When my cats wake up in the morning they only have one mission in mind – beg for as many treats as possible.

If it were up to them they would probably eat all day long! In today’s story, I’ll tell you about Patches, a cat that did just that.

Patches was surrendered to Richmond Animal Care and Control by his previous owners. Sadly, they found themselves in a helpless situation. 

In only two years, Patches went from a perfectly normal cat to a 40-pound fluffball! The shelter staff immediately posted about him, all in the hope a kind soul would come and help this big boy lose weight.

One woman saw this post and instantly texted her mom Kay about Patches. When Kay saw pictures of him, she was determined to help this big boy out.

She contacted the shelter and the staff members were thrilled that someone was willing to help Patches. However, when Kay first saw Patches it was nothing like the pictures, as she said in her video:

“I came around the corner, I will tell you, it just took your breath away, how big he was.”

Kay sat down on the floor and Patches immediately made himself comfortable in her lap. From that moment on, Kay knew they were destined for each other!

After some paperwork, Patches was officially adopted and on his way to a new home! Kay informed her veterinarian about Patches and soon enough they worked out a diet plan for him.

Kay was already a pet parent to a dog named Bella and a cat named Wellesley and meeting them with Patches was easy, as Kay mentioned:

“When I brought him in, I put him down on the floor and let Bella, my Yorkie, and Wellesley the cat, accept the fact that there was another living being in the house. He is so huge that he cannot react to anything. So he posed no threat to my animals.”

This adorable fluffball was so huge that the only thing he could do was roll around on the floor! 

Adorably, Bella was so happy about her new brother, she was constantly running around in circles, as Kay said:

“Bella was ecstatic. She loves everything. If I brought an amoeba in the house, she’d be excited.”

However, Wellesley was a bit more anxious about the newcomer. He would constantly hiss around Patches, but his new big brother just rolled around on the floor. Wellesley soon realized this big boy was no threat to him!

After only four days Wellesley started playing around with Patches. These two formed a special bond that later proved crucial for Patches weight loss journey. 

At first, Patches got tired after any slight movement and he would just lay down on the floor. However, his brother Wellesley was determined to get him moving!

He would start a play session with Patches, and this big boy finally started jumping and moving around. In addition, his new diet plan was working out perfectly! As his mom Kay said:

“Every little milestone that he has accomplished, going upstairs, going downstairs, jumping up on the ottoman, standing up to eat, that was a big milestone. Being able to lick his fur, all of those things have been extremely moving to me.”

It took Patches almost a year to lose a little over 20 pounds! His mom Kay made sure he stayed healthy in the process, as she said:

“His blood work was absolutely perfect, no thyroid issues, no diabetes, so far so good.”

Patches is still on a mission to lose belly fat, and his mom documents his journey over on Instagram! 

I’m so grateful Kay decided to help this big boy out and provide him with a loving forever home.