Rescue Cat Owner Shocked by His Muscles: 'Swole'

Cats come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but one pet owner has questioned her feline's shape after snapping a picture of his unusually muscular shoulders.

Gina from Ontario, Canada, posted a photo of rescue cat Balta, who is around 7 years old, on Reddit, where he has received over 18,000 upvotes. Alongside the image, Gina wrote: "My first time owning a male cat, are they usually this swole?"

Cats have a complex muscular system that allows them to move with the agility required for hunting and survival. It is estimated that cats have around 500 skeletal muscles responsible for various functions including movement, balance and controlling vital organs.

Gina told Newsweek: "I got him in September 2022—his true age is unknown. I wanted to share the picture because I'd never had a male cat before, only females, and he looked so muscular in the picture that I was curious if other people's male cats were so bulky."

In 2021, another muscular cat went viral after his impressive physique was shared online. However, this hairless cat's appearance was due to a rare genetic condition that causes muscles to grow excessively large.

"Is he super active?" asked one commenter on the Reddit post featuring Balta. "One of my males is like this and all he does is sprint around the house 24/7 lol [laugh out loud]."

Another commenter was left in stitches at the picture and said: "Dude this is one of the only Reddit posts that have made me audibly laugh out loud [...] your cat is a freaking beast. Maybe he was neutered way later in life or something but he's so freaking ripped just chilling looking out the window. Like can we almost see the veins popping out under the skin and through his fur."

"He's out there staring down bros from the gym like they mice," joked another commenter.

"I thought it was a super-funny picture too," said Gina. "He is very well built, he's huge even when he's not showing off his muscles—he has to be around 15 pounds or more now."

The average weight of a domestic cat can vary greatly depending on breed, age and sex, but is generally between 8 and 10 pounds—making Balta a fair bit bigger than your usual feline.

"I love the reaction from Reddit," said Gina. "I've seen a few comments say it made people laugh, which is great to me. My cat is such a character, and he makes me laugh every day. I love to share photos of him."

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.