Tiffany Noreuil, an animal care technician at the Oregon Humane Society, holds temporarily-named feline Goliath, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2007, in Portland, Ore. Goliath, a 20-pound stray whose girth got him stuck in a pet door while trying to plunder some dog food, is back with his owner. His name isn't really Goliath, but it's close. It's Hercules, says owner Geoff Ernest, who was reunited with his tubby tabby Thursday at the society. Gresham, Ore., resident Jadwiga Drozdek found the feline stuck in the dog door of her home a few days ago, helped free him and gave him a plate of food on her patio. (AP Photo/The Oregonian, Benjamin Brink)
Oregon Man Reunited With His Tubby Tabby
Thursday, January 11, 2007 8:21 PM EST
The Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Here, KITTY KITTY KITTY. Goliath, a 20-pound stray whose girth got him stuck in a pet door while trying to plunder some dog food, is back with his owner.
His name isn't really Goliath, but it's close. It's Hercules, says owner Geoff Ernest, who was reunited with his tubby tabby Thursday at the Oregon Humane Society.
Gresham resident Jadwiga Drozdek found the feline stuck in the dog door of her home a few days ago, helped free him and gave him a plate of food on her patio.
Ernest said he had a house-sitter when he went to Seattle for a lung transplant six months ago, and Hercules departed.
While at the Humane Society, Hercules was diagnosed with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, similar to HIV in humans.
The society says cats can live years with the virus and still make good pets, but owners should keep them indoors to keep it from spreading.
Veterinarians say about 40 percent of America's cats are obese, putting them at risk for a variety of diabetes-related disorders.
Hercules, meanwhile, has had his 15 minutes of fame, piling up stacks of hits on You Tube and other Web sites.
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On the Web:
You Tube: www.youtube.com/
