One life down, eight more to go! Fat cat survives a 100-foot fall from a balcony and crashes through a car windshield
- 20 lb (9 kg) Kat fell six stories before crashing through the back window of a car
- The owner was fined – but because pets were not allowed in the apartments
An overweight cat was found with only minor injuries after falling 90 feet from a balcony in Bangkok, despite crashing through the back window of a car below.
Shi Fu, the cat, was walking along the balcony wall of his unnamed owner when he slipped and fell from the sixth floor of a building in the Thai city on May 27.
Apiwat Toyothaka, owner of a red MG outside the apartment block, said staff called him to say a cat had fallen on his car. He found the rear window completely shattered.
Shi Fu’s owner also cried at the scene, saying she forgot to close the balcony door to her flat, allowing the cat to wander away.
The cat was rushed to the vet and was found to have several bruises, two broken claws and a swollen nose from hitting the glass, but no life-threatening injuries.
Video from outside the apartment captured the moment the cat fell from a height of 28 meters in Bangkok, Thailand
Shi Fu escaped with a swollen nose, bruises and broken claws after falling six stories
CCTV captured the moment when the animal launched a dive bomb into the parking lot below from a height of 90 feet.
The owner of the cat was subsequently fined THB 1,000 (£23.22) because they were not supposed to keep pets in the apartments.
Monruthai Klinsuk, a co-owner of the vehicle, told local media: ‘The cat has now moved from the owner’s residence. So please don’t say anything negative about her.
“It’s hard to take care of cats and everything happened by accident.
“The cat owner has learned her lesson and is trying to help her pet lose weight.”
Apiwat, who admitted to being a cat lover himself, said he called their insurance company to claim money to fix their car.
The Guinness World Records has now revoked the title of ‘the heaviest cat in the world’ to discourage overfeeding.
But Himmy, a cat from Australia, was recorded as weighing 21.3 kg when he died in 1986 at the age of 10.
A cat named Meow from Santa Fe, New Mexico was recorded as the heaviest cat in the world when he died in 2012, aged 1-2.
Meow weighed 18 kg.
In the UK, pet owners have been prosecuted for animal cruelty because their pets are dangerously obese.
In the US, where about 55% of adult cats are overweight or obese, a National Pet Obesity Awareness Day has been set up for every October 14.
The Cat in the Hatchback: 20lb Shi Fu escaped with minor injuries after falling 90 feet
The cat was taken to a vet, scanned and found to have only minor injuries from the fall
Obese cats are larger risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and accelerated joint degeneration.
A 2.8-fold increase in mortality has been shown in obese cats between eight and 12 years of age compared to lean cats.
They are also more likely to have diseases that affect the mouth and urinary tract, such as bladder stones and cat acne.