A cat has become a viral sensation on Reddit thanks to its unfortunate condition which makes it look like it has been doing extra gym sessions.
The feline has Myostatin-related muscle hypertrophy, which causes it to gain muscle mass while even though it isn’t intending to.
The condition means that there is a deficiency of myostatin protein which is a result of a mutation in the cat’s genes. Therefore when an issue arises with the condition it inhibits muscle cell growth causing muscle mass to build up at an alarming rate.
The picture of the cat was shared on the r/Damnthatsinteresting subbreddit by user bsmith2123 who wrote: “House cat suffering from Myostatin-related muscle hypertrophy - a rare condition that causes muscles to grow excessively large.”
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As you can imagine people were immediately fascinated by what they were looking at. One person wrote: “I bet he purrs like an engine.”
Another joked: “No Sarah, I don’t think that I will get off the table.”
A third said: “He meows in an Austrian accent.”
It’s not just cats that can be struck down with this condition. It also reportedly affects cattle, rodents, sheep, dogs and even humans. You might question as to whether this is actually a good or bad thing for animals and according to Popular Science the condition has both adverse and positive effects according to the creature.
While it will obviously benefit racing whippets and Thoroughbred horses and other animals that are naturally built to be quick, the condition can have a negative effect on those that aren’t so light on their feet.
Popular Science adds: “Each of us has two copies of the gene encoding myostatin. Inheriting one mutated copy makes you heterozygous for the gene, and animals with that pattern are unusually muscular and strong without being so obviously abnormal that people write case reports about it.
“It’s only when you’re homozygous, meaning you have two mutated copies, that you become something of an anomaly.”
