In Edmonton, a chubby cat named Peaches is doing something amazing.
Although he’s a bit too heavy and has diabetes, Peaches is winning over people’s hearts by swimming to get in shape!
Peaches is Overweight
Peaches was the kind of cat who liked to eat and lounge around a lot, which made him gain weight.
His owner, Chastity Emes, tried to help him exercise by walking him on a leash, but Peaches would just lie down and refuse to move.
It became serious when he got sick, and the vet said he had diabetes because of his weight.
Swimming to Get Fit
That’s when Chastity had a clever idea. She took Peaches to a place called Frisky Pup Canine Hydrotherapy & Fitness.
There, a friendly hydrotherapist named Kira Palechek helped Peaches start swimming.
“He’s really good in the pool, he’s a good sport,” says Palechek, countering the common image of an angry, scratchy cat.
The water was warm and gentle, perfect for a cat who needed to move without hurting his joints.
From Swimming to Internet Fame
Peaches didn’t like swimming at first and would complain a lot, but he’s now become used to it and doesn’t make as much noise.
Chastity began to share videos of Peaches swimming on TikTok, and surprisingly, these videos made Peaches quite popular!
The Peaches the Purrmaid account exploded to 35,000 followers, with fans leaving comments like, “Peaches doesn’t know it, but I would die for him.”
Looking Ahead
Peaches need to lose about 4.5 pounds to be healthy, but he seems to be on the right track as of now. He’s still chubby, but he’s improved a lot since then!
Chastity can see he’s getting thinner, and there’s hope that he might not need his diabetes medicine someday if he keeps this up.
As Peaches keeps working hard at his swimming, he shows us all how we can face our challenges with a little help and lots of love.
Keep going, Peaches – many people are supporting you with every swim!
