Mikesch (pronounced mee-kesh) the cat weighed a whopping 40 pounds when he checked into the hospital earlier this week.Doctors say Mikesch's owner had been feeding him nearly four and a half pounds of steak tartar each day, 10 times as much as the cat should have been eating.The extra weight is causing major problems for the cat.He can no longer clean himself properly, can only walk a few steps at a time, and has a weak heart.Doctors at the animal hospital have placed Mikesch on a special diet and are hoping to bring his weight into the normal range.Despite his massive girth, Mikesch is still a great deal slimmer than several other record-setting heavy house cats.A Russian cat weighing nearly 50 pounds made headlines last year.The Guinness Book of World Records no longer keeps tabs on the scale-tipping tabbies.It stopped listing records for fattest pets after concern that some pet owners were doing harm to their animals while attempting to set new weight records.
Copyright 2004 by NBC10.com. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Slideshow: Images Of Really Fat Cat
Tabby Hits Scales At 40 Pounds
