Tarazet

Fat Cat

And as long as I'm reporting weird pet stories today, here's one from Germany:

A German cat weighing six times the normal weight is so fat that it cannot take more than four steps without getting exhausted, officials at a Berlin animal shelter have said after receiving the six-year-old feline.

Mikesch, a black and white house cat weighing in at 18.5 kg (nearly 41 lbs), was taken away from his elderly owner on Thursday. The man, who was himself taken to a nursing home, had been feeding the cat two kg (4.4 lbs) of mince each day.

"You can call it cruelty to animals," said shelter veterinarian Karin Bartell on Friday, as the cat stared straight ahead with a bored look.

"It's a problem for joints and the heart. The cat can't clean itself because he is too fat. He walks three or four steps and is completely exhausted because the heart no longer works properly and the cat can't breathe normally anymore."

It certainly IS cruelty! I suppose the owner thought it was funny, something to show visitors, a grotesquely overweight animal. I hope that somehow, that guy is never allowed to own another pet. A little chubbiness is one thing, but anyone with half-a-brain ought to know an animal in dangerous condition when they see one.

Posted by Jeff at April 5, 2004 03:07 PM