Prince Chunk
Other name(s)Powder, Princess Chunk, Captain Chunk
SpeciesTabby cat
SexMale
BornPowder
1998[1]
Voorhees, New Jersey, U.S.
Died (aged 12)
Voorhees, New Jersey
OwnerDonna Damiani[2]
Weight44 lb (20 kg) (around 22 lb (10 kg) before death)[2]

Prince Chunk (also known as Princess Chunk and Captain Chunk, real name: Powder) (1998 – November 21, 2010) was a domestic shorthair cat, who at one time was alleged to weigh 44 pounds (20 kg), a world record. He was found in Voorhees, New Jersey, on July 26, 2008, by Animal Control, who nicknamed him "Captain Chunk". After a search for his owner, it was found that his name was Powder and that he was abandoned by Donna Oklatner, an elderly Voorhees resident. Oklatner claimed she could not afford to take care of the cat when she lost her home in foreclosure proceedings.[3]

He was later adopted from the Camden County Animal Shelter in New Jersey by Donna Damiani of Blackwood, New Jersey,[4] and in August 2008 his weight was already down to 22 pounds.[2]

According to the Guinness World Records, the largest tabby cat was forty-six pounds and fifteen ounces.[5] Since then, the publishers have dropped the category to prevent deliberate overfeeding and possible harm to cats.

He made television appearances on Live with Regis and Kelly, Good Morning America, Fox News, and MSNBC, based on his reported weight, but reliable sources of the cat's definitive weight in July 2008 are not available. One paper reported that "shelter officials said they were perplexed by the discrepancy", after the Damiani family found that the cat weighed just over 22 pounds, "days after" receiving him.[6] The Damiani family later founded the Prince Chunk Foundation, a nonprofit that allows people to keep their pets in difficult financial situations by giving them free pet food and vet care.[7][4]

Prince Chunk died in his sleep[4] on November 21, 2010, due to heart disease.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Owner comes forward for Princess Chunk (or is it Prince Chunk?)". Courier-Post. July 31, 2008. Retrieved July 31, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 "Not So Chunk-y? New Owner Says Fat Cat's Weight Is Down to 22 Pounds". New York Daily News. August 28, 2008. Archived from the original on December 31, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023. "UPDATED: January 12, 2019": Text unchanged from original: web.archive.org/web/20080831091912/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/08/28/2008-08-28_not_so_chunky_new_owner_says_fat_cats_we.html but byline missing. Audio added. URL changed.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  3. ↑ "Fat Cat's Owner Found; Lost Home to Foreclosure". FOXNews.com. July 31, 2008. Retrieved July 31, 2008.
  4. 1 2 3 "Famously large cat Prince Chunk dies in New Jersey". EW.com. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Vet: 44-pound cat is a he; real name 'Powder'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. July 31, 2008. Retrieved July 31, 2008.
  6. ↑ Shapiro, Rich (March 14, 2009). "Famed Fat Cat Chunk Still Living (and Eating) Like a King". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on December 31, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2010. "UPDATED: January 11, 2019": Text slightly changed from original web.archive.org/web/20100613013657/https://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2009/03/14/2009-03-14_famed_fat_cat_chunk_still_living_and_eat.html, byline missing. Audio added. URL changed.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  7. ↑ Schapiro, Rich (March 14, 2009). "Prince Chunk Foundation, Named after Fat Tabby, Gives Free Vet Care, Food to Struggling Pet Owners". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on December 31, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023. "UPDATED: April 9, 2018": Text unchanged from original: archive.org/web/20180616153521/https://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/pets/prince-chunk-foundation-named-fat-tabby-free-vet-care-food-struggling-pet-owners-article-1.181767. Audio added. URL changed.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  8. ↑ Shapiro, Rich (November 26, 2010). "Prince Chunk, New Jersey Cat that Weighed as much as 44 pounds, Dies". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on December 31, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023. "UPDATED: January 11, 2019": Text unchanged from original: web.archive.org/web/20101130043005/http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/pets/2010/11/26/2010-11-26_prince_chunk_famed_new_jersey_cat_that_weighed_as_much_as_44_pounds_dies.html but byline missing. Audio added. URL changed.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
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