An Indiana City Rallies to Help a Fat Cat Slim Down [Before & After Photos]

Meet Ty. Ty is a resident of the Vanderburgh Humane Society.

Ty was an owner surrender. When he came to the VHS, he was a whopping 30 pounds. That's a lot for a cat. The VHS was concerned about his thoracic spine and the overall toll his weight is having on his body. In fact, he's so large, the staff has to push him in a stroller to enjoy the outdoors.

How Big is Too Big for a Cat?

According to vcahospitals.com, cats are considered obese when they weigh more than 20% above their ideal body weight which is 8-12 lbs. He's about three times his ideal body weight. Poor buddy.

Feline obesity can shorten a cat's life and can lead to various diseases.

I had a cat once that was a bit on the bigger side named Squeaks. (He didn't meow. He squeaked.) We put him on a pretty restricted diet once and he just kept getting bigger and bigger and we couldn't figure out why. Then, we discovered that he figured out how to get into the cabinet with the dry cat food. He chewed a hole in the bag and sat there gorging himself like it was a catfood pez dispenser.

Anyway, the VHS knew Ty needed more than just a restricted diet. He needed real exercise. So, they signed him up for swim lessons at Canine Aquatic Center in Evansville. Canine Aquatic Center offers therapeutic and/or recreational aquatic therapy sessions for your dog. (And, apparently, cats too.) Aquatic therapy would give Ty the best chance at a healthy body weight but there is a cost associated with feline swim lessons. So, the VHS turned to the Evansville community for help.

On April 3rd, they posted this to Facebook.

Remember Ty? He is well on his way to reaching his goal weight, thanks to everyone who donated towards his water therapy at Canine Aquatic Center! He is swimming twice a week, is much more mobile and down from 30 pounds to 26.8 He’s even swimming across the pool all by himself  Go Ty, go!

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Ty has lost 13% of his body weight! How incredible is that? Ty is considered a medical case so he's not adoptable just yet but hopefully he will be soon. The staff told me that he's one cool cat - an easygoing guy that likes dogs, people, and even other cats. Maybe they should have him audition for the new Garfield movie. He does seem to love lasagna and hate Mondays!

Support Ty's Weight Loss Journey

If you'd like to donate to Ty's aquatic therapy, you can do so on their website or Facebook.

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