeding turned the once svelte Harley into a blob! Harley needed help!

Three months ago. My Harley looked like a basketball! I did not want to face it. Harley was always tiny. I could not see it as she looked the same to me as she did as a baby.

Once I came to the realization that she needed to go on a diet – when the Hill’s Feeding Trial came about – I quickly applied!

How Much Weight Does Harley Need To Lose?

The vet wants her to lose 8 pounds!

There is often a connection between a cat’s weight and their quality of life. Have you noticed that with Harley?

Harley Loves To Birdwatch

Big or small, Harley loves bird watching!

Yes! Harley was playing less and her daily routine of cleaning her bum left a lot to be desired. She also could not cut her nails the way a smaller cat could. I never realized how much being overweight affected her until I talked to the vet!

You mentioned that the Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution is the only Weight Loss food that you and Harley have ever tried. How are the food and treats working out for you?

They are working wonders for Harley! She loves the taste of the food and stopped eating her normal dry food the day after we received the Hill’s® Prescription Diet food. I was very surprised at how well she adapted
to it!

How easy is it to help your pet lose weight with Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution food and treats?

It is super easy as the diet plan does it all but we did make a change or two in our behavior! We no longer feed her any people food and do not feed her in between her feeding times.

Any final thoughts for our readers?

Harley Has Lost 2 Pounds

In 2 months, Harley lost 25% of the weight her vet recommended. That’s what you call success #HillsPet style!

Harley has already lost two pounds on the Hill’s Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution diet! She LOVES this new food and that brings joy to my heart.

No longer am I feeding her for no reason, but I am showing her my love by playing. This is not only a big change for her, but a big change for me!

Thank you so much, Tammie and Harley, for sharing your #HillsPet success story with us! To read more about Harley and Tammy, I invite you to visit them at Tammy and Harley’s #HillsPet Weight Loss Journey.

Share Your Pet’s Weight Loss Story With Us!

Nothing breeds success like success! If you have an inspiring cat (or dog) weight loss story to share – please tell it to us in the comments and on the Hill’s Facebook Page!

Many pets are just beginning their Hill’s Metabolic weight loss journey. Let’s celebrate their success by seeing and hearing about your healthy pets!

Hill's Logo

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Hill’s and the BlogPaws Pet Blogger Network. We are being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution. However, Create With Joy only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.

Copyright © 2014 by Create With Joy. All Rights Reserved.
If you see this content posted elsewhere, please contact the site owner.

8 Responses to “Harley The Cat – A Weight Loss Success Story #HillsPet”

Read below or add a comment...

  1. Lorie Huston, DVM says:

    It’s so good to see Harley losing the weight. It makes such a big difference, as Tammy has already noticed. Great job, Tammy and Harley!

    • Create With Joy
      Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
      says:

      Isn’t it amazing how small changes in what we eat can yield such huge results?
      Thanks for dropping by Lorie and cheering on Tammy and Harley! 🙂

    • I am proud to announce that Harley has lost another pound! Thank you Dr. Lorie. Harley is now running rings around her sister. I never realized how signifacant losing a few pounds could be for a cat and we do NOT give her any people food.

      • Create With Joy
        Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
        says:

        I am SO proud of you and Harley – congratulations on your ongoing weight loss!
        Please keep us apprised of her ongoing journey – we are here to cheer her on! 🙂

  2. Thank you so very much for posting this wonderful article on Harley. I cannot thank you enough for all the detail that you gave it.

    • Create With Joy
      Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
      says:

      Tammie, thank YOU for sharing Harley’s story with us at Create With Joy!
      Harley is such an amazing cat – I wish the two of you all the success in the world as you continue her journey to full health!
      Please – keep us posted on her progress!
      We’d love to see more of her photos and hear more about your cats at our weekly Wordless Wednesday party as well! 🙂

  3. Red Iza says:

    I hadn’t seen that one yet, a cat in an envelope, LOL ! 🙂

Leave a Reply to Lorie Huston, DVM Cancel reply

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.