We've got a real-life 'Puss in Boots' on our hands, only this one's not after the King's treasure, but something far more tantalizing - extra snacks! Rebecca Brown, a resident of Ashburn, Virginia, was left scratching her head when her 5-year-old fur baby, Xyla, started growing rounder by the day. Living with her boyfriend, Vic, the trio had recently become a happy family. But Xyla, the sly rescue kitty, had other plans. She had perfected the art of manipulating Vic into doling out extra treats.
"Xyla could charm a fish out of water for a snack," Rebecca, 46, told Newsweek. "She's an Oscar-winner in playing 'the starving cat.'" But when the vet raised an eyebrow at Xyla’s expanding waistline, Vic had to tighten the reins on the treat train. They even got an automatic feeder, setting up reasonable portions. However, Xyla, unfazed by these dieting measures, continued her fluffy expansion. "At 12 pounds, she was the feline embodiment of a marshmallow," Rebecca said. "With her food portions downsized and Vic playing hardball, she was driven to desperation."
In a fit of rebellion against her diet, Xyla turned into a cat burglar, literally! She would headbutt the automatic feeder, making kibble rain down. She even began swindling unsuspecting guests into giving her more goodies. Despite their efforts, including buying a new, sturdier feeder, Xyla’s weight kept increasing. One day, the couple caught Xyla pawing at her feeder, hitting the unlock button, and voila – food galore! "We were flabbergasted," Rebecca admitted. "I watched her sneakily, and she was playing the feeder like a pinball machine!" To outsmart Xyla, Vic put a cardboard box over the feeder, leaving a hole for the food to tumble out. "I wedged the box into a square shelf space, so she couldn't evict it," Rebecca explained.
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Finally, their plan worked, and Xyla started shedding those extra pounds. A few months later, she was a healthier 11 pounds. "I can’t wait to tell my vet," Rebecca laughed. "I feel like I’ve solved a Sherlock Holmes mystery!" Rebecca shared Xyla’s escapades on Facebook's THIS CAT IS C H O N K Y community, where cat lovers share snaps of their rotund pets. The story had everyone in stitches within minutes, racking up more than 3,000 reactions. "YOU ARE NOT THE BOSS OF ME, MA'AM," quipped Brienne O'Tarth. "The FBI needs to hire this cat," wrote Jacqueline Nichole LeClair Marasigan. "[This] cat is a genius, just give her the phone and let her order takeout," commented Susie Last. So let this be a lesson to us all - never underestimate the power of a cat with an appetite!
