Hi there we rescued Keith when he was found on the streets as a very sick and starving 6 month old cat. He was suffering from cat flu (FHV) and gastrointestinal problems and was so sick he just didn’t seem to be getting any better. We were volunteers at the time and decided to bring him home to give him a better chance. Keith took a lot of care but he gradually got better and he had the biggest character so full of fun and life. He has some lifelong problems from his rough start so we were often at the vets! My daughter has Autism and Keith became her best friend, her soul mate, they were and still are inseparable. He played with her when she had no friends, he cuddled her when she was sad and he made her smile.

By the time Keith was 1 years old he weighed 5.5kg and was put him on a veterinary diet. He has been on a veterinary diet food his whole life. We purchased microchipped feeders so he couldn’t get into the other cats food but hungry Keith was relentless in his search for food! whilst out he used to go through neighbours trash until he was sick. When he is sick he gets diarreoh and has to go on a gastrointestinal diet which unfortunately is high calorie and has an appetite stimulant in it! Something keith doesn’t need. He also gets stressed when we restrict his food which causes the cat flu he had as a kitten to flare up as he will always be a carrier. It’s a vicious circle.

Four and a half years ago we made him an indoor cat to prevent him getting food elsewhere but this also made his activity less so he continued to gain weight. several years ago we paid for specialist cat fencing so that he can go out in a safe garden to exercise. He is a very active cat, his daily food is measured out in a feeder that now shows me exactly what he’s eaten on an App, but he still continues to gain weight. He is an absolute food thief and does manage to break into his sisters feeders occasionally but not enough for his weight to be like it is. We bought our own veterinary scales to weigh him at home and it can just suddenly jump in a week.

Keith is now almost ten years old.

We have worked with our vets for years and with countless other specialists including nutritionists & neurologists. Everyone comes to the same conclusion that there is something medically wrong with Keith that causes his excessive growth. Some tests came back inconclusive and an MRI and CT scan were suggested. With his size and how upset he gets at the vets (needs sedation) this would be very risky and something that his own vet advised against as what they are looking at has no treatment.

We are terrified that if he continues to gain weight it will kill him and he is far too precious to us. We have fought so hard to keep him alive and he simply just completes our family, he makes us smile everyday and he literally saved our daughters life.

So we as a family continue to try and enrich his life, keep him active in whatever way we can, feed him the correct foods and visit the vets often to keep his minor ailments from becoming major. Since losing his best friend last year he has pretty much been unwell with tummy issues and flu so as a result has been on a food that sadly has made him gain more weight. we hope to find a way to put a stop to this with a food that will help his gentle stomach when its upset but be low in calories!! He is now on more daily medication and a very costly monthly injection. I am going to be learning how to administer the injection myself to reduce the costs and trips to the vets that he hates!!! We have also had to change all of our cats to Keiths specialist food so that if he does break into a feeder it won’t make him sick!

if you can help in any way we will be eternally grateful