Don’t be fooled by the name: Skinny the cat is one hefty feline.

Skinny weighs 41 pounds and he needs a home.

A Dallas-area animal shelter has cared for the 5-year-old orange tabby since getting a call about a stray in a yard about a week ago.

But now the “special needs” animal is looking for a loving home and going up for adoption.

Skinny weighs 41 pounds and he needs a home

Kim Chapin with Richardson Animal Services said on Friday that Skinny is “very sweet” – and the largest cat she’s seen in 21 years with the shelter.

Not surprising.

U.S. government growth charts show Skinny weighs about as much as the average 4-year-old child.

Skinny weighs an average of 25 pounds more than the average feline. But the Texas cat isn’t the heaviest kitty on record.

Himmy the Australian cat tipped the scales around 47 pounds, according to Guinness World Records, which retired the category to discourage the overfeeding of porky pets – The Dallas Morning News reported.

Kim Chapin says Skinny appears healthy except for being overweight and likely having diabetes.

He is listed as a “special needs” cat and his new owners will need to closely monitor his diet and exercise.

Another worker for the shelter, Noura Jammal, described Skinny as a “loving cat”, adding that he “loves to have his belly rubbed”.

“He really needs to exercise, go to a vet and go on a diet,” she added.

Kim Chapin says somebody apparently had been caring for the cat but officials aren’t sure who owned the huge kitty.

 [youtube q0GcKEdZ_dw]