Barsik – The 18.5kg Cat That’s Six Times Heavier Than a Normal House Cat
Weighing in at 18.5 kilograms (40 pounds) – six times heavier than an average house cat – Barsik has been placed on a strict weight-loss program.
Recently, Barsik was brought to an animal rescue center in Manhattan, New York, to find a new home. His former owners had to move and couldn’t take him along due to his extreme obesity.
At 18.5kg, Barsik is currently considered the heaviest cat in the world.
Because of his size, Barsik cannot fit into regular cat carriers or litter boxes, so the rescue center had to create custom oversized ones for him. Staff hope to find him a new owner who can provide a healthy diet and regular exercise.
To begin, Barsik’s meals are being divided into smaller portions throughout the day, combined with increased physical activity. However, the process isn’t as simple as human weight loss – losing weight too quickly could cause him to develop hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease).
“He’s too big for standard cat carriers and litter trays – we had to build custom ones,” staff explained.
Fortunately, Barsik is a sweet and cooperative cat who hasn’t shown irritability during his weight-loss journey. Over time, he has also stopped hiding in corners like he did when he first arrived at the center – not that hiding helped much, since he would often get stuck.
Although Barsik is recognized as the world’s heaviest living cat, he will not be recorded in the Guinness World Records, since the organization stopped tracking cat weights in 1998 to prevent owners from overfeeding their pets.
The previous record-holder was Himmy, an Australian cat who weighed 20.8kg (46 pounds) and passed away in 1986 at the age of 10.
For Barsik to be adopted, successful weight loss is essential.