Every animal deserves a home. And the people who work at animal shelters often go above and beyond to help all the animals find their brand-new home. 

For one chonky cat named Patches, he was no exception to that rule. 

The Richmond Animal Care and Control (RACC) posted an adoption ad for the mighty cat, who weighs in at 40.3 pounds, and quickly caught the attention of many people, including Kay Ford from Virginia. 

“(My daughter) sent me a text (in the) morning, while I was watching the finale of ‘The Mandalorian,’” Ford explained.

I opened (the e-mail) up and I saw the picture of Patches and I just knew immediately I needed to go and get him.”

After reaching out to RACC, Ford quickly became a front-runner for the adoption, given that she lived close to the shelter and was motivated to help Patches become healthier. Ford adopted Patches after meeting him at the shelter and realizing that they were a great match.

Kay Ford holds the newly-adopted Patches. Photo courtesy of Richmond Animal Care & Control

“I knew that I was in a position to help him,” she said. “I’m retired, I’m home a lot. I just am completely motivated and just feel like I have the time to help him achieve to get to this point where he and Wellesley are just playing together and having a wonderful time and he’s happy and healthy.”

The advertisement for Patches, posted on Facebook, attracted a lot of attention due to its humorous writing and an adorable image of the rotund cat. The ad read, “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. Meet Patches; all 40.3 POUNDS of him!” The post gained more than 2,000 likes and more than 1,200 comments from people who wanted to adopt the cat.

Patches was surrendered to RACC on April 4th, and his former owner did not disclose what they fed him that led to his excessive weight gain. Melissa Mustillo, a veterinarian, stated that a normal weight for a domestic short hair usually falls between 8 and 10 pounds, adding that cats should have an hourglass figure and not have a saggy belly or hanging down, and their ribs should be felt.

“As cute as Patches is, in the end, we wanted an adopter that was going to change his life for the better, and take care of his health,” said Robin Young, an outreach coordinator at the shelter.

However, Patches is not the heaviest cat on record. In 1986, a cat named Himmy, who weighed a whopping 46 pounds and 15.5 ounces, was given the Guinness World Record for the “fattest cat” before his death that same year. The record-keeping organization retired the title in 1998 to prevent owners from overfeeding their pets.

Ford, who already owns a cat named Wellesley, was pleased with her decision to adopt Patches. “I just am completely motivated and just feel like I have the time to help him achieve to get to this point where he and Wellesley are just playing together and having a wonderful time and he’s happy and healthy,” she said.

Patches lounging in his new home. Photo courtesy of Kay Ford

The adoption of Patches gives hope to many other shelter animals who are waiting for their forever homes. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), approximately 6.5 million companion animals enter animal shelters in the United States every year. Only around half of them are adopted, and the rest are euthanized.

By adopting shelter animals like Patches, these animals can get the love and care they need.  “I don’t know, I think with animals, you can just tell. You just look at him and you go, ‘That’s my cat,'” Ford said.

Watch the amazing story below.

Sources: NY Post | People | Washington Post