Yes, it's a 44-pound cat

Meet Princess Chunk, a 44-pound cat, who is just two pounds shy of the 1987 Guinness World Record for overweight cats.

South Jersey, to be sure, has seen its fair share of the indictable variety, but never before has it seen the likes of the portly pussycat found waddling in Voorhees.

News reports, including one in the Philadelphia Inquirer, state that the Camden County Animal Shelter is trying to find the feline's owner ... and trying to develop an exercise routine for its suddenly famous resident.

"She's bigger than my Yorkie dog," said shelter volunteer and "foster mom" Deborah Wright.

According to the Inquirer report:

Dennis Green, a librarian at the central branch of the Philadelphia Free Library, researched records on the fattest cat in the world. Green said the record was held by 46 pound, 15 1/4 ounce Himmy of Australia who was entered into the 1987 Guinness Book of World Records, the last year the organization had the weight category for cats. Himmy died of respiratory failure.

Photo: John Costello / McClatchy-Tribune

Comments

[Jack]

That is one big cat!

[James Langan]

I'm sorry, though I laughed out loud at the sight of poor Princess, I must say — shame on the owner. It's really irresponsible. I know, as my own older cat has recently gained at least 5 lbs. But we want to keep him healthy and happy as long as we can, so he is now on a diet.

[Alexandra]

I hope foster mom Deborah has plans to implement a weight loss plan for Princess Chunky. It would be abusive not to do so.

[NormK]

Has to be a Republican cat.

[Chris]

Hats off to Dennis the librarian -- always on top of things, eh!

Chris

[sonny]

this is animal abuse. no question about it.

[Phil Peterson]

I once had a fat cat too, but he weighed just 39 pounds. His name was Pierre, and he loved Taco Bell. His favorite was Burrito Supremes with extra sour cream. Pierre came down with diabetes and needed insulin shots. It was a big stress on the family, as we all had to take turns dealing with his injections. We tried to walk him but he hated that. We replaced his Taco Bell with regular cat food, but he would hound us to no end especially in the mornings...meowing very loudly...he died of a massive heart attack last year, and we miss him lots.

[Elwood's Mom]

We had a cat that was overweight, and it stops being cute when they become diabetic. Unlike humans, the dosage gets incredibly hard to monitor. He was a very loving animal, and we lost him because of it. I miss him everyday.

[Kittymom]

Never mind the weight, why does she have another cat's tail???

[Matt]

Don't give up now. Only three more pounds and Princess will own the records. You can do it!!!

[steveinnoho]

A fat cat is funny until you realize its predicament is due entirely to its thoughtless owners ... like the ones who gorge it with Taco Bell burrito Supremes. Sometimes I think an IQ test should be required before one can own a pet ... or father/mother a child.

[Joy G]

Has her thyroid been checked? An out of control thyroid can cause severe weight loss or gain depending what the thyroid problem is. She should also be tested for diabetes.

[Cynthia Maher]

That's just mean!

[David Goodmacher]

why does this white cat have a tabby tail?????

[victor knopp]

wall street poster child

[SammyDKat]

I don't know why people feed cats human food. It makes their poop really stink. So the cat whines if you don't feed it. Suck it up - who's in charge anyway?

[bagladee]

This is just wrong wrong wrong. But you know what they say: pets look like their owners..........

[Bee]

If you think that you can "suck it up" when a cat is determined to get human food by whining, you apparently never lived with a cat. My cat is at 17 pounds, but not fat, just a big cat. He whines for human food ALL THE TIME. He just gets little bits of turkey lunch meat, so I can hear my own voice for a few minutes... otherwise a lovely companion.

[fan]

this cat is gumnormose

[Jessica]

The cat is so cute and Debie just so you no in case you saw the other comment you are not fat.

[Kelly]

I have a fat cat, a very fat cat. I've tried all the expensive diet foods. I'll also tried to play with her to encourage
more activity, but to no avail she is obese. I've tried and tried for the past 5 years, but she continues to gain weight. I feed her regular cat food now and have a small bowl in appropriate size to make sure she is not overfeed. She's happy and it's annoying to be judged when I take her to the vet that I'm not a competent owner.

[Amanda]

To the people asking about the color of HIS(it was determined that Princess Chunk is male!)tail; if you look at other pics, you'll see that he has some orange on his back. His tummy is just all white.

[Michelle K]

To the people criticizing the size of princess chunk....didn't your mother teach you if you don't have something nce to say....then dont say anything. We have two huge cats who love to play, eat and are happy. They also have regular vet visits and remain just fine. Quit being so negative, he is one cute kitty looking for a good home. If you are so critical I suggest you adopt him!

[pinkdogavenger]

I had a thirty-two pound cat once. His name was Twister and he suffered from gigantism. My vet constantly monitored his condition; but there was nothing that anyone could do. My vet compared him to Andre the Giant. He really was as gentle as a lamb with the sweetest disposition. He died tragically young and wasn't even eight when he died. He wasn't even fat--just large. So, it's not always the owner's fault! By the way, he hated people food and only ate dry cat food; but it didn't make any difference. He was still huge!

[ZOMG! ZEBRA'S OVER MY GENDER!]

thats freaking sick. My cat's kind of fat, but I would never think of letting my cat get so obese.