Munchkin Identified

I think I first became aware of the picture of
Munchkin the Monster Cat two years ago. The picture always perplexed me because Munchkin seemed too big to be real, but I couldn't see any evidence it was photoshopped. The Sydney Morning Herald, however,
decided it was a hoax. But it turns out Munchkin was real. His owner, Susan Martin of Ontario, Canada, just contacted me with more pictures of her former pet (he died
at the age of 8 of heart disease). His real name was Sassy. He certainly was a big guy. She says he weighed forty pounds. Here are more details from Susan:
Sassy was born in Virginia, and moved to Canada in 1991 with me. He was a kitten then and after we had him fixed he started getting fat. I never thought anything of it cause he slept so much. His visits to the Blair Animal Hospital did not find any problems with him and could not figure out why he was so fat. He was on diet food for about 8 years. In 1999 he was noted as being 15.9 kilos. in 2001 he was listed as 40 pounds and then lost 8 when he died. He did not eat an excess amount of food and did not eat table scraps. A bite or two of chicken or tuna was his favorite. I miss him very much and often find his picture posted on various web sites.
The
fattest cat in the world weighs about fifty pounds. Here are more pictures of Sassy:
Posted By: Alex | Date:
Wed Aug 24, 2005 |
Permalink |
Total Comments: 29
Category:
Animals
Comments
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
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Posted by Alex H in California on Wed Aug 24, 2005 at 09:39 AM
my god that was a big cat!
he liked water too! that was one unique kitty.
I never thought i would see a cat fill out one of those cat-bed thingies.
Posted by Chuck in Rhode Island on Wed Aug 24, 2005 at 11:02 AM
Well....thats a suprise Alex....it's good she contacted you about that.
Posted by X in McKinney, TX on Wed Aug 24, 2005 at 01:02 PM
Err...problem. You said in your post that he was age 8 when he died, but in the e-mail she said that he had lost 8 pounds when he died, not that he was 8. He had to be at least 10 when he died if they got him in Virgina and moved to Canada in 1991 and was last weighed in 2001.
Posted by Dan in USA on Wed Aug 24, 2005 at 02:56 PM
I like the pictures. Sassy reminds me of my cat, Joe. But Joe's a mere wisp of a thing at about 17 pounds.
Posted by Big Gary in Dallas in Dallas, Texas on Wed Aug 24, 2005 at 03:15 PM
My 9 yr old cat was nearly 19 lbs when we got her...first night home she got stuck under our old couch. After 2 years of diet food, she's a comparatively svelte 13-14 lbs.

Posted by Winona in USA on Wed Aug 24, 2005 at 06:16 PM
Dan, I misread her email. Must be some kind of dyslexia creeping up on me.
Posted by Alex in San Diego on Wed Aug 24, 2005 at 07:29 PM
Not to worry, it happens to the best of us. =)
Posted by Dan on Thu Aug 25, 2005 at 08:09 PM
Don't buy her story. There's no way a cat could get that big and not be over-eating, can't get something from nothing. This is akin to animal abuse.
Posted by Jorge on Mon Aug 29, 2005 at 02:45 AM
Now that's the don vito of cats.
Posted by Jeff on Thu Sep 01, 2005 at 07:54 AM
DamN! thats a fat cat... you killed him..you horrible people!..how could you feed a cat that much and make him that big..you need god!..its a sin..gluttony..you could have fed 10 millions of other cats who were starving in 3rd world countries..
Posted by an Angel in Georgier on Tue Sep 06, 2005 at 05:05 AM
Actually a friend of mine (no, seriously!) had a cat that went over 20 kilos after being neutered
Posted by swangelok on Thu Sep 08, 2005 at 09:51 AM
Just so you all Know.....He was indeed at the vets many times and they could not find out why he was so fat, and we had another cat that was eating the same food and he did not get fat.He was not force feed and I have all the vet bills to confirm it.He was on diet food because regular pet food was too rich. It caused other problems. All diets including human need a balance. But until recently there was a limited types of food available to pets. He was well loved,and cared for. All who know me know I take the best care of my pets.I now have two dogs and a cat and they too are not over weight. If you want video I can give you that too.Try over feeding your cat they eat only what they want. Ask your vet or call the Blair Animal Hospital here in Ottawa Canada and they will be glad to give you any info you need! This was not a contest . His picture was sent to a friend and it has been floating around since 2001.I am proud to have known him and I keep him close to my heart everyday .
Susan Martin
Posted by Susan Martin in Ottawa Canada on Thu Sep 15, 2005 at 05:26 AM

ur kittie reminds me of garfield..i love garfield..
Posted by draven151 in far far away on Fri Oct 07, 2005 at 01:49 PM
"Katy herself achieved her enormous size partly because she was fed hormones to stop her mating."
?!?!?! Do they not spay cats in Russia?
With cats, as with people, a lot of their weight and body type is determined by genetics. My cat eats about a quarter cup of cat food every day and she still won't lose weight. It's not fair to assume Sassy's owner is a bad person because her cat was overweight. It sounds like she loved him very much.
Posted by Elizabeth in Austin, TX on Tue Nov 01, 2005 at 09:39 PM
Hi;
It appears to me that Sassy was a Bengal cat, and I am wondering if his mixed genetics might have somehow gone haywire and caused this weight problem.. (Bengal cats are a domesticated crossbreed between domestic house cats and wild Bengal Leopards). If you look at the 5th picture above (with the kitten) you can see the distinctive markings & pattern on his back. (not stripes, but spots).
Posted by warmbear in USA on Thu Mar 09, 2006 at 06:01 AM
For all the people out there thinking that this is some type of animal over feeding abuse. Well, it is not. I also have a gray tabby, male, cat that weighs 23 lbs. His name is Bobo and he gained his weight when we neutered him. He is not over eating and is actually very healthy. What he eats is organic dry food (is what he likes best) and a spoonfull or two of wet cat food a day. I love him to death, he is very vocal, friendly, and affectionate.
Cheers everyone!
Posted by Lina in NC, USA on Sun Apr 23, 2006 at 11:33 AM
Big cat... I have a cat that got over 20 pounds after being neutered and hes the over wieght one... other two seem like they didnt gain more than 2 pounds.
Posted by Chris in WV on Wed Aug 16, 2006 at 09:45 AM
Also... these cats are indoor... but we live in an open rural area... they can leave for almost a whole day on their own... but they are usually back inside after an hour or two of exercising with my kids.
Posted by Chris in WV on Wed Aug 16, 2006 at 09:49 AM
I've been googling fat cats all day because they are so darn cute! - I noted from story to story though that some cats just balloon into whales once they are spayed or neutered. Interesting huh? Sex or the potential for sex is a powerful thing.
Posted by Victor in Berkeley on Thu Jan 11, 2007 at 08:34 PM
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