Last updated Sep 15, 2026
@chrisseelbach14 / Tiktok.com
An astonishing large orange tabby cat named Pumpkin has dominated social media feeds over the summer as cat lovers in Cincinnati and beyond followed her journey. The 5-year-old cat ended up at the SPCA Cincinnati after her owner passed away unexpectedly.
Pumpkin was not only suffering from the trauma of losing her owner, but she was dirty, covered with fleas, and morbidly obese, weighing in at a whopping 25 pounds! To put that into context, the average female domestic shorthair cat typically weighs 8 to 12 pounds.
Although the excess weight put Pumpkin at risk for serious health problems, her bloodwork and other testing showed there was no underlying medical condition that might cause weight gain. She simply needed to shed those extra pounds through a strict diet and by moving more.
Luckily for Pumpkin, she was about to get a second chance at a new beginning.
Chris Seelbach, the president and CEO of SPCA Cincinnati, stepped in and brought Pumpkin into his own home to foster her temporarily so she could lose the weight, get healthier, and when she was ready, eventually be adopted.
@chrisseelbach14 / Tiktok.com
Pumpkin soon settled into life with Seelbach, his husband Craig, and their three cats Jerry, Doe, and Dottie. Introducing a foster cat to the resident cats in the home isn’t always easy and Seelbach wasn’t sure whether all the cats would get along, or at the very least, tolerate each other.
“Our other three cats, Jerry, Doe, and Dottie, are blood siblings, and we’ve had them since they were 6 weeks old,” Seelbach said. “Whenever we fostered kittens in the past, they were NOT fans. There was lots of hissing and general displeasure with us!”
Thankfully, he reports that although it hasn’t been completely smooth sailing with Pumpkin, Jerry, Doe, and Dottie seemed to learn somewhat quickly that Pumpkin posed no threat to them, and, in fact, that she really needed their help.
“Our girls, Doe and Dottie, warmed up to her very quickly,” Seelbach said. “Jerry continues to play the role of annoying older brother some days, but even that seems to be getting better with time.”
@chrisseelbach14 / Tiktok.com
By implementing the right diet and encouraging lots of exercise, Pumpkin has begun to slim down and become more mobile.
“Just last night, she crossed from our couch onto the coffee table and then climbed back onto the other side of the couch,” Seelbach said. “That might not sound like a major accomplishment for most cats, but when Pumpkin first came to us, she could barely get up and move around comfortably, much less maneuver from the couch to the coffee table and back!”
Seelbach has been sharing Pumpkin’s journey on TikTok, including adorable videos of her unique, waddling walk and hilarious attempts to get her to walk on an exercise wheel.
“Her eyes are so unusually big and expressive that several social media platforms have actually flagged some of our Pumpkin content as potentially AI-generated,” Seelbach said. “But nope. That is 100% real Pumpkin!”
Pumpkin’s videos have accrued millions of views. The new family was even recently interviewed for Good Morning America.
“She is an absolute attention ham,” Seelbach said. “She loves being around people, attention, affection, and being part of whatever is happening. We sometimes joke that her love of people may have contributed to how she got so big in the first place. She probably figured out a long time ago that being adorable was a pretty effective way to get treats!”
Anytime Seelbach asks his husband Craig if they can take in a foster, he almost always says no (after all, they did have three cats already!). But Seelbach said when he told Craig about Pumpkin and showed him her photos, he got it.
“It was an almost immediate ‘yes,’” he said. “And, after just a few days of fostering her, HE was the one who said, ‘I think we’re gonna end up just keeping her.’ There is just something about Pumpkin. She has an energy and a joy that draws people in. It’s hard to describe without sounding ridiculous, but she genuinely has the ‘it’ factor. You meet her and you want to root for her.
Pumpkin’s story is more than just a heartwarming happy ending—it shines a light on fostering and the incredible work Seelbach is so proud to lead at SPCA Cincinnati every day. Last year, more than 1,000 animals were placed in foster homes through SPCA Cincinnati.
@chrisseelbach14 / Tiktok.com
Fostering is a critical component of any successful shelter program. Not only does fostering free up space in the shelter to accept more pets, but cats often feel more relaxed and happier in a home environment, allowing their true, wonderful personalities to blossom and be on display to potential adopters.
That was the original plan for Pumpkin: a temporary stay with Seelbach to get healthier so she was ready for adoption. But sometimes, plans change. Chris and Craig officially adopted Pumpkin in August.
Pumpkin’s future is looking incredibly bright. In the last five months, she has slowly lost weight, going from 25 pounds to just about 22 pounds—a 12% reduction in body weight. “Pumpkin is noticeably happier, healthier, and more active since losing almost 3 pounds,” Seelbach said. “Her coat is also so much shinier and healthier looking now.”
Pumpkin’s veterinarian at SPCA Cincinnati initially said she wanted Pumpkin to lose about 10 pounds, which would put her goal weight around 15 pounds.
“We know that isn’t going to happen overnight, and we don’t want it to,” Seelbach said. “Her weight loss needs to be slow, healthy, and sustainable. For us, it isn’t about getting to a particular number as quickly as possible. It’s about giving Pumpkin the healthiest, happiest, and longest life we possibly can.”
