Jason needs to diet because he has become too fat. Although he admits that his tummy sticks out a bit, he doesn't agree that he has become too fat. He thinks that the reason why he is now having trouble squeezing through the cat flap is because it has become smaller.

Jason wants to abandon the diet he has been on for five days because he doesn't think its working. I tell him that because it is designed to make him lose weight gradually, he won't notice much difference in his ability to squeeze through the cat flap, for some time.

The thought of having to stick to any reducing diet for any length of time, makes Jason very unhappy. Perhaps, with your encouragement, he can be persuaded that dieting will, in the long run, be good for him.

Copyright © Sheenah Large
January 24, 2001

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Thank you for encouraging Jason to stick to his diet. Now that he is beginning to see results and can get through the cat flap a little more easily, he agrees that he ought to persevere with it.

In addition to dieting, Jason has also taken up exercising. As it is now very cold here (4 degrees Celsius at most - brrrrrr), Jason exercises, for the most part, indoors. He has created for himself an aerobic programme that can be done at any time of the day or night. Some of the exercises he can do by himself; others involve me or his friends Abbie or Megan. He did, once, get a mouse to join in, unfortunately, with tragic results.

Whichever exercises Jason does, he does them with enthusiasm. This is typical of Jason. He's enthusiastic about almost everything these days. He wasn't always.

When he came to live with us last summer, he had no joie de vie. He was very depressed, thin and ill after being abandoned by his family and being forced to live for three months by scavenging. When he came to us, initially as a foster cat, prompt veterinary treatment followed by good food and lots of love and affection, ensured that he recovered, both physically and mentally, very quickly. Jason soon made it clear to us that he wanted us for his new family and although we tried to resist keeping him - because we already had seven cats - he charmed us so much that he stayed. And we are so very glad that he did.

Copyright © Sheenah Large
January 28, 2001