Virginia retiree adopts 40 pound cat

A cat from Richmond, Virginia, weighing nearly 40 lbs. was adopted within just a few hours. 

Patches was brought into the Richmond Animal Care and Control Center in Richmond, Virginia, earlier this month, reported Jam Press.

The chunky cat was put on the scale and weighed almost 40 lbs. — something the shelter staff said they loved about him. 

A spokesperson for the shelter told Jam Press that they loved his belly — but to benefit his health, he now has been put on a special diet.

"He’s been on a very special diet, is on an exercise plan and is very sweet," the shelter said. 

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Patches was reportedly neutered, tested, chipped and ready for adoption — but had barely been listed as adoptable before Kay Ford decided she needed the cat, according to Jam Press. 

Ford saw a photo of Patches — and knew she needed to adopt him, she told local media.

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"I knew that there were going to be nine billion people who were falling in love with him at the same time," she said. 

Ford is a cat owner already and lives near the shelter — making it easy for her to stake her claim on Patches, she noted.

Patches took to her immediately, Ford said, adding that he was definitely her cat, as Jam Press reported.

Although Patches is large, he is not the biggest cat in the world. 

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The fattest cat on record, according to Guinness World Records, was 10-year-old Himmy back in 1986 — who weighed roughly 46 lbs. 

In 1998, Guinness World Records dropped the record of "fattest cat" to prevent cat owners from potentially harming their felines by overfeeding them in order to win.

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