“Fat Cat” is a term used to describe wealthy and powerful businessmen, or organized crime bosses. Apparently, fat cats now are a big concern for the medical community. Doctors also are worried about dumpy dogs. And maybe even husky hamsters.

      Fortunately, if you are a Fat Cat or other human with a weight problem, and you have a fat cat of the feline variety, you’re in prime shape to lose weight.

      Half the pets in the United States – that’s an estimated 60 million cats and dogs – are overweight. That statistic does not even include fish, birds, Vietnamese potbellied pigs, or pet rocks. The number of overweight animals is not as high as the people population; more than 60 percent of human adults are overweight. But the problems with carrying around too much weight are the same for pets and people: heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, tight-fitting collars, and early death. “The risks of being overweight [apply] whether you’ve got two legs or four,” explains Dr. Jennifer Jellison, DVM, a practicing veterinarian at Minerva Park Veterinary Clinic in Columbus, Ohio.
 
      So you don’t have to count your legs to determine if you should be healthy. You just have to count pounds. Follow the math: an extra five pounds on a dog that should weigh 17 pounds, or an extra three pounds on a cat that should weigh 10 pounds, is similar to an extra 50 pounds on a person who should weigh 170 pounds. Now, if a pudgy pooch loses three pounds, how many people pounds did the pooch purge?

      Fortunately, doctors at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago recognize the problem, and have helped develop a solution. Dr. Robert Kushner, the medical director of the Wellness Institute at Northwestern Memorial Hospital says, “Obesity is a health epidemic affecting not just people but also millions of pets nationwide. The fact is the accumulation of fat is caused by the same factors – increased calorie consumption and reduced physical activity.” In short, people and their pets become overweight if they sit around watching reruns of Mr. Ed while eating sausages and Snausages.

      The Wellness Institute, along with Hill’s Pet Nutrition, makers of diet pet food, have introduced People and Pets Exercising Together, or PPET (I’m going with the pronunciation “puppet”), a comprehensive weight loss program for – you guessed it – people and their pets. PPET is not designed to help overweight puppets, though Gepetto probably could have used Pinocchio’s help to drop a few pounds.

      The idea for PPET came from a study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology in 1999. The study found that people can do a better job of losing weight when they have the social support of a friend. That research focused on human friends losing weight together. Doctors and nutritionists at the Wellness Institute, working with veterinarians, are conducting research to prove that if you work together to get fit, you’ll be more successful than doing it alone, no matter what breed your friend is.

      Researchers are sure to find many other benefits of teaming up people with animals to improve health and wellness. For example, when you ask a pet if your butt looks big in a pair of pants, he can’t give any answer, let alone an honest one. He also can’t sabotage your efforts by eating a pizza or giant ice cream sundae in front of you while you nibble on a salad. If you do get the urge to eat your pet’s food, however, you might want to give yourself a little treat every once in a while to quell your feelings of deprivation.

      So if you want to shed a few pounds, head to the pound. Look for a pet that has been spayed or neutered, because they are at greater risk of obesity – which really is kicking a dog when he’s down. Wear tight, horizontal-striped pants and, when you find a good animal, ask your potential pet if he thinks your butt looks big. If you get an answer, move on to the next cage.