The term “fat cat” often refers to a wealthy, powerful or influential person. In real life, a fat cat, the feline kind, is often not a healthy animal. Most cats in their prime should weigh anywhere from eight to fifteen pounds, depending on the breed and gender. We had a red tabby we named RUFUS that weighed twenty-five pounds. But the vet said he was not overweight. He didn’t have much fat on him, just muscle, and yes he was strong. For most cats, however, carrying around just a few extra pounds can make it more likely to have certain problems with its organs, especially the heart, and put undue stress on its joints.
Last week the folks at the Richmond Animal Care and Control in Virginia took in a 6-year-old cat that weighed over forty pounds. You heard that right – FORTY pounds. Yes, the cat can walk (maybe more like waddle) and he is a handsome boy, white with black patches, hence his name – “Patches”. The shelter posted on its Facebook page, “did you wake up today and say, ‘let’s adopt the largest cat anyone has ever seen?’ If so, we have the cat for you!” In less than a day, a woman who saw the post knew she had to have this cat. She also knew she could do what it took to help him get back to a healthy weight.
Putting a seriously overweight animal on a crash diet can be more harmful for it that just carrying those extra pounds. The ideal is to feed him a healthy diet and make sure he stays active, while losing a half-pound to a pound a month. So to lose maybe 20 pounds could take two years. But his new owner is committed to making sure Patches can reach a healthy weight and be able to enjoy life like a real cat. She has set up a Facebook page, “Patches’ Journey”, so we can all keep track of how this special cat is doing.
Kudos to Richmond Animal Care and Control for making sure this special needs cat got just the right home. That’s a shelter with a real heart when they’re speaking of pets.
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