A jumbo cat has gone viral – after animal rescuers put it up for adoption. <br /><br />A Virginia shelter sent out a call for a caring new owner for Patches – who tips the scales at a whopping 40.3 pounds (18.3kg). <br /><br />Richmond Animal Care and Control (RACC) accompanied it with a hilarious picture of a staff member struggling to hold the podgy pussy. <br /><br />The listing for what the centre dubbed “the largest cat anyone has ever seen” came complete with the caption: “We love that belly”. <br /><br />It also asked for a person with “commitment to help Patches get to a safe and heathy weight.” <br /><br />Thankfully, the eye-catching social media post worked, and a kindly adopter stepped forward. <br /><br />An amusing video shows two people struggling to carry Patches out of the centre in his cage. <br /><br />RACC wrote in their plea for help: “Did you wake up today and say, “let’s adopt the largest cat anyone has ever seen”? If so, we have the cat for you. <br /><br />“Meet Patches; all 40.3 POUNDS of him! He’s been regulated to a very special diet, is on an exercise plan and is very sweet. He’s neutered, tested, chipped and ready to go today! <br /><br />“Until then, we will marvel at his gloriously gluttoness body!”<br /><br />Christie Chipps Peters, Director of RACC, adds: "We don’t know how he got so big, he came to us that large!<br /><br />"The new owner is lovely and has a plan in place to help him lose weight slowly and safely."<br /><br />Guinness World Records listed the heaviest cat as Himmy, who weighed just over 46lb (21.3kg) when it died in 1986.<br /><br />The category was discontinued in 1998 to deter people from over-feeding their pets just to appear in the book.
