MECHANICSVILLE, Va. — Patches, the "viral" 40-pound Virginia cat that wound up at Richmond Animal Care and Control, has lost just over five pounds since he was adopted seven weeks ago.
Kay Ford said the 6-year-old white and gray Domestic Shorthair recently experienced "another big drop" and that his doctor is "thrilled with Patches’ progress."
The cat weighed in Wednesday at 36.30-pounds. That is down roughly five pounds from the 40.8-pounds he weighed when he was adopted. The animal was actually 42 pound when he was surrendered to the shelter, according to Ford. So that means Patches has lost a total of six pounds.
The average cat, according to WebMD, is 10 pounds, depending on the breed.
"I am BLOWN AWAY by his progress," Ford wrote. "He is so determined...nothing is going to stop him. As he becomes more and more mobile I realize I am in for a ride! But it's going to be fun in a new and different way than the fun we're having now."
Ford also revealed that Patches can be quite stubborn and "has a mind of his own."
"If he doesn't want to do something like be picked up or moved he pushes my arms with his darling stubby legs and gives me the stink eye! And he can really give a good stink eye! And talk about activity...the chair (which so far as I know he has not yet repeated) standing at mealtime, the walking and getting up on his hind legs to explore higher surfaces," Ford wrote.
MUST-SEE VIDEO: Watch the footage below to hear Ford get Patches to meow!
Shelter workers described Patches as a "sweet, big boy, who has been neutered, tested and chipped."
The Mechanicsville woman created a Facebook page, Patches' Journey, to document his progress. That page now has more than 34,000 followers and 21,000 likes.
Ford told Bill Lohmann with the Richmond Times-Dispatch that when she saw the shelter's social media post she knew Patches needed help.
“Sometimes you have to set aside thinking about the pros and cons of things and just jump into the deep end of the pool, and that’s exactly what I did. I just knew I wanted to do this,” she said.
Ford posted on Facebook that she has been overwhelmed by the "support, kindness and encouragement" from folks who follow Patches' Journey.
"Seven weeks ago today Patches joined our family, and I cannot imagine our lives without him. Please know how much we enjoy bringing our world to you," she wrote.
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