Chubby Cat That Broke the Internet is Adopted Out to New Family Wednesday

Chubbs, the chill Himalayan mix cat of substantial girth who weighed 29 pounds when he was found wandering in Altadena last week, has got himself a new home in Monrovia.

Chubbs’ rotund figure and laid-back friendliness earned him massive media and internet popularity over the past week, where he was Instagrammed, Facebooked, TV-newsed and even “appeared” as a radio guest.

But when it came to adopting the plump feline Wednesday, only two people arrived at the Pasadena Humane Society headquarters on South Raymond Avenue wanting to make him theirs. And they were together.

Yvette and Ruben Viola, who recently lost their family cat of 14 years, were the only Chubbs fans who showed up Wednesday.

Yvette said she filled an application last Thursday when she heard about Chubbs for the first time.

“A girlfriend of mine sent me a link,” Yvette said. “She saw the Channel 7 news report about him and she says, ‘Oh, my goodness, I found a cat for you.’”

Yvette said she actually went to go see Chubbs in the flesh that same day.

“I was able to get in to meet him real quick and just give him a little scratch on the head and he’s so cute and he was very gentle, very loving,” she said. “I just kind of fell in love with him there.”

Chubbs, who was found wandering alone on a busy Altadena street last week, was supposed to go up for adoption over the weekend, but the PHS decided to postpone as they continued searching for the owners and monitored the cat’s health. His weight makes him susceptible to diseases.

Before the adoption deadline, PHS said anyone looking to adopt him must be willing to work with their veterinarian to put him on a healthy diet and cover any medical costs.

“We’re going to take good care of him,” Yvette said. “I think he’s going to be very happy. We’re very much cat people and just totally already adores him. He’s just very gentle and very sweet and I’m just so happy.”

When the adoption became final, PHS posted an update on Twitter: “Chubbs has left the building! Yvette and her husband are so excited to be bringing him home. Thanks for all the loving well wishes to Chubbs!”

The couple posed for a photo with Chubbs and a poster saying, “We love Chubbs!” before they took him home.