A 40-pound cat described as the “largest cat anyone has ever seen” has been adopted by an owner determined to help him lose weight.
Patches is a massive white cat with grey patches who has been described as “very sweet”, and was recently put up for adoption at an animal shelter in the US.
Last week, Richmond Animal Care and Control (RACC) of Virginia put a post on its Facebook page introducing Patches to the world and said that the cat was looking for someone to adopt him.
The post said: “Meet Patches; all 40.3 POUNDS of him! He’s been regulated to a very special diet, is on an exercise plan and is very sweet. He’s neutered, tested, chipped and ready to go today!”
The shelter also added that Patches was currently living in the office of one of their staff members, and was looking for someone who will help Patches “get to a safe and healthy weight”.
READ MORE: ‘I took my neighbour’s cat to an animal shelter while they were away’
The RACC joked that until Patches was adopted, they would “marvel at his gloriously gluttonous body”.
However, it did not take long for Patches to be noticed and he quickly became viral on the internet, with the original Facebook post garnering thousands of comments.
One popular comment described Patches as a “majestic chonk” while somebody else said: “that’s like four cats for the price of one!”
Another person wrote: “Patches is famous! I just saw him on both the local and national news.”
In an interview with Good Morning America, the RACC said that within one day they received hundreds of people across the country interested in adopting Patches.
After going through all the inquiries, the shelter decided that a local grandmother named Kay Ford would adopt Patches and give him a home.
Kay told Good Morning America has said that when she first saw Patches on social media, she knew she had to adopt him.
She said: “My daughter sent me the [social media] post yesterday morning and she said ‘This is your moment.’ I clicked on the picture and I went, ‘Oh my gosh, I have to have Patches. I just have to have Patches.”
Kay described what it was like meeting Patches for the first time, and said: “I just was like, ‘Oh, my Lord.’ He’s like … half of a whiskey barrel. Let’s put it that way.”
On social media, the RACC posted a picture of Patches and Kay together, the internet has celebrated the adoption.
One person said: “If that’s his new Mum, she looks wonderful. So happy for him and her.”
Another person said: “I’m definitely jealous but knew we would not be the best fit for this beautiful boy…I hope he enjoys a long, wonderful life.”
The new cat owner has said she is determined to help Patches get to a healthier weight.
She said: “It’s going to be a very long process since he can’t lose more than a pound a month and more like between half a pound and a pound a month. So if he needs to lose 20, 25 pounds, it’s going to be a long journey.”
However, Kay added: “He’s very easy to fall in love with, I truly feel incredibly blessed that I was the chosen one.”
Follow our social media accounts here on facebook.com/ExpressUSNews and @expressusn
