Shady came to me in early April after her family surrendered her. The woman’s other cats bullied Shady so mercilessly on a few occasions she actually needed veterinary treatment.

When I first laid eyes on her, I saw she was tremendous. Not in terms of intensity or excitement but sheer mass. Poor thing was so obese she couldn’t defend herself against the other cats; she was as helpless as a beached whale. At the time Shady tipped the scales just over 19 pounds, a huge gelatinous blob of fat. If that black cat had white chest markings she’d have resembled a great white shark with an appetite to match.

A kitty with her frame should weigh 11 pounds tops; she was carrying around the equivalent of an adult cat. It didn’t take a pet psychic to see there was a cat weight loss program in her future.

I don’t have to tell you, when my veterinarian saw her, she gave me the “overweight cats” lecture. If she kept on her present course her future wouldn’t be a healthy one.

Despite loving people, Shady preferred spending time in the guest room away from our other kitties. When she wanted to hang out, she would simply stand on the floor and stare at us. She wouldn’t jump up on the furniture; we had to pick her up. She had no interest in toys or games. All she wanted from us was snuggles. Hopefully, if she could shed the excess pounds, she could play like other four year old cats.

But how to do that? I worried that the combined stress of losing her family and changing or restricting her food might cause her to stop eating altogether. Then we’d have a whole new set of problems. Shortly after she came to live with us, I was invited to participate in the Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution blogger outreach program. Sign us up.

I have to admit I was skeptical. Shady weighed an impressive 18.2 pounds with a 21¼” bust when started her weight loss for cats program around July 1. I fully expected her to sniff the Metabolic dry food bowl and walk away, but she didn’t. Instead Shady planted her enormous derriere on the floor and began to dine. Really? Equally as important as Shady’s acceptance was getting my husband on board. In the past, when kitties turned their noses up at special diets, he took pity on them and helped them cheat. This time, because of Shady’s enthusiasm, both Shady and Weems stuck to the program.

Since Shady prefers canned food, we give her a tablespoon of the Metabolic wet food throughout the day, which she eats enthusiastically. She now jumps on the couch and stares at us to let us know when she’s hungry. I’m sure she’s sending mental messages like, “I’m starving. I haven’t eaten in three hours.” She also has a measured bowl of Metabolic dry food to snack between meals.

The Metabolic diet program even includes treats because we kitty parents still want to spoil our babies. Once again I expected her to leave the treats on the floor, but certainly scarfed the up and looked in anticipation of more. Her enthusiastic response to the Metabolic food and treats completely caught me off guard. This diet really was doable.

A little more than 5 weeks later, Shady is down to 16.6 pounds, a loss of 1.6 pounds. It’s hard to see her progress in the photos because she’s still a big black blob and she has a belly apron hanging down, but Shady has lost 2½” around her chest. (I wish Hill’s made a similar diet for people.)

She still doesn’t play, but she now leaps to the couch when she wants dinner or attention. One small jump for a cat, a giant leap for a waistline. She’s more interested in spending time with Weems and me in the living room where our other cats hang out and our tuxedo ChanChan frequently sneaks into Shady’s guest room. I find them lounging on opposite sides of the bed. Is Shady more comfortable because she’s less vulnerable or because she’s learned our guys aren’t a threat? I can’t read her mind. But there’s no question our little wallflower is more outgoing.

Shady still has a journey in her mass minimization quest, but I’m excited to witness her progress. It will be many months before she’s down to a healthy weight. She’s such a sweet gentle girl. I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, Shady and I are going to enjoy Shark Week together.