Midnight

Cinderblock, a grey tabby domestic shorthair estimated at approximately twenty-five pounds at intake, was surrendered to Northshore Veterinary Hospital in Bellingham, Washington in October 2019 by an owner unable to manage the cat's obesity-related health issues. The clinic enrolled her in a structured weight-management programme that included supervised hydrotherapy on an underwater treadmill, a standard intervention for feline obesity that reduces joint loading while encouraging caloric expenditure. A clinic technician filmed a routine treadmill session in late October 2019 in which Cinderblock stood on the moving belt and dragged her paws across the surface, refusing to lift her feet and producing a comically defeated body-language sequence. The clip was posted to the clinic's Facebook page and crossed approximately forty million views within the first week, with rapid pickup by the BBC, NPR, the Guardian, the Washington Post, the Today show, and dozens of international outlets. The clinic, an independent practice that had not previously had significant social-media reach, used the attention to discuss feline obesity rehab honestly: the supervised weight loss timeline projected for Cinderblock was approximately twelve to eighteen months, the target weight was approximately fifteen pounds, and the daily routine involved measured portion control, indoor enrichment programming, and continued underwater treadmill sessions twice weekly. Follow-up updates from Northshore through 2020 and 2021 tracked her gradual progress, with the cat reaching approximately seventeen pounds by mid-2021 and the clinic ultimately rehoming her to a permanent household with continued weight-management commitments. Coverage in subsequent veterinary-press features in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery cited the case as a useful public-facing example of structured feline obesity rehabilitation, noting that the cat's viral visibility had generated approximately a fivefold increase in clinic inquiries about feline weight-management services across the Pacific Northwest region. Cinderblock has lived in her permanent home from late 2021 through the present, with periodic update posts from the clinic and from the new owner. She was approximately ten in 2025, with continued weight-management routines in place and an established household identity beyond the original viral clip.