Chubby cats and cow cats have captured the hearts of cat lovers on the internet. Keith the Cat-Cow, a charming feline from the UK, combines both of these popular traits to become an utterly irresistible pet. Keith is nine years old, and his loving and kind-hearted nature has endeared him to his family. His cat mom revealed on Instagram that they rescued him when he was only six months old, underweight, and sick. Despite his health issues, Keith’s lively and fun-loving personality shone through. He found a best friend in his cat mom’s daughter, who has autism and struggles to make friends. When I contacted Keith’s cat mom to feature his story, she was delighted to share it. Prepare to be smitten by this exceptional kitty.

Can you tell me the story of how Keith joined your family? It all began in 2013 when my daughter and I were actively volunteering at a local cat rescue center. One day, a small, sick kitten was brought in after being discovered on the streets. Despite undergoing treatment for almost a month, the kitten’s health did not improve much due to his poor living conditions. Nevertheless, my daughter, who is on the autism spectrum, fell in love with him. He would follow her around and sit on her shoulders while she worked. In concern for his well-being, I decided to take him home and give him a chance at survival. I took him to the vet for testing due to concerns about FIV and FeLV, which could affect our other cats, without revealing it to my daughter. Coincidentally, it was Charlie’s birthday the next day, and she assumed we were bringing something to the shelter, but instead, we went to the vet to pick up the six-month-old kitten. We initially named him Spartacus because Charlie thought he was a fighter, but his playful and silly nature didn’t match the name, so we renamed him Keith. Charlie chose the name after the comedian Keith Lemon, as our furry friend was a source of endless amusement.

I’ve noticed that Keith appears to have shed off a few pounds! Can you tell me how he managed to achieve this? Keith has been grappling with his weight problem for quite some time now. He was only one year old when he weighed 5.5 kilograms and was placed on a stringent veterinary diet. Despite his restricted food intake, he never seemed to lose his appetite and continued consuming excessive amounts of food. Whenever we tried to reduce his food portions, he became anxious and fell ill. Keith used to scavenge for food in bins when he was outside, which only made his health worse. Even after switching him to an indoor lifestyle, his weight kept escalating, and we couldn’t find the root cause of it. Despite many costly tests, his vet believes that he may have a pituitary gland problem, but the risk of putting him through an MRI and anesthesia is too high. Our main focus right now is to prevent further weight gain by controlling his food intake and slowing down his eating pace. Keith is still a very active cat, so we’re always brainstorming new ideas to assist him in maintaining a healthy weight.