35-pound cat looking for a loving, fur-ever home in DC

"He’s going to be a great pet for somebody,” said spokesperson Matt Williams.

ByABC News
June 16, 2017, 1:58 PM

— -- Behold Symba, the 35-pound cat. He’s up for adoption, waiting for a fur-ever home in Washington, D.C.

The obese orange tabby was surrendered to the Humane Rescue Alliance.

“We’ve had Symba for about a week,” the organization's spokesperson, Matt Williams, told ABC News. “He was surrendered to us when his owner had to move into a retirement home. He could not bring the cat with him. We’ve put him on an exercise program and supervised diet. And he is up for adoption now.”

PHOTO: Symba the 35-pound cat is looking for a loving, fur-ever home in Washington, D.C.
Symba the 35-pound cat is looking for a loving, fur-ever home in Washington, D.C.

He added, “We’re certainly going to make sure the adopter understands they need to continue this program. We will give the adopter exercises to use. We give them games and puzzles to keep them active.”

PHOTO: Symba the 35-pound cat is looking for a loving, fur-ever home in Washington, D.C.
Symba the 35-pound cat is looking for a loving, fur-ever home in Washington, D.C.

The rescue group is confident Symba will find a happy, healthy home.

“He went up for adoption yesterday and we’ll see what the next few days bring,” said Williams. “D.C. has a great adoption pool. It’s a great place to adopt animals. We’re confident we’ll find a qualified adopter who understands the situation.”

Williams said 6-year-old Symba is the fattest cat he's seen at the Humane Rescue Alliance.

“Unfortunately we’ve seen this before, but maybe not to this degree,” he said. “He’s maybe the biggest cat I’ve ever seen since I’ve been here but it’s not uncommon to see obese animals.”

PHOTO: Symba the 35-pound cat is looking for a loving, fur-ever home in Washington, D.C.
Symba the 35-pound cat is looking for a loving, fur-ever home in Washington, D.C.

Williams said Symba is a “very sweet” feline.

“He loves people and loves to be petted. He’s going to be a great pet for somebody,” he said.

Symba is currently at the alliance’s New York Avenue location for adoption.