Overweight Cat's Family Cruelly Accused Of Overfeeding Her For Attention
As children, most of us learned that if you can't say anything nice, you shouldn't say anything at all. It's a basic but important life lesson.
Yet there are still many internet trolls who enjoy making cruel comments for kicks. So much so that even our pets aren't safe from online bullies.
Liznya, the cat, and her family have recently become victims of nasty trolls. You see, Liznya is overweight, and people have been accusing her family of overfeeding her on purpose for attention.
Some individuals have even gone as far as to threaten the family. But Liznya's loving owners are determined to tell their side of the story.
"Some people blame us, but we don't feed our cat Liznya too much; she has problems with her health," said Liznya's human brother, Vlad. "She is on a diet and visits a veterinary clinic."
Liznya began having trouble with her health when she was pregnant. "Before giving birth, she had already become quite big," Vlad said.
"So, it was difficult for her to give birth," he said. Poor Liznya had a very traumatic time birthing her babies.
"She was pregnant with six kittens," Vlad said. "It was awful because Liznya and her babies almost died that day."
"Thanks to the vets, Liznya and three kittens survived," Vlad said. Liznya's weight skyrocketed after that, and "from that moment on, our regular visits to clinics began."
Liznya's family and her team of vets have been trying to find the reason behind her drastic weight gain.
They are currently exploring the possibility of thyroid or hormonal problems.
Liznya is on a strict diet plan, and while she seems to have stopped gaining weight, she is still struggling to lose any. The Russian cat doesn't have an exercise regime, but her family encourages her to play and move about as much as possible.
"Despite her weight, she likes to be active like other cats, and we play with her," Vlad said.
"She loves to chase a laser or our legs when we pass by."
It's clear that Liznya's weight hasn't affected her happiness.
"She is a very calm cat but loves to purr when someone is near her," Vlad said.
"When she loves someone, she licks them - that's how her name came about," Vlad explained. "Liznya is very close to the word 'lick' in Russian, although her official name is Charlize."
In response to the trolls accusing the family of purposely overfeeding Liznya, Vlad said, "I would like to say to all the people criticizing me and my cat that it's none of their business."
"Without knowing the whole situation, they write only angry comments," Vlad said. Some people have sent the family hateful messages and even told them they should "get arrested or even die."
"But there are always two sides to everything," Vlad said.
"Some wish us all the worst while others show their love and even argue with haters."
And luckily for all of Liznya's fans, her family intends to continue sharing her journey on Dr. Lawrence Cohen's website. Vlad says the family appreciates any advice people may have for them and welcomes fans to leave comments. But when it comes to the trolls, Vlad says they should find something useful to do. "What's the point in reading how 'cruel' we are and how we 'do everything wrong?'" he asked. As Dr. Alexandra Solomon, a relationship therapist, notes, "Criticism often reflects the critic's own insecurities rather than the reality of the situation," which emphasizes the need for compassion over judgment.
We think Liznya's family is doing a brilliant job, and the gorgeous cat is lucky to have such loving owners. Here's hoping they will find some answers and that Liznya's health will improve.
"Although maybe we are not perfect owners, we always do our best," Vlad said. After all, that's all any of us can ever do.
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