Tiny Tim was found on the street in Houston, TX shortly before Christmas of 2011 and was taken to BARC, the city shelter. He weighed 36 pounds and could barely walk. As Friends of BARC volunteers visited the shelter on Christmas Eve to deliver a holiday dinner, they saw the gigantic cat and decided to rescue him. Friends of BARC secured his release and transferred him to Southside Place Aninmal Hospital, which is owned by Friends of BARC member Dr. Alice Frei. Tiny Tim has been a resident at SPAH for an entire year while getting help with his weight and mobility issues.
Friends of BARC members tried to find tiny Tim’s family, but had no luck locating anyone who could reclaim the big gray tabby cat with the even bigger personality. After months of treatment, Dr. Frei decided to keep Tim as a permanent resident at the animal hospital.
We covered Tim’s early progress on May 8, in Jumbo Cat Tiny Tim Doing Well 4 Months After Rescue. At that time he had trimmed down to 32.2 pounds from his earlier weight of 36 pounds.
Tiny Tim is back in the news this weekend, a year after his rescue, and in time for the New Year, as we all look back over the past year and ahead to the next.
SPAH reports that Tiny Tim lost weight at a good and steady rate until May and June, when he plateaued out at around 30 pounds and his weight wouldn’t budge. A staff member discovered why when she picked up a bag of dog food stored in the supply closet where Tiny Tim has his own private nook. The dieting cat had chewed holes into the bottom of three bags of dog food and was surreptitiously snacking when no one was watching. SPAH says the secret eater was careful not to leave any loose pieces of food laying around.
After Tiny Tim’s dog food stash was removed he got back on track, and his weight is now down to about 27.6 pounds. He has lost about 25% of his body weight. He gets regular moderate exercise, and is in improved physical condition.
“As heavy as he is, he’s predisposed to become diabetic,” Dr. Jessica Reyna, one of four vets at SPAH, told the Houston Chronicle. “He’s got some special needs, and of course now we’ve all fallen in love with him.”
Tim’s weight loss is carefully monitored; he receives 300 calories a day, divided into two portions.
ABC News worked a video report on Tiny Tim’s weight loss into a piece on successful tips for those wanting to lost weight and get fit in the year ahead.
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