Tabby's Eating Disorder

by Courtney Mroch | More from this Blogger

13 Jun 2007 04:12 PM

Let me start this blog off with a disclaimer:

Weight is no laughing matter. I'm about to make light of something involving eating and weight in this blog, but my intention is not to offend anyone. I've been overweight most of my life, so I'm well aware how sensitive a topic this is.

Apparently, Tabby and I are kindred spirits. We both have an eating disorder: If we see food, we eat it.

However, she's a little bit worse than I am. She eats EVERYONE'S food. My main downfall is sweets. (Hey, they say you are what you eat and being sweet works pretty good for me!)

But Tabby...oh my gosh. She's a menace.

It started with Murph's food. When we feed him in the mornings, he waits patiently until his bowl is full and we put the scoop back in the container. Then we say, "Go ahead," and he dives in. We didn't teach him that intentionally. From day one he'd hesitate before hitting the dish and wouldn't touch it until we gave him the go ahead. Now it's just part of the routine.

Tabby needs no invitation. One morning she just decided to help herself to a dog food nugget and now that's part of the routine most mornings too. Same with his treats. Murph's gaga for Beggin' Strips and Scooby Snacks -and apparently so is Tabby. She's right there to snatch up any crumbs that spill out of Murph's mouth. Thank heaven's Murph doesn't have food aggression issues or she'd be a goner!

She's also got a thing about Mr. Meow's bowl. At the beginning of Tabby's Reign of Terror over Mr. Meow, I bought them both new, identical bowls in an effort to ease the unrest. She eats out of hers but then goes and finishes off whatever's in Mr. Meow's.

And let's not even get into how she hounds us for scraps. She's way worse than Murphy and Mr. Meow combined!

I've noticed her getting a little chunkier, but it hit me full force today just how much all of her piggy ways have compounded. She ran towards the door when Murph and I came back from watering flowers and there was her belly --swaying from side to side underneath her as she pranced.

Good grief! I've been meaning to crack down on her scavenging ways but now I guess I really have to get serious about it. I just hope her insatiable appetite really is a matter of taking after her mom and loving food and not some kind of medical condition. Dr. Singleton's a great vet, but after all the trouble we had with the spaying, mastitis, and erupting pus incidents, I think it's fair to say we've seen our fair share of her already this year.

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Learn more about Courtney Mroch

Courtney Mroch is a wife, a proud pet parent, and a writer. She's been with her husband, high school sweetheart Wayne Pryor, over 20 years, married 11 of those. She's "mom" to Mr. Meow, a.k.

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