He ain't heavy, he's my brother('s cat)

My brother's cat, who has lived with me for the last 2 years, has always had a problem with his weight. When we were concerned about him, we brought it to the vet's attention. The vet brushed it off and declared that he was "big boned." Actually, his words were that he was a jungle cat. Apparently doc wasn't too concerned that Max (appropriately named) was tipping the scales at 25 lbs.

Yet, despite his weight, he's a lively little sucker. A few months back, I invested in some automatic cat feeders so that I could leave for the weekend and not have to worry about him eating an entire weekend's worth of food in a few hours. Even though he doesn't need it, my cat is also treated to the diet cat food. According to the bag, for his weight, Max should be eating 1.5 cups of food a day. However, the feeders feed 3 times a day and I have them set to only feed a 1/4 cup at a time. Therefore, even if he were eating all of his own food, plus my cat's food, he'd still be under the limit.

Today, I found out that he has shed some weight and is a healthier 20.4 lbs. Not quite lean, but better off. I know he weighs this much, because he weighed himself this morning while I was getting ready. Yes, you read that right. HE weghed himself. I heard something click behind me and turned to see what it was. Max had climbed onto the scale and was sitting very still. He waited about 30 seconds and hopped off. And lo and behold, it registered his weight. I didn't think it was accurate, so I weighed him myself, and sure enough, 20.4 lbs. Apparently he's been monitoring himself when I'm not looking.