Prince Chunk Finds His Forever Home

Fat Cat from New Jersey becomes Instant Celebrity!

In the wake of our nation’s economic downturn and rising tide of foreclosures thousands of pets are without a home. Well-intentioned people leave their furry family members behind, some in the hopes of retrieving them later, others with no hope at all. Already filled shelters are stretched to the seams as the intake cases far excede adoptions. Sad to say, most of these pets end up being euthanized but one fat cat’s story has a happy ending

The 10-year old cat’s owner, a senior citizen, was hit by hard times and lost her home to foreclosure. Donna Oklatner told reporters that, “It broke my heart to give him up. I could not take care of him. I wanted him to have a good home.” Oklatner was under the impression that friends had taken the cat to a local shelter. Instead Animal Control found him wandering around outdoors without a collar in Voorhees, New Jersey.

This is one HUGE cat, weighing in at 44 pounds! (The heaviest cat on record is 46 pound, 15 ounce tabby cat from Australia.) Aptly dubbed Prince Chunk by the shelter, he immediately found a foster home with Debbie Wright.

Chunk rocketed into stardom when he made his debut appearance on a local television channel. Then his big break came with an appearance on the “Live with Regis & Kelly” talk show. The nation was riveted and adoring fans from all over flooded the shelter with adoption requests. In the end Chunk received almost 500 adoption applications.

On August 8, 2008, the Camden County Animal Shelter announced that Prince Chunk (who received a clean bill of health from the vet) has been adopted. The New Jersey family’s identity will not be disclosed but it sounds like his forever home is eager to give him the best life possible: they are building a castle to go over Prince Chunk’s litter box. What more could a fat cat from New Jersey ask for? Except perhaps a good belly rub?