Illinois Fat cat 'Big Lebowski' looking for fur-ever home
WHEATON, Illinois -- An Illinois fat cat dubbed "Big Lebowski" is looking for a fur-ever home.
The 3-year-old feline arrived at the DuPage County Animal Services shelter last week after his previous owners gave him up because they were moving, and the staff named him after the famous film.
"(He) loves to cuddle, loves to be brushed, he's a big man with a lot of love," Dr. Barbara Hanek said.
Since he arrived at the shelter, Big Lebowski has been put on a low carb diet called "Catkins."
"He came in at a little over 29 pounds, right now he's a little over 28 pounds," Dr. Hanek said. "Weight loss in cats, you want to make sure you do it slowly. We don't want to do it too quickly."
Big Lebowksi isn't only losing weight, he's gaining fame.
A photo of him, uploaded to the shelter's Facebook page, was shared over 1,700 times in 48 hours -- and people around the country are asking to adopt him.
The staff is hoping Big Lebowski's social media status will help other animals at the shelter find forever homes too.
"We're running a special right now for rabbits and kittens, it's a BOGO, buy one get one," Dr. Hanek said. "We have a lot of animals that need to be adopted."
The shelter's staff said Big Lebowsk is "a big man with a whole lot of love," and he's good with kids and other cats. Dr. Hanek said she hopes the future family can help him lose a few more pounds.
"Luckily, we don't adopt per pound, our adoptive fee isn't by weight," she said. "So it's just a flat fee of $60. Otherwise he would be about $600."
Anyone interested in being Big Lebowski's new owner can visit DuPage County Animal Services to apply.
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