RICHMOND, Va. — It has officially been three years since Patches the cat, who once weighed more than 40 pounds, was adopted out of Richmond Animal Care and Control and began his weight loss journey.
Just hours after Patches was posted to Richmond Animal Care & Control's Facebook page on April 19, 2023, he was adopted by Kay Ford.
"Kay seemed like a responsible pet owner that would provide what Patches needed," RACC director Christie Chipps-Peters told CBS 6.
Ford decided to document Patches' weight loss progress on Facebook, and has since amassed 54,000 followers.
CBS 6 had the opportunity to catch up with Ford at a recent meet-and-greet event for Patches. She reflected on the cow cat's progress, as he is now down to under 18 pounds.
"He continues on, he's getting closer and closer to 16," Ford said. "I'm not exactly sure what I will do when he hits 16. I may just cry tears of joy for a week, because every time he hits a new number, 20, to 19, to 18, I just sit in my living room and just kind of zone out"
Ford, who has since taken in other full-figured felines and put them on similar routines, shared that her love of helping these cats began with Patches and has grown into something she never imagined.
"When you get to be someone my age, you start to wonder whether or not you're actually going to leave some sort of a legacy... Something that you feel like you've done something good in the world," Ford said. "I did not plan for this to happen. When I got Patches, there were a lot of people on Facebook who said, 'Oh, keep us posted, keep us posted. How hard is it to make a Facebook page and just put his his weekly weight on there?' And it just became something that was so much bigger. For me, it was truly remarkable to actually be able to answer that question, for myself, to be able to use this platform in collaboration with Patches and his crew and anybody else who's involved with it to make a difference. It's just been so gratifying."
For any potential adopters considering helping a pet with special medical or dietary needs, Chipps-Peters recommends following a veterinarian's advice.
The RACC's longest resident right now is Car Jacker, a mastiff mix. Click here to view his adoption profile.
Email your well wishes for Patches to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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