Date: December 2002. Place: East Maryland Animal Hospital. Event: Lindsay and Wilson’s veterinary checkup.

Taking my cats to the vet is usually a pleasure. Like a proud parent, I bask in the praise of how beautiful and healthy they are. But this time was different. After giving them otherwise clean bills of health, the vet commented, “They’re a little heavier this year.” What? How could that be? “These are two VERY active indoor cats,” I explained, as Wilson jumped from the exam table into the sink. “They’re too young to face the declining metabolism of middle age,” I continued. “And, just as in years past, each of them eats only one scoop of food, twice a day.” But the scales didn’t lie. Both had gained about a pound in 2002.
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