When Axel was surrendered to the shelter after his owner ended up in a hospital, everyone was shocked by his size.
The director of Ferdinand and Friends, a nonprofit rescue organization decided to foster Axel. As Christine said in her video:
“It took two people to carry him from one car to the other car. The bottom of the crate was falling out because his weight was so heavy. The first few days it was just weird, there was this giant cat and he would just crawl over.”
Although Axel lost his home of seven years, he was the sweetest boy ever. Most abandoned or surrendered cats find adapting to a new environment challenging, but Axel didn’t struggle at all.
He instantly made himself at home and enjoyed the endless attention Christine’s kids had to offer. However, he was weighing a whopping 43 lbs, which soon became an issue.
Axel had problems going up and down the stairs, his breathing was heavy, and his tiny heart was overworked. Christine knew she had to do something about it.
She was afraid that his weight would cause major health problems and she didn’t want to lose Axel. So she found two veterinarians who were willing to create a new diet for him.
However, at that time Christine couldn’t find a cat carrier big enough to transport him to the vet office.
She had to place him in a laundry basket and once they entered the vet office, everyone had a good laugh!
Surprisingly, his blood work was overall good with arthritis being the only issue. But considering his age and weight it was pretty much no surprise.
In addition to his new diet, Axel had to start exercising. Christine would play with him all afternoon and on weekends even taking him out for a walk.
In just six months, Axel dropped a little more than 10 pounds! Christine’s goal is to bring him down to 25 lbs and then continue the journey from there.
Although Axel came to Christine as a foster cat, she couldn’t resist his charm and she decided to officially adopt him! As she mentioned:
“I have four children, but he is my fifth. I tell my kids, you got a little brother you didn’t ask for.”
I’m so grateful that after his tough start in life, Axel ended up in a loving family who were willing to do anything to help him. Be sure to follow his weight loss journey on Instagram!
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