The Internet’s Favorite 30-Pound Cat, Zack, Dies Partway Through His Weight Loss Journey

When Zack, an obese gray tabby, wound up at the Michigan Humane Society, staff was determined to find the 30-pound-cat an adoptive family that would help him lose some weight.

“This absolute unit of a cat is Zack,” rescuers wrote on Twitter. “He’s available to adopt at our Howell shelter but needs a parent who will help him slim down.”

Photo: Twitter/Michigan Humane Society

The Internet was quickly endeared by the lazy 11-year-old cat, whose chunky physique and disdainful expressions quickly went viral. The svelte senior was ultimately adopted by John Schmitt, a Michigan resident who heard about Zack on the news, and promptly put the 30-pound cat on a strict diet and exercise program.

For a while, everything seemed to be going well, even though Zack took some time adjusting to his new exercise regimen.

“Sometimes you’ve got to give him a nudge just to get him active,” said Schmitt, whose new family helped keep him active by leading the cat up and down the stairs. “In the morning, the sun comes through the front window and he loves to just lay in the sun.”

But all the hard work paid off. Within a couple of months, Zack had lost 8 pounds.

“He is just doing wonderful,” Schmitt said of the fat cat’s weight loss journey. “He is starting to get a little skinny butt on him, but he has all the extra skin and fur on him also, so we try to keep him exercised.”

As the cat’s physical health improved, Zack’s bad attitude also gradually disappeared.

“It was definitely a new home, new diet, cranky kitty,” Schmitt said of the cat’s transformation. “He was very defensive but he has warmed up to everybody, he is very vocal. I get up early and he just meows at me and follows me around all morning until I leave for work. Then as soon as I get home he meows at me, then as soon as you touch him he purrs.”

Photo: Twitter/Michigan Humane Society

But despite all his progress, Zack suddenly passed away just a couple of months after his adoption. The cause of death was feline fatty liver syndrome, which can be a risk for obese cats who suddenly dropped a lot of weight. “We aggressively helped him fight his disease,” Schmitt wrote in a text message to the Detroit Free Press. “He was definitely loved in the short time he was with us.”

RIP, Zack! Our thoughts go out to the Schmitt family during this difficult time.



from The Animal Rescue Site Blog https://ift.tt/2QvAfsx

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