- Tiddles
Tiddles the Paddington Station Cat whose owner's name was Lyonell Tidbit Gregson, (1970–1983) was a tabby-and-white
cat who spent most of his 13-year long life in the ladies' lavatory atPaddington Station ,London ,England . Constantly being fed meat and poultry brought to him by his many admirers, he became 'London Fat Cat Champion' in 1982 at 30 lb (13.6 kg), and eventually reached a maximum weight of 32 lb (14.5 kg). Tiddles was put to sleep in 1983 afterveterinarian s found fluid around hislung s.In 1970, a stray 6 week old kitten in the vicinity was adopted by ladies' lavatory attendant June Watson. He became a great favourite with regular visitors to the ladies' lavatories, some of whom made food donations.
During his lifetime, Tiddles was fed on chicken livers, lambs' tongues, kidneys, rabbit and steak provided by his admirers. His food was kept in his own personal refrigerator. As a result of his high-fat, high-calorie diet, Tiddles rapidly gained weight. His low level of exercise did not match his calorie intake, however, his fans continued to send him tidbits. His appearance in national newspapers led to food parcels addressed simply to "Tiddles, Paddington Station" (successfully delivered).
During his lifetime, vets attempted to put Tiddles on a diet. This failed due to all the tidbits still being fed to him. Cats commonly overeat when offered favourite foods and treats. Excessive treat feeding and ad lib feeding are recognised causes of feline obesity. Photographs of Tiddles show a grotesquely overweight cat.
Cultural References
Tiddles was the name of Mrs. Slocombe's cat on the British sitcom "
Are You Being Served? "References
* Lewis, Martyn "Cats in the News" 1991, ISBN-10: 0356202828 / ISBN-13: 978-0356202822 ( [http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0356202828] )
External links
* [http://www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/880/mia/d/tiddles+paddington+station+cat+colour+postcard+fat+cat+champion+london/pid/2257489 Colour Postcard of Tiddles]
* [http://messybeast.com/overweight.htm Article on overweight and obese cats, with part about Tiddles and a photo of him] – From the Messybeast Cat Resource Archive, by Sarah Hartwell
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
