Fattest Cat in the World Weighed More Than a 4-Year-Old Child

Himmy, owned by Thomas Vyse of Australia, weighed in at 46 pounds 15.5 ounces (21.3 kg). The cat couldn't get around on its own. Instead, Himmy was transported in a wheelbarrow. Himmy died at the tender age of 10 years old on March 12, 1986.

Krosnik, Russian for Crumbs, weighed about 37 pounds (16.8 kilograms) at his heaviest. Officials at the Matroskin cat shelter that treated Crumbs also said that because of his weight, they couldn't diagnose the cancerous tumors growing on his spleen and other internal organs.

In an effort to save then-world's fattest cat Crumbs, the shelter enrolled him in a feline "fat camp" to help him shed pounds safely. Placed on a strict diet and an exercise plan revolving around an underwater treadmill (which allowed him to exercise without straining his joints), he began to lose weight. His energy levels improved and digestive problems eased.

But ultimately, even the best doctors couldn't save his life; he died weeks after starting his weight loss journey.

When Patches' weight hit 42 pounds (19.1 kilograms), his owners surrendered him to a pet shelter in Virginia.

When news outlets published stories about Patches, it caught the attention of Kay Ford, who had seen another overweight cat up for adoption three years before. While she expressed interest, she was too late to adopt that cat. When Patches' story went live, she jumped at the chance to adopt the cat that had dropped a few pounds since being at the shelter.

With the help of Dr. Meaghan Goodwin — who designed Patches' weight loss regimen and constantly monitored his progress — Patches started to drop weight. The goal is for Patches to reach 18 pounds (8.2 kilograms) at a slow but steady rate. Ford shares updates on Facebook.

According to the last update, Patches is 21.82 pounds.

A constant supply of wet and dry food led to Barsik's weight gain. Meredith Adams, along with a team of veterinarians, worked to undo the habits established by Barsik's previous owner that led the cat to weigh 41 pounds (18.6 kilograms).

His weight loss diet resulted in Barsik shedding the pounds to a necessary extreme. He currently weighs 18 pounds (8.2 kilograms).

As these cats illustrate, even the strongest cats can be at risk of obesity and damage to multiple organs without the proper diet and exercise. There are some domestic cats that a more at risk of gaining weight. Some of these breeds include:

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.