HANOVER COUNTY, Va. -- In April of this year, a local cat Patches won the hearts of Virginians and people worldwide when he was adopted and put on a special diet to lose weight. And with the help of our friends at Virginia Credit Union, CBS 6 anchor Rob Cardwell decided to pay a visit to the gluttonous feline.
Kay Ford has always been an animal lover living with her little dog named 'Bella.' But earlier this year it was a photo of Patches being held up by a Richmond Animal Care and Control officer that caught her attention.
"...there's Patches with that now very famous picture of the animal control officer holding him and you know his glorious gluttonous girth," Kay expressed.
Through the help of veterinarians, a strict diet, and lots of play Patches is making progress in his weight loss journey. So far he has lost almost 11 pounds.
While 29 pounds is far less than the more than 40 pounds that he started out as his owner says the results haven't been spreading in the house. "The only thing that hasn't worked out in this whole thing is that I was supposed to lose weight with him," Ford laughed. "That's been a complete failure."
So Rob Cardwell stopped by to surprise Patches with some new motivation in the form of toys.
Kay Ford says the weight-loss journey hasn't always been easy, but it has been rewarding for the both of them.
"I just cannot begin to describe what a really incredible addition he has been to our household," remarked Ford.
But the gifts didn't stop there. Rob also gave them a gift card to use for Patches and CBS 6 made a donation to a local animal shelter in both Kay and Patches' names.
"That's the best of all.... that's the best thing," Ford uttered.
The CBS 6 Month of Giving made possible by Virginia Credit Union is underway. Watch for a new surprise every day in December on CBS 6 News at 6 a.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. Have an idea about who we should surprise next, click here to email our team.
