A rather large cat has gone viral, after an animal shelter put up the huge beast for adoption online.
A shelter in Virginia sent out a request for a new owner for Patches, who could get him to a healthy weight, reports Hull Live.
The large feline hits a weight of 18.3kg - or 2.9 stone - which is the same weight as the average five-year-old child.
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Richmond Animal Care and Control (RACC) accompanied the call for help with a side-splitting picture of a member of staff trying their best to carry the massive pet.
The listing for what the rescuers called “the largest cat anyone has ever seen” came complete with the caption: 'We love that belly”.
They also asked for someone who had the “commitment to help Patches get to a safe and heathy weight."
And thankfully, this eye-catching post caught the attention of the right person, as a kind adopter stepped forward to save the furry friend.
An amusing video shows two people struggling to carry Patches out of the centre in his cage, as the RACC wrote: "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! He’s been regulated to a very special diet, is on an exercise plan and is very sweet. He’s neutered, tested, chipped and ready to go today! Until then, we will marvel at his gloriously gluttoness body!”
Christie Chipps Peters, Director of RACC, adds: "We don’t know how he got so big, he came to us that large! The new owner is lovely and has a plan in place to help him lose weight slowly and safely."
Guinness World Records listed the heaviest cat as Himmy, who weighed just over 46lb (21.3kg) when it died in 1986.
The category was discontinued in 1998 to deter people from over-feeding their pets just to appear in the book.
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