What Ever Happened To The Incredible Sumo Cat?

The Sumo Cat, known to his fans as Axel Biggiesmalls, could barely walk, and nearly died by carrying so much fat.

A report from GeoBeats Animals found that Axel’s weight was 43 lbs which is about four times the weight of a normal cat. He was huge! The weight was causing arthritis, and was causing his heart to work overtime.

In February, his alarmed owners realised that 7 year old Axel was probably going to die if they kept him. They took the fat cat to an amazing shelter called Proanima in Ottawa.

It took two people to carry Axel into the shelter. Poor Axel nearly fell through the bottom of the crate they were carrying.

Because of Axel’s weight, the veterinarians did a scan, but couldn’t see through the layers of fat to see how his organs were doing. But his heart seemed to be doing okay even if it was working like crazy.

Two veterinarians were assigned to look after Axel. Because he was stressed at having been moved, they actually had to give him appetite stimulants so he would eat. Gradually, they put Axel on a diet and exercise regime with regular checkups.

Then Axel was re-homed and adopted. The new owner had some serious challenges to contend with, mostly because Axel was having trouble doing some basic cat things.

The owner found that Axel couldn’t use a normal kittly litter, so had to be inventive. They made a trip to a mechanic and bought a pan oil tray. This was successfully used as a litter box as Axel could step and off the tray.

They also gave Axel a lot of opportunity to exercise. Some of the exercise was inside using toys, and some was walking outside were Axel could expore the garden. He still had trouble walking, and his breathing was labored.

For managing his weight, a goal was set to make the 43 lbs cat become a 25 lbs cat. He would still be a bit bigger than the other cats he was living with, but it would be a massive improvement on where had been.

On April 12, Axel was 36.03 lbs and counting. Because cat scales were not strong enough, human scales were used for measuring Axel’s weight.

His progress is being monitored by fans at Instagram. This is the weight chart of Axel’s progress:

2024

• February 8th: 43 lbs
• February 23rd: 41.18 lbs
• March 1st: 40.4 lbs
• March 8th: 39.73 lbs
• March 15th: 38.5 lbs
• March 22nd: 37.64 lbs
• March 29th: 36.98 lbs
• April 7th: 36.24 lbs
• April 12th: 36.03 lbs

Now Axel is going fine. He has lost one or two layers of fat, and his mobility has increased. He can walk by himself unassisted, and even jump on the family couch. With further good diet and exercise, Axel is sure to do even better in the coming months.