Large and In Charge: Tugboat

By Jamey Walker

As you can see,Tugboat is a full figured cat. He’s 26 pounds to be exact. With his stubby little legs and some encouragement, he makes his way over to you for some full-sized love. His normal greeting is a flop to the side, followed by a roll with full belly exposed. Unlike most cats, you can pet his belly completely while he lays in apparent bliss.

Now I have to admit I can’t get enough of this cat. Tugboat makes me giggle every time I see him and if I need to take a break and unwind, I usually make my way to his room and all my stress vanishes. Tugboat is a cat that we picked up from Animal Care and Control. His owner passed away and he was left homeless as a result.

While I’m sure Tugboat’s owner loved him immensely, his weight is nothing to joke about, as it’s also a life threatening condition for him. Now I love a fat cat as much as the rest of us, but if Tugboat ever needed to be put under anesthesia, he would have a much higher mortality rate than a cat of appropriate weight.

Our plan of action for our beloved Tugboat is diet and exercise. We have him on a lower calorie food and have volunteers and staff giving him lots of playtime. He doesn’t run and jump around like most cats, but he is starting to move around more and more every day. In fact, he’s lost a half pound already!

If you’d like to adopt this charming guy, come by the SF SPCA and ask for him or call 415 522-3500.

UPDATE 5/30/09:

TUGBOAT WAS ADOPTED!!!!!!!!