Enormous Cat Makes Everyone Who Knows Him Seem Tiny

The cat was a gift from the ex.

Which might explain a lot when it comes to Ginge, the ever-growing cuddle puddle from Essex, England, who just might make a claim for the crown of the country's biggest cat.

When Ginge was given to Danny Bennett, he looked every inch the normal Siberian forest cat. Bennett had no idea, he tells the Daily Mail, that there was a great wooly mammoth of a cat inside, just dying to eat his way out.

"He was just a normal-sized cat back then. I had no idea he would get this big," Bennett said. "Every time people come here or when we take him to the vets they are amazed by how big he is."

Today, Ginge weighs in at 22 pounds. That's about the size of a small toddler.

He also happens to be 18 inches tall and 40 inches long. It all adds up to a cat who can be a handful on a leash.

"Trying to control a cat that's the size of a medium dog is a bit difficult to say the least," Bennett told The Mail.

So, how did Ginge achieve those awwww-inspiring proportions?

McLove, actually.

Ginge has earned a bit of a reputation for attacking Big Macs, his owner says. Only as a special treat. But then again, who says no to Ginge?

Well, maybe just the record books.

For all Ginge's great girth - a trait shared by many Siberian forest cats - he's a far cry the biggest cat the world has known.

Earlier this year, a German cat named Elvis tipped the scales at 38.5 pounds. But Elvis is nothing to croon about. In fact, the diabetes-ridden animal was a poster cat for obesity in pets - a worldwide phenomenon that puts deadly strain on internal organs.

In America, somewhere around 58 per cent of cats are considered obese. Dogs get there too, with some 53 per cent considered too fat.

For Siberian forest cats, on the other hand, heft is a hallmark of the breed.

And they're not alone.

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The girth does not stand still for these cats who positively dwarf their human underlings. Take the Maine coon, a close relative of the Siberian forest cat, widely considered the biggest domestic breed on Earth. They regularly tip the scales at 12 to 18 pounds.

Ginge may be McLoving it. But pet obesity is a real problem. Learn more about it here.