Richmond Animal Care and Control recently shared the remarkable story of Patches, who was brought in to the shelter by his family.
Patch's story has touched the hearts of cat lovers around the world, but perhaps not for the reason you might expect.
18,2 kg of cat
While the shelter works tirelessly to find loving homes for every cat in their care, they acknowledge that Patch will need a very special family, committed to taking on his care in the months to come.
"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", writes the rescue.
And Patch is large indeed, weighing in at an eye-watering 18.2kg. This is comparable in weight to a Brittany Spaniel.
With the average cat averaging around 4.5kg, Patch is by far the biggest cat the shelter has ever met!
Patch's happy ending
Shelter staff immediately put Patch on a diet and a strict exercise plan, making prospective adopters aware he would need ongoing support to reach a healthy weight.
His story was shared over 20,000 times, and thankfully it reached the perfect person at exactly the right moment.
Kay Ford had tried to adopt a cat a few years before, but another adopter was ultimately selected. So when she read about Patch, she knew she was the perfect person to help him. The sweet boy now has a devoted home, a feline brother and even his own Instagram.
