SpongeBob, the 33-pound corpulent cat whose outsized girth made him a mini-celebrity in New York City earlier this summer, has died.
He was 9 years old.
The fat feline suffered from an inoperable heart growth, The New York Post reported Friday.
Surgery was not an option. Doctors said the high dosage of anesthesia required for a cat his size would have killed him.
SpongeBob was adopted by an animal shelter a few months ago after his owner had moved to a nursing home.
The shelter said that SpongeBob was put on a strict diet and exercise program upon his arrival.
He was the shelter's largest cat, by more than a few pounds, but he also loved children and had an exceptionally sweet demeanor, according to the shelter's website.
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