The world’s fattest cat, Crumbs, has died weeks after being sent to a feline fat camp — with vets saying his extensive layers of flab had hidden his cancerous tumors.
The feline, named Kroshik (Russian for “Crumbs”), went viral after he was rescued from the basement of a Russian hospital where he was raised on a diet of scraps, biscuits and soup — causing him to weigh a whopping 38 pounds.
Crumbs found some success slimming down at a special veterinary weight loss center in Perm, Russia, losing 7 pounds — before suddenly developing breathing problems and dying Saturday, NewsX reported.
Vets at the diet center believe the fat cat’s layers of flab were so deep that scans ultimately failed to show he had cancerous tumors developed on his spleen and other internal organs.
Galiana More, who owns the Matroskin cat shelter which treated Crumbs, said they believed the tumors triggered multiple organs to collapse.
Crumbs’ official cause of death was still pending his full post-mortem exam, which was set for Monday.
Even with the exam, it still will be “very difficult” to determine whether the fat cat’s demise was caused by his excess weight or tumors, More said.
“When this is a large set of such multi-organ failure, the body simply can not cope, despite the fact that Kroshik was really a fighter,” she said.
“We are looking ahead to starting an examination, to understand why the Crumbs died but we will have to wait for five days for that conclusion.”
More noted that cats often hide symptoms when they become ill, only revealing they were facing an issue after death.
“Cats always hold on to the last, they do not show this disease. Kroshik had no shortness of breath, no digestive problems,” she said.
“We could not do ultrasound, but we constantly monitored his health, because we understood that excess weight does not just happen.”
Crumbs’ tests were all normal as well in the weeks leading up to his death, she said.
“It hurts that we didn’t know about it before, couldn’t help,” she said, adding, “This is a great loss for us, because Kroshik was a symbol of hope for everyone, and we really wanted to publish only good news. It’s really painful to talk about it.”
Crumbs — who was so heavy he could not walk — followed a strict diet and exercise regimen that included walking on an underwater treadmill to help him start to lose weight.
Despite their best efforts, Crumbs’ heartbroken caretakers noted in a statement that “sometimes miracles do not happen.”
“Sometimes even the strongest cats cannot cope. Sometimes even the best doctors, rehabilitation centers and support from people around the world are not able to help,” they said.
“Thank you for being and staying with Kroshik until his very last breath. Thank you for being the reason why Kroshik believed in good people.”
