PETALING JAYA, Sept 15 ― UK pet owner Sara Matthews, 47, has resorted to extreme measures to help her obese cat Keith lose weight.
Matthews, who adopted Keith for her daughter’s 10th birthday, never thought that it would be a struggle to get her 10kg cat to stop snacking.
The pet owner who hails from Bristol, told Mirror UK that she forked out £2,500 (RM14,367) last year to install childproof locks on her fridge and cupboards to make sure Keith doesn’t steal any food.
“We've had child locks on the fridge ever since we got Keith.
“At first he would clamber in when you opened the fridge and I was just so worried he would get trapped without us noticing.
“As it's gone on, we've had to put more and more locks on every cupboard with food in. It doesn't matter whether it's a circular knob handle or a pulley, he will find a way in.”
She explained that Keith began putting on weight when she first brought him home and then decided to make him an indoor cat because others would overfeed him.
Matthews has also spent over £2000 (RM 11,494) on him over the years with Keith needing medication to help sort problems with his eyes and ears.
“At one point we had food specially made for him as he had a urinary problem and the usual food he had was high in calories so I couldn't risk him eating it.
“Last year, we even paid £2,500 (RM14,367) for his blood tests for Cushing’s disease and diabetes but they came back negative.
“Because of his size, there was also a concern that he might not wake up from any anaesthetic he had taken.
“When he is on antibiotics it causes him further stomach problems so he has to have food with an appetite stimulant to make him want to eat, which exacerbates the weight issues,” she said.
Keith has his own Instagram account with over 87,000 followers.
