Meow, the 39-Pound Cat, Dies

Meow made headlines in late April for his astonishing weight. In a little over two years, the cat had managed, due to over-indulging, to balloon to just over 40 pounds, the equivalent of 600 pounds for a human. Meow made the media rounds after folks found out about his astonishing weight, even appearing on The Today Show. Cries to help Meow did not go unheard, and the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society set out to help the cat control his weight.

Read: Meow, 40-Pound Cat, Makes Headlines

The animal shelter looked to gain the support of those across the nation, and established, via their Facebook page, a weigh-in program where users could track the cat's weight loss. That, however, would not be long lasting.

After experiencing wheezing last week, the animal shelter decided to forego Meow's scheduled weigh-in for last week. It was this wheezing, brought on by respiratory distress, that claimed Meow's life. The respiratory distress was almost certainly a result of Meow's obese condition.

Though we only knew him for a short while, Meow had a tremendous impact on those who worked with him and those who knew his story. His obese condition shed light and brought attention to the epidemic that is pet obesity, and it's hoped that Meow's death is not in vain.

What do you think about the death of Meow? Share your thoughts in a comment.