Despite a cultural view that shames heavier people into slimming down, the fact is that humans can live healthy, full, and productive lives at a variety of sizes and weights. Cats, on the other hand, do need to avoid serious excess girth in order to properly function. Skinny, an orange tabby who was adopted by Dr. Brittney Barton of Dallas’ HEAL Veterinary Hospital, learned that the hard way.
When Barton adopted Skinny in 2013, he weighed a whopping 41 pounds. The woefully overweight kitty became a national news sensation as people gawked at him in videos from the Richardson Animal Shelter, until Barton intervened.
At the time, the Dallas Morning News reports that Skinny had a walking range of no more than five feet, as well as other general health issues.
Now, though, Skinny is downright svelte. In less than two years with Barton, he’s down to a healthy 19 pounds, doing normal cat-like activities like roaming the halls of the HEAL clinic. He’s still a big cat, but a healthy big, not can’t-move big. Like people who lose a lot of weight quickly, Skinny does have some excess skin that could use tightening — and Barton is apparently considering surgery to address the issue — but either way, the lil’ fella seems to be doing quite well.
(image via screencap/YouTube)
