'I misread cat adoption poster – when new pet arrived it was as big as my 10-year-old daughter' – The Mirror
Kristine Seguin said her ‘breath was taken away’ when she adopted a cute cat online – only for it to end up being as big as her 10-year-old daughter when it arrived
A mum has revealed her shock after adopting a cat online – only for the three-stone puss to arrive weighing "the same as her 10-year-old daughter".
Kristine Seguin knew that Axel was on the larger side when she applied to rescue the seven-year-old animal, but misread his weight as 19lb, not 19kg. She admitted her 'breath was taken away' when the enormous moggy eventually turned up at her home on February 9 and ended up being big as her dog Charlie, a border collie and boston terrier cross.
The cat was so big that when he sat on her daughter Amelie Seguin, 10, she felt like she was being 'crushed' under his weight. Axel could barely walk without 'panting' and 'rolling over' – but Kristine and her family are now supporting his weight loss journey, hoping to help him lose more than a stone and a half.
Documenting her pet's weight loss journey on social media, the mum-of-four shared a clip to TikTok of the furry animal wobbling down the stairs, which has now gained 298,300 views. The footage captures the feline's paws slide around under his massive weight as he totters from side to side, finding it difficult to balance his size on the stairs.
Other clips show-off Axel's enormous size as he struggles to walk around the house and rolls around waiting for belly rubs. Kristine, director of non-profit animal rescue Ferdinand and Friends Animal Rescue Network, is in the process of adopting Axel so that she can continue to help him shed some pounds. Kristine, from Ottawa, Canada, said: "The pictures and videos do not do it justice. It's mind blowing. He takes your breath away. We saw his profile and I actually thought he was 19lbs and not 19kg.
"It took two people to get him from the transport car to our car because his weight exceeded the carrier so it was breaking in the bottom. It's been difficult to find something to fit him in. I had to take him to the vet in a laundry basket. When he first arrived I put his litter box was next to his bed and his food was on the other side because he just could not take more than a few steps.
"Even just moving a few steps he would roll over to the side. He was panting, he was out of breath and you could see his lungs sucking in. His biggest motivation is when someone goes to the bathroom he likes to go to you when you're on the toilet. He would army crawl to you to be petted. We are in the process of adopting him.
"We love him – he's hilarious. He fits right in and he owns us all now. He can jump on the couch now – he lives on the couch. My 10-year-old daughter weighs the same as Axel. He jumped on her and she was being crushed. My dog is 60lbs and they both take up the same amount of space on the couch. Our dog is very old. He likes Axel because he is slow like him. They share snacks together and sleep together."
The animal lover, who frequently fosters rescue cats and dogs, put Axel on a strict weight loss plan to help him lose between 20-25lbs. Kristine said: "Without it, I don't think he'd be able to survive. He probably wouldn't be here right now [if he hadn't started losing weight]. He had no quality of life before where he just couldn't move. His heart makes it difficult at that size to move or do anything really.
"He may be an old cat but he's got a lot of years ahead of him. Doing this gives him the opportunity to have a new life. He's on a prescription diet. His food costs between $200-$300 a month – it's quite expensive. We don't know what he ate before but clearly he ate a lot". So far, Axel has lost just over 6lbs and weighs just under 37lbs. Kristine also said he is "more active now" – and can even jump up onto the sofa.
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