Viktor the fat Russian cat is going on a diet to prepare for his next flight after he gained nationwide fame for breaking airline weight limits, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported Tuesday.
Viktor went viral after his owner boasted in November of sneaking the overweight feline into the cabin for a long-haul flight to his native city. The trick cost traveler Mikhail Galin his airline bonus miles but generated an outpouring of support, including an invitation from the tourism chief of Russia’s republic of Tatarstan.
Galin told RIA he accepted the invitation, but said that Viktor still needs to shed one kilogram and 500 grams to meet the airline’s eight-kilogram weight limit.
“We’ll be happy to visit Kazan if the [region’s] transport ministry is still happy to see us by the time the cat loses weight,” Galin said.
Kazan is Tatarstan’s main city and administrative center.
“As the ministry told me, Tatar hospitality has no expiration date so they’ll wait for us anytime,” he was quoted as saying.
The outpouring of support has earned Viktor a lifetime supply of cat food. With the help of diet products, Galin told RIA, Viktor lost 500 grams.
