Patches, A 40-Pound Cat, Leaves VA Shelter For Forever Home

RICHMOND, VA — A cat who weighs a jaw-dropping 40 pounds left a Virginia shelter this week after staff found him his forever home.

Patches, a "gloriously gluttonous" cat weighing an exact 40.3 pounds, was cared for by staff at the Richmond Animal Care & Control center before his adoption. Staff posted a video on Wednesday of Patches leaving the facility.

"Patches is leaving the building," staff said as his new owners carried him out in a kennel.

Don't worry, though — shelter staff said Patches is on a "very special diet" and exercise plan to get him back to a healthy weight.

While Patches might seem like the most giant ball of floof ever, he doesn't hold the record for the world's fattest cat. That title belongs to Himmy, who weighed just shy of 47 pounds when he died in 1986, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Himmy remained unchallenged until Guinness Book of World Records officials discontinued the category in 1998 to deter people from overfeeding their pets to set records.

In 2018, the American Veterinary Medical Association classified feline obesity as a disease, with 60 percent of cats considered clinically overweight or obese, according to PetMD.com. While it varies by size and breed, the typical healthy weight for a house cat is between 8 to 12 pounds.

If their weight isn't managed, felines can suffer various health issues associated with obesity, including diabetes, urinary disease, arthritis, and decreased life expectancy.