Remember the 40-pound cat in Virginia who found his furever home last week? He’s a total dude, pretty confident, and he’s doing just fine.
Kay Ford adopted the 6-year-old cat, named Patches, after Richmond Animal Care and Control posted about him on April 19. He weighed 40.3 pounds when the facility posted him online.
She took him to the veterinarian Tuesday, where he weighed in at 38.8 pounds, Ford said, but many scales are calibrated differently so she has ordered one to weigh him weekly at home.
Patches is seeing a certified feline specialist and his diet is pretty experimental right now, she said. He is a picky eater but seems to like pâté and liver.
“It’s pretty much eat less, move more,” she told USA TODAY. “We do have some specific foods that we are experimenting with that are good, high quality foods.”
Patches was at the shelter for two weeks before he was put up for adoption. The shelter got his blood work done to make sure he wasn’t having thyroid problems or diabetes, Ford said.
His blood work looked fine but he does have lots of pressure on his joints, so his main focus is losing weight right now.
“All things revolve around his weight loss,” she said. “There’s a lot of pressure on his joints right now so the fact that he could and most likely will get arthritis … is very likely.”
What made her adopt Patches?
Ford has wanted to adopt a large for at least three years. She saw a big cat from Pennsylvania on Facebook while spending time with her grandchildren.
She told her grandchildren she wanted to adopt the feline and name him “Smörgåsbord,” a Swedish word describing a buffet-style meal.
“I wanted to help the cat,” said Ford. “It wasn’t just about naming it Smörgåsbord but when you’re dealing with grandkids, it’s fun to create a story.”
As the years went by, her family would nudge her to find a massive cat to help; then on the morning of April 19, her daughter sent her a post about Patches, telling her “This is your moment.”
Ford lives in a suburb of Richmond and knew she had to reach out.
“I just immediately texted her back and I said ‘I have to have Patches,'” she said.
She immediately emailed the shelter and told them she was interested in adopting him. They scheduled an interview for the same day. Ford was on edge waiting for the interview, she said.
She knew she wanted to adopt him as soon as she saw him.
“I immediately went to go sit down with him,” she said. “He was purring and I was loving on him. I fell in love with him.”
Soon, she took him home to meet her other pets. Ford has a cat named Wellesley – who looks like a slimmer version of Patches – and a dog named Bella.
How is Patches adjusting and what’s he like?
Ford said things were a little rocky at the beginning because her other cat, Wellesley, hissed at Patches. That went on for two or three days but they’re doing great now.
“Now, I’ll find myself coming around the corner and they’re lying nose to nose,” she said. “It looks like they’re conspiring to do something naughty.”
The cats look a lot alike, she said. Once Patches loses weight, the only way she’ll be able to tell them apart is by a pretty cute feature Patches has: a heart-shaped dark spot on his nose.
She describes Patches as “a dude.”
“He’s got a lot of confidence,” she said. “He is completely secure with who he is. He knows he’s on a journey. He knows he’s going to be feeling a lot better. As we move forward, I believe with every fiber of my being that he knows this and he believes it. There is this dude cat that is emerging and I love it.”
He has also taken a liking to the family’s pantry. He spends his downtime there, Ford said.
What’s this kitty’s workout plan?
With the main goal being weight loss, Ford makes sure Patches gets three or four focused, 10-minute exercise play sessions a day.
“It’s not like I can look at him and say ‘Two o’clock this afternoon, Pilates,'” she said. “For him, exercise right now is just encouraging him to move around.”
She also puts his food bowl across the kitchen so he has to walk to it.
Ford wants people to know how meaningful it is to adopt pets. She encourages them not to overlook older animals, and while some may think it’s a huge challenge taking care of such a large cat, she’s fine with it.
“I’m still living my life,” she said.
“It hasn’t been a sacrifice in that sense. There are many other animals that are out there whose situations may require more time-consuming management but it’s so worth it.”
Keep up with Patches at www.tinyurl.com/PatchesVA.
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Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757 – and loves all things horror, witches, Christmas, and food. Follow her on Twitter at @Saleen_Martin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.