The world's fattest cat, Crumbs, has died weeks after joining a feline fat camp, the New York Post reported. The cat, named Kroshik (Rusian for Crumbs), gained viral fame after he was put on a weight-loss regimen following his rescue from the basement of a Russian hospital. He was raised on a diet of scraps, biscuits and soup, causing him to weigh a whopping 38 pounds (around 17kgs). Since his recuse, he'd been making notable progress at a specialised veterinary centre in Perm, Russia, losing 7 pounds.
The cat's journey was, however, cut short when he developed sudden breathing problems and died on Saturday, the Post reported. Veterinarians believe that the fat cat's layers of flab were so deep that scans ultimately failed to show he had cancerous tumours developed on his spleen and other internal organs.
Galiana More, the owner of the cat shelter that treated Crumbs, said that the tumours may have triggered multiple organs to collapse. She added that cats often conceal symptoms when unwell, only revealing issues once it's too late.
"Cats always hold on to the last, they do not show this disease," Ms More explained to NewsX. "Kroshik had no shortness of breath, no digestive problems," she added.
"We could not do ultrasound, but we constantly monitored his health, because we understood that excess weight does not just happen," she continued, noting that Crumbs' tests all came out normal in the weeks leading up to his death.
"It hurts that we didn't know about it before, couldn't help," she added. "This is a great loss for us, because Kroshik was a symbol of hope for everyone, and we really wanted to publish only good news. It's really painful to talk about it," she said.
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According to the shelter home, Crumbs was so heavy he could not walk. He followed a strict diet and exercise regimen that included walking on an underwater treadmill to help him start to lose weight. But despite their best efforts, the cat's caretakers noted in a statement that "sometimes miracles do not happen."
"Sometimes even the strongest cats cannot cope. Sometimes even the best doctors, rehabilitation centers and support from people around the world are not able to help," they wrote.
"Thank you for being and staying with Kroshik until his very last breath. Thank you for being the reason why Kroshik believed in good people," they added.
