The fattest cat in the Big Apple, and possibly the world, is “healthy as a horse,” the feline’s caretakers told The Post.
The veterinarian for Barsik, who was discovered at♍ the city pouꦅnd earlier this month, suspecte🅺d he had a congenital or endocrine issue that caused him to be nearly four times the size of an average feline but all of the tests have come back negative.
“His blood work was actually perfect,” Barsik’s veterinarian Jeanne Klafin of Animal General said with a laugh Thursday.
“It’s very unusual… sadly, it’s just a case of him being overfed and under-exercised.”
Barsik, age 5, weighed in at 41 pounds when he was dropped off at Manhattan’s Animal Care Center on April 5 by his owners who were moving and couldn’t bring him to their new place.
He was soon rescued by Anjellicle Cats and is being fostered by Angelique Iuzzolino, who was equally surprised to le🐎arn Barsik had nothing wrong with him besides his weight.
“[I’m] surprised yes, and very surprised no indication of diabetes… It’s definitely surprising that he doesn’t have any health issues caused by his obesity, even without something medical causing it,” Iuzzolino said.
“Besides his mobility and grooming, he’s otherwise healthy.”
The irony continues f🌟or the tubby tabby who, in addition to being a picky eater, hཧas been placed on appetite stimulants to make sure he keeps eating while he weathers a light kitty cold he picked up from the shelter.
“We have to keep him eating through his cold and then once we have a good idea of how much he eats normally, we will start implementing his diet changes,” Iuzzolino explained.
Klafin said just like humans, it’s dangerous for cats to lose large amounts of weight in a short amount of time so they need to ensure the butterball remains on a steady diet and doesn’t stop eating due to the stress of his new home or his kennel cough.
That means Barsik is living the good life.
On Wednesday , which has racked up nearly 9,000 followers, Bar﷽sik was ca🌄ptured lounging on a yoga mat, chowing down on some kibble with two other bowls of food laid out for him.
Klafin said the goal is for Barsik to lose between 15 to 20 pounds, which could take several months or “maybe a year.”