A 35-pound orange tabby cat – appropriately named Bazooka – has arrived with pomp and circumstance at a North Carolina shelter this week in preparation to begin his epic weight loss journey.
Bazooka, who was transferred from another shelter about two hours away in Davidson County, arrived at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Wake County earlier this week, requiring two people to carry him in his crate.
The 5-year-old feline had previously lived with a senior citizen who had dementia, and the SPCA of Wake County believes the owner kept feeding the cat forgetting that he had already eaten, which eventually led to his extreme weight gain.
(MORE: Man arrested after abused cats found dead and duct taped in trash chute)"They alerted us to Bazooka here and once we saw the pictures we were like, 'We have to get this kitty,'" SPCA spokesperson Darci Vanderslik told ABC Raleigh station WTVD. "Thirty-five pounds is a lot of weight for a cat so we're really hoping we can get him down 20 pounds, 25 pounds, even lighter than that. You know, one step at a time."
Bazooka is now receiving medical care and is on a prescription diet with a trained foster family. But the next stop on Bazooka's journey will be Monday when he moves into his forever home.
(MORE: Texas animal cruelty raids net man with 230 pets living in 'deplorable conditions')“Because of your support, we're giving this big boy a new life," the SPCA of Wake County wrote on its Facebook page.