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Can Someone Please Adopt This 30lb Fat Cat Named "Sponge Bob?"
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 2, 2012
Modified Jun 2, 2012
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 2, 2012
Modified Jun 2, 2012
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Meet Sponge Bob, a massive 30-pound kitty currently residing at the Animal Haven Shelter in SoHo. He weighed 33-pounds when he first came to the shelter two months ago—after his elderly owner had to go into hospice—and he's on a strict diet now. But what he really needs is a new loving home: “I think people are intimidated,” Kendra Mara, associate director of the Animal Haven shelter, told the Post. “They think they’ll need more space for him, but really they don’t.” Watch video of Sponge Bob in action below.
As Mara points out, Sponge Bob is as big as a four-year-old child at this point. "It is pretty abnormal for a cat to be able to get this big. But he has had blood work and doesn't have hyperthyroidism or anything so it appears to be just from eating," she added. Mara said people were amazed when they first saw him: "We opened up the carrier and about 10 to 15 people stood around staring at him for quite a long time, because he's the largest cat we've ever seen." The world's previous fattest cat Meow, from Sante Fe, New Mexico, died of pulmonary failure at 39-pounds last month.
The WSJ has previously written about humans ruining their pets' lives by overfeeding them into obesity, and a survey of veterinarians by the Association for the Prevention of Pet Obesity found that 45 percent of dogs and 58 percent of cats were overweight or obese. So why can't Nanny Bloomberg spend some time helping out obese pets, who can't help themselves?
June is Adopt A Shelter Cat Month—so if you're interested in adopting Sponge Bob, go here now!
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Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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