Killing with kindness?
Like many dogs and cats who are surrendered to shelters across North America each year, Alice, an eight-year-old domestic short-haired cat, was given up because her owners could no longer give her the care she needed.
Unlike a family move, financial constraints or allergies, however, Alice's owners were not prepared to combat the effects of obesity... the cat weighed an alarming 24 pounds! In their effort to care for Alice they were overfeeding her... to the point where they were practically killing her with kindness.
Alice was surrendered to the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(RISPCA) by her owners, who said they felt it was cute to have a cat that was so large – until she became unable to care for herself.
Because of Alice's obesity, she had difficulty moving and began excessively soiling her surroundings. She had a loving and caring demeanor but found it difficult to walk more than three feet at a time before she would need to stop and rest. Because of her lack of mobility, she was also fearful of other cats and tried to hide if she felt scared. In addition to her lack of casual movement, Alice required extra grooming maintenance because she could not reach many areas to clean herself.
Watch a video about Alice's ordeal.
