Hercules is on a major diet, but he doesn’t let his big tummy get in the way of having fun.

Fat Cat Hercules has a distinctive presence when he’s in the room, and it’s not just because of his girth. This lovable, plump kitty has a story in his eyes that is dying to be told. Here is that story.

(Warning: You may get a little misty-eyed when you read this feature, so get yourself a tissue or two before we start.)

Erika, how did Hercules come in to yours and your roommate’s lives?

When I (Erika, aka “the hooman”) decided that I wanted to get a cat, I turned to Kijiji to look for cats in my area that needed a home. I saw a cute little tabby kitten that looked super playful and I fell in love. I met the owner at a Second Cup (coffee house); Hercules was in a carrier.

He immediately reached out of the carrier and grabbed on to me. He chose me. I didn’t choose him. His then owner also had all of his stuff that she wanted to sell: litter box, toys, etc., so I agreed to go back the following night and pick up Hercules as well as all of his accessories.

Who would want to get rid of such a sweet cat? Did the owners say why they were giving him up?

When I got to their condo to pick up Hercules, she told me why they were really getting rid of him; the husband was a work-from-home professional and hated cats, so he locked Hercules up in the bathroom the entire day. Hercules was then locked in the bathroom again (unbeknownst to the wife) at night so that he “wouldn’t wreck the apartment” (their words; not mine).

Once the wife learned that Hercules was spending 18+ hours a day locked in that bathroom, she decided that it wasn’t worth having a cat, and that’s when the Kijiji ad went up. Poor Hercules; what a rough start to life!

We can only imagine how grateful he was to find a loving home. How were his first days/weeks with you?

Luckily when he came to us, we loved him unconditionally, which is a good thing because he was kind of a jerk. So energetic, always scratching and playing way too hard. He was destroying our house. We got more toys, cat trees, you name it. It didn’t help. So we got a second cat (Zoe) and, once Hercules had a friend, he was much happier.

Unfortunately, that also meant Hercules had more food to eat since there was now another dish in the house. Hercules became fatter and fatter as he bullied Zoe and stole her food.

Hmm… sounds like someone we know (*eyes Misha*). How did you handle this new conflict?

We tried to control his diet with all the pet-store available ‘light’ foods, but the problem only got worse. We didn’t intend on getting a third cat, but low and behold… Marv came into our lives, and there was even MORE food for Hercules to eat now.

It was time for an intervention.

Going to our vet to learn how to get Hercules on a proper weight loss plan was one of the best decisions we’ve made. Hercules has now gone from 30 pounds to 24 pounds and is still losing. Our goal weight is around 17 pounds.

Hercules is 9 years old now; he’s not very active, but [he] does occasionally enjoy chasing The Red Dot and playing with a good catnip kicker. He spends his days ‘supervising’ our condo and making sure all the other cats behave. He’s a good boss!

We’ll be cheering Hercules on as he goes on this challenging weight loss journey. You can do it, Herc!

Let’s all cheer him on by following his Instagram at @fatcathercules. Give him a shout out in the comments below to let him know you support him!

If you or someone you know would like to be featured on our blog, use Instagram hashtag #FriskyFelineFeature or email us at themeowplace@gmail.com.