Hi, I’m Pete Thorne and I am the photographer/author behind the new feline photo series FAT CATS: Large and in Charge. FAT CATS: Large and in Charge is a collection of pleasantly plump portraits alongside heartwarming and funny stories about our chubby feline friends. These cute curvy cats and their owners’ affectionate and candid insights into their personalities will have you seeing your own roly-poly pet in a whole new light. After all, chubby cats are the cutest cats.
Similar to my previous senior dog book Old Faithful: Dogs Of A Certain Age, I realized that larger, chubby cats were somewhat under represented in popular culture in favor of more svelte, slimmer cats. I decided it was time to celebrate them and put them in the spotlight. Having photographed a large number of cats so far and having speaking to their owners one thing became clear: you own a dog, but a cat owns you. They are in charge. The prevalent image of the fat cat today in the media is cynical and not silly: the fat cat is a space for low-grade brutishness and malaise: cats posed with beer bottles, cats stuck in doors, cats seemingly contemplating whether they would like to eat other less-fat cats. In short: unhealthy cats. Meant to be mocked and shamed. This is 2016. The world has matured. We have also made leaps and bounds in awareness and understanding that all body types can be beautiful and all body shapes can be healthy. These grand and portly cats celebrate that sentiment. Sure, they are fat. But they are also kind, complex, distinguished, smart. These cats are beautiful. And yes sometimes silly.
No cats were made fun of in the making of this project.
#1 Duncan
"Dundan likes to lay on the sidewalk in front of our house. He will not move when people walk by, especially for dogs. We have seen dog owners cross the street to avoid Duncan's patch of sidewalk."
55points
#2 Evie
"Evie is a mild mannered cat who enjoys chasing shadows and eating the finest pate."
49points
#3 Beedee Loves Donuts
"She loves people - all types of people! In fact she loves humans so much that she even acquired the nick name needy BeeDee. Another thing she loves is food. After a nice meal she always comes around for a big snuggle session"
43points
#4 Pebbles
"She has a hankering for a pinch of fish flakes at any hour of the day, and is both fascinated and horrified of the front door."
41points
#5 Crookshanks
"Crookshanks loves lasagna and hates Mondays. He sleeps most of the day, getting up only occasionally to assert his dominance upon those present in the house."
41points
#6 Luigi
"Luigi's a short-haired tabby that I've had for over 9 years and he's been in a bad mood for most of that time."
40points
#7 Bubba Standing!
37points
#8 Salo
"Salo is a good fat cat, doesn't scratch or bite, well behaved, playful at times but the best thing Salo loves to do is eat and sleep in the middle of the living room."
37points
#9 Edie
"Her size is no obstacle to her level of activity as she can play for hours. She's a very adept cat at mouse catching."
35points
#10 Bubba
"Meet Bubba (aka Cuddles) the peak nose Persian who's short on smiles but not on love!"
33points
#11 Henry
"I don't think Henry understands that he's a pet. He seems to strongly believe that instead, he and human beings should enjoy equal rights - particularly with regards to meals."
25points
#12 Rusty
"Rusty is more vocal than Tina Turner. She loves everybody, and when she sits with you and purrs it's like having a little chainsaw revving beside you. She loves sitting in her two-four beer box because it fits her voluptuous physique."
23points
#13 Smokes
"Smokes is a four year old Himalayan furball with a big personality, and a belly to match."
22points
#14 Rusty Chillin'
22points
#15 Wookie
"A day in the life of Wookie includes a couple of Nerf battles, with quite a few breaks for mouthfuls of kibble."
20points
#16 Chesterfield
"While he is fat, he's not friendly. He hates pretty much everything. He doesn't have any likes, aside from dry kibble."
19points
#17 Pebbles 2
18points
#18 Chewy
"Sometimes we suspect Chewy has the soul of a dog, tragically trapped in the body of a cat. He's a pretty plump guy, but we suspect it's not so much from overeating as from never wanting to leave the comfort of a warm lap."
16points