Russia’s 17-Kilo Cat Goes On A Diet After Snacking His Way To Obesity

A Russian cat named Kroshik, which means crumbs in English, is set to go on a diet after reaching a weight of 17 kilograms, reportedly too large to walk comfortably. Known for its love of snacking, Kroshik’s excessive eating has made it grow as big as a small child. For comparison, domestic cats weigh around 4-5 kilograms. The oversized feline is now on a special diet and undergoing rehabilitation at Matroskin Shelter. The ‘real-life Garfield’ was residing in the basement of a hospital in Perm, a city in western Russia, feeding on food that was brought to it by the kind-hearted employees.

Kroshik was left at the facility by its former owners. The story was shared on Instagram by the hospital page which reported that the cat continued consuming bread crackers, soup, whiskey and meat, which made it immobile due to obesity.

Veterinarians from the city’s Matroskin Shelter were unable to perform an ultrasound on Kroshik because the sensor could not get through layers of fat.

Explaining this incident, the Matroskin Shelter said that it was an “extremely rare case” where the owner loved the cat so much that they overfed it till the cat could not move.

“That’s right, he could be one of the top 5 fattest cats in the world,” the shelter said, meaning that Kroshik will be placed in a rehabilitation centre where he will have to go through some physical therapy and stick strictly to the diet in order to be able to walk again.

The hospital officials also said that to be healthy again, the cat needs to lose somewhere between 70-150 grams every week.

For now, it has just been over a week and the cat is slowly coming back to its feet and learning to walk again.

On the shelter’s Instagram, there is a video of Kroshik walking on a water treadmill.

The caption accompanying the post in Russian, translated into English, reads, “Thank you to everyone who is supporting each step of Kroshik’s journey! With your love, he is learning to walk again. Kroshik is the most special of our residents—and the heaviest, weighing 17 kilograms.”

The caption adds, “A special rehabilitation programme has been developed for him, which includes hydrotherapy and kinesiotherapy 3-4 times a week. Each session costs 1,000-1,300 rubles. Kroshik is making great progress and has already started walking on the underwater treadmill.”