The internet has seen its fair share of fat cats over the years — many which people were convinced were hoaxes but turned out to be true.
Here we look at ten of the fattest cats of all time. A quick note, pets should never be allowed to get huge unless they are naturally big-boned.
Guinness World Records stopped taking records for fat cats in the 1980s to discourage over-feeding.
Podgy felines are still cuddly and adorable — they just sometimes need more care to keep their weight down.
Remember to always allow cats sufficient exercise and to keep them on a proper diet.
Here are 10 of the fattest cats of all time, working down to what is believed to be the fattest cat of all time.
10 Meatball, 36lb, tabby
No one is entirely sure how Meatball reached his size.
The couple that dropped him off had only been caring for him for six months when he began to have accidents around the house.
Due to his expansive girth, he was given the VIP treatment.
Until he was sent to fat camp for felines, he spent his days in the administrator’s office because he could not fit in the standard kennel.
He was later sent to slim down at the East Valley Animal Care Center in Mesa, AZ.
9 Meow, 39.1lb, orange/white tabby
Immediately placed on a weight-loss regimen, he was sent to live with a foster family until he could lose 10 lbs.
He was set to be placed up for adoption when he reached 29 lbs. Sadly, after taking a turn on the talk-show circuit, he passed away on May 5, 2012, due to respiratory failure.
He will forever be known as one of the main cats that brought attention to the dangers associated with pet obesity.
8 Garfield, 40lb, orange/white tabby
He was placed with his new family in June, 2012 after losing 6.75 lbs. The couple, chosen because of their experience with adult cats, were given strict instructions regarding his diet and exercise plan before lugging him off into the sunset. We have been unable to locate any updates on where Garfield is today.
7 Kailee, 40lb, orange/white tabby
Living in Lino Lake, Minnesota, with his owners, he is said to have always been quite pleased with his fairly enormous size.
The last interview with his family indicated that he ate 20lbs of food every week and enjoyed stealing food from his brother.
The last photographs of Kailee are from 2007. He was six years old at the time and was said to be in good overall health with normal cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
However, his current status is unknown.
6 Sassy 40lb, black/white tabby
Nicknamed “Munchkin the Monster Cat,” Sassy was actually a boy.
When his fluffy frame first appeared on the internet in 2001, many believed he was a hoax.
This was not the case. Sassy belonged to Susan Martin of Ontario, Canada.
After he was spayed, he started to pack on the pounds and continued to do so, only interrupting his naps for a bite to eat.
However, he was put on a diet and dropped down to a trim 31lbs in 2001, after eight long years of eating diet cat food.
Sadly, he passed away the same year from heart disease at the age of ten.
5 Skinny, 42lbs, orange/white tabby
He appeared to be around five years old and was well taken care of, though no one knows if he had been a stray or had previous owners.
He soon moved in with a Dallas area vet and her family.
In his new home with three children, two cats, and a dog, he quickly integrated himself into the mix.
As of March 2013, he had slimmed down to 34lb and by January 2014 he had worked his way down to an impressive 25lb.
4 Katy, 42lb, siamese
Living in Russia with her owner, Tamara Yapugova, Katy is said to have weighed as much as 50lb at one point in her life.
In 2003, at the age of five, she was featured in a newspaper article after devouring a hot dog in less than a minute.
According to her owner, she just loves to eat, particularly fish and a mixture of milk and sour cream.
In addition to eating, her interests include sprawling out in the floor next to her food dish and sleeping.
Unfortunately, the last mention of Katy on the internet is 2003, so her current condition is unknown.
3 Prince Chunk, 44lb, white tabby
Prince Chunk was taken to the Camden Area Animal Shelter in New Jersey in 2008 after his original owner lost her home.
He quickly captivated the world because of his size, visiting numerous talk shows and was featured in People.
After his fame died down, he settled into life with his new adoptive family and slimmed down to 18 pounds.
His owners, the Damiani family, started the Prince Chunk Foundation in his honor to help owners keep their pets in times of financial distress.
Sadly, the handsome feline heartthrob that captured the nation’s attention passed away in 2010 not long after being diagnosed with a genetic form of heart disease.
2 Mitzi, 46lb, Maine Coon
It is believed that she lost the tip of her tail in an accident. As a result, she just misses out on being the longest cat in the world.
Margaret put her on a diet shortly after she hit the 46lb mark and would just lie around the house with a bad attitude.
Mitzi eventually got down to a very slim 29lb. The last mention of Mitzi on the internet is from 2012, so her current condition isn’t known.
1 Himmy, 46.8 lb, tabby
Unfortunately he passed away in 1986 at the age of 10 due to respiratory failure.
Amazingly at the time of his death, he had a 15 inch neck, 33 inch waist, and was 38 inches long.
He passed away in his Queensland, Australia, home with his owner, Thomas Vyse, at his side.
Himmy will always hold the world record for the world’s fattest cat because Guinness stopped taking applications for this category shortly after he passed away.
This was an attempt to discourage people from overfeeding their cats.
Do you know a fat cat? Let us know in the comments section below.