College Campus Cat Loses Weight After Hilarious Warning Sign

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at UC Davis in California was reduced to putting up a "Please stop feeding this cat!" sign to help keep one kitty's diet on track.

Resident ginger cat Cheeto came prowling onto the campus in 2011, and was quickly adopted by the physics department.

Distinguished Physics Professor and Chair Richard Scalettar told Newsweek: "Cheeto originated at the Art Building where the artists found him as a skinny kitten living with another ginger kitten. They named him Tangelo and the other kitten Clementine. One speculation is that Cheeto is a 'left brain'—more verbal, analytical, and orderly than the right brain—cat, and that's why he migrated to Physics."

But resurfaced pictures have revealed how Cheeto became the center of a campus appeal when he gained an excessive amount of weight in 2019.

Taking action, staff at the UC Davis Physics and Astronomy department placed a humorous sign urging people not to feed the portly feline.

Alongside a picture of Cheeto with red arrows, it asked people to stop feeding him.

In a second note, the department affectionately revealed: "His name is Cheeto, and he has a DESIGNATED feeder from the physics department every morning! We quite like this cat, as he provides valuable emotional support when Physics shatters our souls. He has become far too overweight, and for his health, please do not feed him - no matter how much he begs! And he will beg. Because he knows we are suckers!"

But the department's concern extends beyond Cheeto's waistline, as they added: "Also, the squirrels like to eat the extra food, and they are getting heart disease." To drive the point home, they included two informative counterparts to the note, one chart referencing a cat's ideal weight, and another highlighting the increased risk of heart disease in squirrels due to Cheeto's extra meals.

Four years later, Cheeto's weight has improved greatly, with the majority of his weight loss occurring in 2020 when the campus was empty due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Andy Fell from UC Davis told Newsweek: "Cheeto's weight issues have improved since those signs were posted back in 2019."

Cheeto isn't alone among the animal residents of the college.

"Cheeto is a particular favorite with students and often shows up in their social media," explained Fell.

A cat-loving college, UC Davis has even named parts of the campus after previous feline residents. "Café Walter at the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for Performing Arts is named after a feral cat, Walter or Magic Walter, that lived in the nearby Arboretum and would hang around the theater," said Fell. "He died in 2018."

For newcomers to the college, there is even a First Year Aggie Connections program called "Cats of Campus" in which students can explore the campus while meeting the cats and learning about their behavior.

The "do not feed" notes were shared again on TikTok earlier this week, where they gained viral attention once more, and hundreds of commenters shared their reactions.

"He's just a lovely boy let him snack," joked one commenter. While another said: "This is wholesome."

"I grew up in Davis and this is the most Davis coded thing I could have seen today," laughed another TikToker.