Picture of an obese Sphynx cat looks like a plush toy

It is extraordinary, to me, that an owner of Sphynx cats can allow one of their cats to become morbidly obese and turn her cat into a celebrity and in doing so, vicariously, obtain some celebrity themselves. And it is doubly extraordinary that some of the comments are the Instagram page which promotes this obese creature are in praise of this person. For example, one person comments “I’d follow her anywhere. I’m obsessed with Jadu. I want to hug her!”

Another person said: “I get so happy seeing Jadu!” I am afraid that the people commenting and the cat owner have lost their moral compass if they ever had one.

It seems that I am out of step with these people because I don’t get ‘so happy’ when I see Jadu. I see a cat with actual or potential health problems and an owner who is misbehaving. I guess that you have to be part of the social media celebrity-seeking set to enjoy these sorts of photographs.

Admittedly, Jadu looks interesting, as she might, because she is hairless and fat. An interesting aspect of the pictures is that you can see the fine downy hair on her body. Often you can’t see these hairs because the quality of photography isn’t good enough. At least I can hand that to her; she does take a decent photograph.

She has limited the comments that you can make on her Instagram page which is understandable seeing as there will be criticism. And she’s asked people not to repost the pictures on other platforms. I have reluctantly ignored that advice because I think it important that people see the photographs as a lesson in what not to do.

She has stated that Jadu is on a diet. However, Jadu was obese in January and is still obese to the same extent, if not worse, on April 29, 2022. I have to conclude, therefore, that the diet isn’t working. Incidentally, if you do put your cat on a diet, you should do it gently because if you don’t it can cause hepatic lipidosis which is fatty liver disease.

I am being a grumpy old man but I have always stated that it is unethical to allow your cat companion to become morbidly obese and then try and turn that cat into a celebrity on social media. I don’t need to explain why it is unethical to behave like that. And if people use social media to seek celebrity, they should expect their photographs to be reused on other platforms. It is part and parcel of the process.

Below are some pics and articles on obesity:

Gross obesity in a domestic cat

A good example of domestic cat exploitation on TikTok showing a grossly obese cat

To the best of my knowledge, TikTok is infamous for featuring animal exploitation videos. By this I mean animals such ...
2022 - the world's most obese domestic cat

How do you define cat obesity and human obesity?

The definition for obesity if different for cats and people. Surprisingly for domestic cats 'obesity' is defined as 'greater than ...
How does obesity affect cats?

How does obesity affect cats?

The question in the title is current as according to VCA Hospitals in the United States, almost 60% of domestic ...
Do domestic cats like the taste of salt?

Do domestic cats like the taste of salt? Plus info on flavour and odour enhancers.

The internet provides discombobulated information on this topic! For example, the website Excited Cats tells me that cats like salt ...
Useful tag. Click to see the articles: Cat behavior

Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.
Useful links
Anxiety - reduce it
FULL Maine Coon guide - lots of pages
Children and cats - important

Michael Broad

Hi, I'm a 74-year-old retired solicitor (attorney in the US). Before qualifying I worked in many jobs including professional photography. I love nature, cats and all animals. I am concerned about their welfare. If you want to read more click here.

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9 Responses

  1. doodlebob says:

    I love sphynx cat very fat cat so much i awaanna own one and thsis site is very inspiring. (im 11)

  2. Crazy Cat Lovin Lady says:

    This cat makes me want to cry. Sphynx have a high metabolism, so the fact it’s owner intentionally made it fat is animal cruelty. I hope that this cat has some medical issue that has contributed to its size, and that it’s owner is doing everything to keep it healthy, but intentional pet obesity for the sake of something as stupid and petty as internet fame should be illegal, and if that’s truly the case, someone needs to take this cat away and put it in the home of someone responsible! We already have enough people breeding animals for unethical reasons, with no care to the animals health or well being. We have shelters full of neglected and dumped animals, many due to fads and poorly thought impulse purchases like Christmas and Easter. Please, for the sake of these animals, when will this sort of madness end?!!

  3. tamara beinlich says:

    OMG Mike, this made me cry [link to page removed by admin].

  4. tamara beinlich says:

    I’ve had a few overweight cats and I believe like people some are just made to be fat. My Tony Soprano was big and fat when he was dumped out here. He really doesn’t eat much and yet he’s still a big guy and after I neutered him he got a little bigger. I do feed treats and when I feed wet food he doesn’t get any. I feed indoor food that’s suppose to help them not get fat but yet Tony is still fat.

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