Meet Shamu, another fat cat -- 35 pounds -- from New Jersey
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What on Earth are they feeding cats in New Jersey? The question certainly provides food for thought.
A second fat cat has been dropped off at the same New Jersey animal shelter that introduced the world to a 44-pound tabby named Prince Chunk or Powder, reports the New York Daily News.
His name: Shamu. Weight: 35 pounds.
Shamu was found Aug. 26 roaming outside an abandoned home in Camden and delivered to the shelter. It seemed the cat had been living in the unoccupied home for a few weeks, though he clearly had no problem finding food, said Catherine Harr, board president of the Camden County Animal Shelter.
At least this time around the shelter staffers knew the gender of the cat. They first thought Prince Chunk was actually a princess. The cat’s former owner revealed to the shelter his real name: Powder.
The 10-year-old cat was abandoned after his owner lost her home to foreclosure. But after the story spread on the Internet, he went on a media tour, gracing the stages of ‘Good Morning America’ and ‘Live With Regis and Kelly.’
Prince Chunk eventually did find an owner, but not without a catfight and after almost 400 applications for adoption poured in, a common occurrence when animals are featured in the media.
The Daily News reports:
The unidentified family (which was chosen to adopt Prince Chunk) is upset over the amount of time it’s taken for an adoption contract to be drawn up -- and is even claiming now that the cat weighs only 22 pounds, a source said. ‘We can’t believe this is happening,’ the source said. ‘We’ve just been looking out for the best interests of the cat.’
As for Shamu, he’ll be kept out of the spotlight at least for another week as owners are given seven days to reclaim their pet, shelter officials said. If the owner doesn’t turn up, shelter officials are planning to contact people who applied to adopt Prince Chunk.
The attention and the cats have become quite a handful for the shelter:
‘I just hope it’s not a trend that’s starting, because we don’t have cages big enough to accommodate these fat cats,’ Harr told the Daily News.
It’s been quite the summer for quirky cat stories. Need we remind you of the four-eared cat?
--Francisco Vara-Orta