CNN viewers went crazy for this cat. She’s from Bellingham
We’ve all been there — having to drop a few pounds and not feeling the urge to work out. But who knew you could become an internet obsession because of it?
Northshore Veterinary Hospital is attempting to help an 8-year-old, portly Bellingham cat work back into shape one step at a time, and her fitness journey has captured the heart of social media and drawn national news attention, with CNN and the Huffington Post documenting her story.
Amazon is even selling T-shirts — available in 10 colors — proclaiming the City of Subdued Excitement’s latest hero as “my spirit animal,” and Canadian artist Alex Plante painted cartoon images of the 21.8-pound, gray domestic shorthair and stated “I’m rooting for you” on Twitter.
If you haven’t already, meet Cinder-Block — affectionately called “Cinder” in Facebook posts by Northshore Veterinary staff.
Northshore became aware of Cinder-Block when her former owner couldn’t care for the obese feline anymore because of her own health issues and caring for her father, who suffers from dementia. The owner took Cinder-Block to Northshore and asked to have Cinder euthanized.
“We’re not usually in the practice of taking animals in like that,” veterinarian Brita Kiffney told The Bellingham Herald. “If we did that, we’d each have like 15 extra pets to care for, and that wouldn’t be good for any of us.
“But Cinder had such a sweet disposition and she has such a great purr. Other than her obesity and her arthritis, there is really nothing wrong with her. It didn’t seem right to euthanize her when we could help her out.”
Cinder’s journey back to health with the Northshore staff’s assistance has gone full-on Grumpy Cat in popularity with nearly daily posts of her walk to fitness.
“Join us on Cinder’s weight loss journey,” an Oct. 18 post read. “This fabulous feline is obese, and it is affecting her quality of life. We are helping her achieve weight loss through a prescription diet and exercise.”
On Oct. 19, Northshore’s video post showed Cinder reluctantly beginning a workout routine on an underwater treadmill, sitting on the side of the device and using just one paw. The video was seen more than 2.2 million times, CNN reported.
Three days later, Cinder was shown jumping into her exercise routine with all four legs, walking and — dare we say it — even running a little.
“Many people have wondered why we are subjecting Cinder to the underwater treadmill,” an Oct. 22 post read. “Cinder has arthritis in multiple joints and is carrying an extra 10 (pounds) of body weight. The water provides a reduced weight-bearing environment that increases functional use of limbs without marked weight loading and resultant discomfort to joints.”
In between workout videos, Northshore has documented Cinder’s quest with videos and pictures about her eating, reluctantly waking up and even sprinkling in some fun with Halloween costumes and a photoshoot. Cinder’s face is now the profile picture for Northshore’s Facebook page.
And each post has been adored by social media with likes, shares and mostly supportive comments.
On Sunday, a slightly slimmed down Cinder-Block fit into a cheerleader outfit to root for the Seahawks, a Northshore Facebook post showed.
“She has captured the hearts of many,” an Oct. 24 post by Northshore read, asking for help raising money for the clinic’s non-profit partners.
In the first two weeks of her well-publicized diet, Cinder-Block has lost approximately three-tenths of a pound, Kiffney told The Herald.
Though that may not seem like a lot, every little bit helps. Kiffney said the plan is to get Cinder-Block down to approximately 12 pounds by losing approximately 4% or 5% of her body weight per month.
Cinder is now staying at the clinic, where staff are not only watching what she eats and exercising her, but also giving her plenty of attention and helping her clean herself — a task “she struggles with, because she’s a little too fat,” Kiffney said. Once Cinder gets a little lighter, the plan is for her to go home with Northshore receptionist Jan Province, who recently lost a cat of her own.
Kiffney credited rehab therapist Haley Pies and veterinary technician Jason Collins for their work with Cinder-Block on the treadmill.
The treadmill is usually used for dogs, but Cinder’s arthritis make it “purrfect” for Cinder and her aching joints.
“A lot of the credit has to our practice’s owner, Dr. Kimberly Barron,” Kiffney said. “She was supportive of us bringing Cinder in, and she’s the reason we have the treadmill — Dr. Barron is very progressive in her treatment methods.”
Since Cinder has gone viral, Purina stepped in with food for Cinder, Kiffney said, and the clinic licensed the Oct. 19 video to help pay for Cinder’s care and that of other animals.
This story was originally published October 28, 2019 at 9:57 AM with the headline "CNN viewers went crazy for this cat. She’s from Bellingham."
