Cat in Texas weighing 26 pounds is placed on diet after animal rescuers step in

A hefty feline weighing 26 pounds is now on the road to recovery.

The black house cat, Tanglewood, was in great need of care, so he was brought to Austin Pets Alive, an animal shelter in Austin, Texas, with lifesaving programs designed to save animals at risk of being euthanized.

Luis Sanchez, director of public relations at Austin Pets Alive, told Fox News Digital via email that Tanglewood is now in foster care with the shelter's cat adoption manager.

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"We are still monitoring him for seizures while we work to determine the cause, but we are focusing on his neurological symptoms and his broken front leg," said Sanchez. 

"After he starts feeling better, we will be his cheerleaders to get him on a weight loss plan and get him down a few pounds," he added. 

Tanglewood weighs 26 pounds and is in foster care thanks to an animal shelter in Austin, Texas. (Austin Pets Alive)

A domestic cat should weigh about 8 to 10 pounds, depending on the breed, according to the ASPCA. 

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Tanglewood was adopted eight months ago but then was returned to Austin Pets Alive in rough shape.

The ASPCA says obesity is a very common problem in pets and can be detrimental to an animal's health. Tanglewood at 26 pounds is shown here.  (Austin Pets Alive)

"He had a fractured leg when we picked him up, and then … over the course of a couple of days, he started developing some neurological symptoms that resulted in seizures," Allie Dono, the cat specialty populations coordinator at Austin Pets Alive, told FOX 7 Austin.

"One of the seizures was so intense that he ended up fracturing his jaw, so we had to put a jaw wire in."

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The ASPCA notes that obesity is a very common problem in pets and can be detrimental to a cat or dog's health.

An overweight pet has many added stresses upon its body and is at an increased risk of diabetes, liver problems and joint pain, according to the ASPCA.

Tanglewood is currently in a foster home. Animal rescuers in Austin, Texas, hope he will find a permanent family. (Austin Pets Alive)

Tanglewood will need a dedicated adopter who will make sure he sticks to his new diet plan.

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"We are grateful to our team for stepping in quickly and we are looking for an adoptive home for this lovable and friendly chonk," Sanchez said.

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