Sad news fat feline fans – TV fave MEOW, the 39 pound cat, has gone to that big litter box in the sky at age two.
Despite appearances on Today and on the Anderson Cooper Show to showcase his fight to diet, Meow has mewed his last — dying from respiratory distress and then pulmonary failure, the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society announced
Meow garnered national attention after his elderly owner dropped off the orange-and-white tubby tabby who weighed in at a morbidly obese 39 pounds at the New Mexico shelter last month.
They then called Santa Fe shelter, which placed him in a foster home in hopes Meow might shed enough weight to be adopted.
As Meow struggled to stop stuffing food, the whiskered weight king became a national celebrity, traveling to New York for appearances on NBC's "Today" show and "Anderson Cooper."
In a statement posted to Facebook, the Santa Fe shelter said Meow began wheezing last Thursday in his foster home and despite the efforts of four vets, he sadly succumbed to pulmonary failure.
"Meow had been doing so well in his foster home; walking up stairs and seeking affection — that it is so very hard to believe he is gone," the statement read.
"We will forever be grateful for the attention Meow's size brought to pet obesity and to animal shelters across the country."
MEMO FROM MEOW: FEED YOUR CATS, LESS!
