These cats are livin’ large.
Photographer Pete Thorne, who’s based in Toronto, recently released a variety of photos featuring some lovably plump felines as part of a series called “Fat Cats: Large And In Charge.”
And we really cannot deal with their tubby little faces!
Thorne has created a Kickstarter campaign to turn the series into a coffee table book. So far, donors have contributed more than $2,800 of the fundraiser’s $17,533 goal.
Thorne explained that he felt that portly kitties deserve some lovin’ too.
“I realized that there were all these chubby cats out there, and yet a lot of the images I saw online tended to be mocking or making fun of fat cats,” he told The Huffington Post in an email. “So I decided that I would try to photograph them in the most positive light.
The series shows all types of cats, many of which were referred to Thorne by a vet, against vibrant backgrounds. Thorne, who shot the portraits over the course of a year and a half, mentioned that taking photos of fat cats isn’t as easy as you’d think.
“Any cat owner (or photographer) knows its tough to photograph a cat. They are pretty much in charge of the situation,” he said. “They are going to do what they want. You would think that because they are heftier they would be slower. Nope.”
While the cats are cute in their own right, Thorne says he also hopes the photos will also encourage pet owners to keep their cats healthy and take them to the vet. In fact, several of the cat models are currently on diets themselves.
“We could also use this as an educational opportunity, encourage owners to talk to their vets, and get their cats on a diet, and encourage play and activity for weight loss.”
“I am definitely not condoning poor dietary practice, nor am I going to shame the owners or mock the cats,” Thorne explained to HuffPost. “That being said we could also use this as an educational opportunity, encourage owners to talk to their vets, and get their cats on a diet, and encourage play and activity for weight loss.
Indeed, it’s important for overweight cats to get on a healthier track. Being overweight could put felines at risk for diabetes, Erin Wilson, medical director of the ASPCA Adoption Center, told HuffPost. The extra pounds can put strain on their joints and also make it difficult for some cats to groom themselves. Wilson suggests keeping a veterinarian involved with the overweight cat’s weight loss to develop a proper plan.
“The next best option is to decrease the amount fed at each meal very, very, slowly over several weeks,” she said. “Cats tend to take a long time to lose weight, too. A weight loss of 1-2 pounds over the course of a year is actually considered a great success!”
Though we want our furry friends to be healthy as possible, we’ll love these guys ― and basically all other felines ― no matter what size they are.