Chonkiest Lynx Cat in The World Has Died At The Age Of 15 From A Heart Condition

Rufus became famous when a restaurant used his photo for a meme to promote their food.

Damjan

• Published in Animal Stories
• May 18, 2020

Rufus, the world’s fattest lynx cat, died because of his heart condition related to his age (15) and obesity. The lynx cat was a resident of the Schweinfurt Wildlife Park in Bavaria, Germany. The large and in charge "wild" cat spent most of the time sleeping and eating, which resulted in substantial weight gain.

The lynx cat began to gain weight after he was spayed, which resulted in the loss of all interest in chasing females and sex. In 2018, Thomas Leier, Schweinfurt Wildlife Park’s manager, described the lynx cat as “quite relaxed” since “where there is no testosterone, there is no sex.”

Even though he weighed 48kg (105.8lbs), the cat was in good health until a few months ago, when the symptoms of his heart condition began to appear. We know it's not good for our domesticated cats to stay so fat (even IF fat cats are cute,) so it's no surprise that large cats shouldn't either.

Schweinfurt Wildlife Park management stated that the large cat had to be put down on May 13., after severe shortness of breath began to seriously affect his life quality.

Despite veterinary treatment, his health worsened dramatically, and the vets suggested they should end his suffering, which the management accepted with a heavy heart.

The lynx became famous after one restaurant, Pluckers Wing Bar in Texas made a meme to promote their dishes, using a photo of Rufus with his belly on full display and a caption: “Me with a belly full of wings wondering if I should order fried Oreos.”

This image had many shares and received a lot of love, and Rufus became a celebrity. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to enjoy fame for very long. The only consolation is that he will continue to live on in our memories and the adorable memes.

Damjan