Feline bloated? Giant pet cat weighing 26 pounds is placed on a diet and taken into foster care after animal rescuers intervene

An enormous 26 pound black cat has been placed on a strict diet after animal rescuers in Texas intervened and took the feline into a shelter.

Tanglewood, a black house cat, was at risk of being euthanized should he continue to balloon in size, but has now been taken in by staff at Austin Pets Alive in Austin, who run programs specifically designed to save at-risk animals.

The fat cat is now in foster care with the shelter's cat adoption manager who is looking for a forever family to look after him long term.

Tanglewood had been adopted only eight months ago from the same shelter but was then abandoned this week at Austin Animal Shelter, the city's municipal shelter.

An enormous 26 pound black cat has been placed on a strict diet after animal rescuers in Texas intervened and took the feline into a shelter

Shelter staff noticed he had a broken leg and that he was originally one of Austin Pets Alive's cats

Shelter staff noticed he had a broken leg and that he was originally one of Austin Pets Alive's cats. 

He was then returned to the organization in bad shape.

'He had a fractured leg when we picked him up, and then over the course of a couple of days, he started developing some neurological symptoms that resulted in seizures,' cat specialist Allie Dono explained.

'One of the seizures was so intense that he ended up fracturing his jaw, so we had to put a jaw wire in.' 

'He loves chin scratches. He loves belly rubs. He's one of those cats where the belly is not a trap. You can get in there and rub it. He loves it,' said Dono. 

Staff believe that Tanglewood was having seizures so severe that they caused the broken leg. 

He may also have been abandoned because of his medical condition and the enormous vet bills associated with treating him. 

Tanglewood had only been adopted eight months ago but it's possible the high cost of vet bills saw him being abandoned by his adoptive family

Pets that are overweight often have to deal with a host of additional health problems because of the increased stress places upon their body

Staff at the shelter realized that it was the same cat that had been adopted only 8 months prior

'We are still monitoring him for seizures while we work to determine the cause, but we are focusing on his neurological symptoms and his broken front leg,' said Luis Sanchez of Austin Pets Alive, told Fox 7.

'After he starts feeling better, we will be his cheerleaders to get him on a weight loss plan and get him down a few pounds,' he explained. 

'We are grateful to our team for stepping in quickly and we are looking for an adoptive home for this lovable and friendly chonk,' Sanchez said.

Domestic cats normally weigh between 8 and 10 pounds and can vary depending on the breed.

The ASPCA notes that obesity is a very common problem in pets and can be detrimental to a cat or dog's health. 

Pets that are overweight often have to deal with a host of additional health problems because of the increased stress places upon their body.

Overweight cats are also at increased risk of diabetes, liver problems and joint pain.

'It's not good for him to be that obese, and I'm sure that once we handle all the other medical issues it will work to slowly get his body weight down, but not the highest priority at the moment,' said Dono. 'He's just like a big mush ball that we adore so much.'