Keeping watch

Friends have left for a new overseas post, and until they are settled, I'm taking care of their pets, two tabbies. Brought them home last Wednesday and true to feline form, they've gone into hiding, one under the shoe rack, the other tries to fit into any furniture big enough to cover him (he's way too heavy). My cat has been sniffing at them and their furniture (cat beds, carriers, bowls, and other accoutrements), but anytime she attempts to get close, they start hissing at each other. Not a good state of affairs. But normal. They'll only be at my place for a month, so I hope to get them off to their new country of residence by early March.

One of yesterday's popular online photos was the picture of 20 lb cat, grey american shorthair tabby, who truly looked ginormous and unhealthy. He had been found stuck in the petdoor of a neighbor, he is suspected of having eaten other kibbles of the pets around the neighborhood. I've recently met other cat owners who also have obese kitties. While they look cute and cuddly, I fear for their health. Cats are meant to be sleek, well oiled machines so to speak. When they take on too much weight, they look clumsy and incapable of their acrobatic feats. So Tigger is going to be on a one month diet while he's with me, probably self-enforced until he realizes he can eat 3 bowls (his, his sister's, and my cat's) in a day. I just hope his sister doesn't will herself into an anorexic mode because of her short term seperation from her owners.