Tiddles Explained
Tiddles, also known as the Paddington Station cat (1970 - 1983), was a tabby-and-white cat who spent most of his life in the ladies' room at Paddington Station, in London. Constantly fed choice meats, including tidbits from his admirers, he became famously fat.
On a cold morning in 1970, Tiddles was adopted as a six-week-old stray kitten by June Watson, an attendant in the ladies' room at Paddington Station.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Women began to come to visit him there.[7] In addition to fan letters, Christmas presents and a Christmas tree,[6] Tiddles received food from many of his admirers, which was stored in his personal refrigerator; some posted food to him.[1] [8] As a result of his high-fat, high-calorie diet of delicacies such as chicken livers, kidneys, rabbit, and steak, the frequent tidbits from admirers, and lack of exercise, Tiddles became very fat.[2] [9] [10] By 1982, he weighed 30lb and won the title of 'London Fat Cat Champion'.[2] [11] He was one of the most famous fat cats[3] [5] (making his name ironic, as he was "anything but 'tiddly'").[12] He was filmed by a Canadian camera crew, featured in foreign magazines,[3] and in 1993, painted by Frances Broomfield.[13]
Attempts to reduce his weight did not work because his fans continued to overfeed him. He eventually weighed 32lb[14] and "resemble[d] a beach ball with fur."[11] Tiddles was euthanised in 1983 after veterinarians found fluid around his lungs.[9]
See also
Further reading
External links
Notes and References
- Sam Stall, 100 Cats who Changed Civilization: History's Most Influential Felines, Philadelphia: Quirk, 2007,, pp. 136 - 37, p. 136.
- Anthony Lambert, Lambert's Railway Miscellany, London: Ebert, 2010,, p. 13.
- Gerald L. Wood, Guinness Book of Pet Records, Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives, 1984 /Sterling, 1985,, pp. 75 - 76.
- "The Paddington Cat", in Philip Wood (ed.), A Passion for Cats, The Cats Protection League, Newton Abbot / North Pomfret, Vermont: David & Charles, 1987,, p. 92.
- Michael Zullo, Cat Astrology: The Complete Guide to Feline Horoscopes, rev. ed. Kansas City, Missouri: Andrews McMeel, 2001,, p. 22.
- Joan Palmer, All About Cats, London: Ward Lock, 1986,, pp. 23 - 24.
- Jayne R. Smith, "Innocent Abroad: The English Teacher in England", The English Journal 72.3, March 1983, pp. 80 - 85, p. 81 (online at JSTOR, subscription required), recommending visiting him when passing through London and giving his weight as 28 lb.
- http://www.theweek.co.uk/pictures/28995/fat-animals/page/3/0 "Fat Animals"
- Sarah Hartwell, Overweight and Obese Cats, MessyBeast.com cat resource archive, updated 2011, retrieved 24 September 2012 (with picture).
- Amanda O'Neill, Cat Biz: A Compendium of Amazing Facts and Anecdotes from the Cat World, Dorking: Interpet, 2006; Hauppauge, New York: Barron's, 2007,, p. 88.
- Stall, p. 137.
- Adrian Room, The Naming of Animals: An Appellative Reference to Domestic, Work, and Show Animals, Real and Fictional, Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 1993,, p. 130.
- Tiddles, 1993 (oil and tempera on panel), reproduced from a postcard at Patrick Roberts, "Tiddles of Paddington Station, London", Working Felines: Rail Station Cats 2, Purr 'n' Fur, 2009, retrieved 15 December 2015.
- "Rising concern over feline obesity", Cat Watch, 1 January 2006 (Online at Highbeam).
