Mar 16, 2009 12:59 pm US/Eastern
Prince Chunk Thriving In New Jersey Home
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) ―
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This 44-pound cat was found on the street in Camden County, New Jersey and is currently being cared for by the SPCA.
CBS
The family that adopted the state's most famous stray cat,
an enormous white tabby named Prince Chunk, wants to make sure that pet owners
who are struggling financially aren't forced to give up their beloved animals.
Prince Chunk
skyrocketed to feline fame after being found last August wandering around the
south Jersey town of Voorhees
after his owner lost her home to foreclosure.
The cat initially was
called Princess Chunk by the Camden County Animal Shelter, which took him in
when he was reported to weigh a whopping 44 pounds, just shy of a world record.
He garnered national headlines and made the rounds of several television talk shows
and the New York
tabloid covers.
It was soon discovered
that Princess was a Prince, and the Damiani family, chosen from 500 applicants
to adopt him, said Chunk weighed only about 22 pounds on the scale at its Washington Township home.
The Damianis have been
caring for the cat since August, but they signed his adoption papers Feb. 17,
said the family's 18-year-old son, Vincent Damiani.
"He's basically a
victim of the economy," Damiani said of Prince Chunk. "He lost his
home due to foreclosure, and in the current economic situation, I think it's
important for people to know that they are not alone. We'll do everything we
can to help them."
Damiani says the family
plans to help by establishing the Prince Chunk Foundation, which it hopes to
have registered by the spring or summer. It hopes to raise money that will be
used to provide temporary assistance to financially struggling pet owners so they're
not forced to give up their animals.
"The unemployment
rate is about 8 percent right now, and people have to choose between feeding
themselves and feeding their animals, and that shouldn't be the case,"
Damiani said.
Damiani said the family
is grateful to the shelter and for the many supportive calls, letters and
inquiries about Prince Chunk it has received from across the country.
As for New Jersey's most famous
fat cat, Damiani said his family cherishes the cuddly, affectionate pet, who
has "a great personality."
The family has built
him a litter box shaped like a castle and says a strict vet-supervised diet has
helped the portly feline shed more than 2 pounds since August. Damiani says the
vet has assured him the cat is perfectly healthy, just unnaturally large.
Prince Chunk also is
fond of his new adoptive animal siblings, according to Damiani, who says he
gets along great with the family's kitten, Tito, and its three dogs: a terrier
named Romeo, a Pomeranian named Marla and a Chihuahua called Noel.
The only family pet
bigger than Chunk, Damiani says, is Romeo, who tips the scales at about 80 pounds.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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