Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Feline Fattie Prince Chunk Is In Kitty Heaven
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 27, 2010
Modified Nov 27, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 27, 2010
Modified Nov 27, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Back in the summer of 2008, before we were worrying about the collapse of the financial industry, America was obsessed with a super fat cat named Princess Chunk. The 44-pound cat was found wandering NJ streets and taken in by a shelter and quickly went on a media tour, where it was revealed Chunk was abandoned by a woman whose home was being foreclosed...and that Chunk was a boy. Thus, it is with great sadness that we found out Prince Chunk died at the age of about 10 this past Sunday; a vet said he had heart disease. (Feline obesity is no joke.)
The Damiani family of Blackwood, NJ had been selected from hundreds of applicants to be Chunk's new humans (they contended that Chunk's actual weight was 22 pounds). Vince Damiani, 20, said, "We're all upset. We lost a family member," and added that their other cat, Tito, is "missing him. They were like best buds. They did everything together. We're just trying to keep him occupied." The Damianis also started the Prince Chunk Foundation, a non-profit that "that enables pet owners to keep their pets during times of financial crisis by providing temporary assistance to pet owners throughout New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and California. Providing this aid is critical to achieve a lower animal abandonment rate, and most importantly, a lower euthanasia rate nationally."
Tagged
cat
fat cat
foreclosure
prince chunk
princess chunk
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Better days ahead for NYC commuters with Democrats in control of Congress, MTA chair says
Republicans’ “anti-city” agenda was rejected by voters, MTA Chair Janno Lieber said.
By
Stephen Nessen
and
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Nov 5, 2026 at 5:59 p.m. ET
$20 rent-control cap coming to Elizabeth, New Jersey
Voters approved the annual limit in this week's election.
By
Michael Sol Warren
News
$20 rent-control cap coming to Elizabeth, New Jersey
Voters approved the annual limit in this week's election.
By
Michael Sol Warren
Feds accuse former FBI agent of Brooklyn hit and run, leaving victim on a bench
By
Charles Lane
Battery found at deadly Sunset Park fire days after similar blaze in Bronx
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Inside New York's bitter Republican civil war after blue wave
By
Walter Wuthmann
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .