BLACKWOOD, N.J. (AP) -- Turns out, the economy is the reason a 44-pound cat found lumbering the streets of New Jersey became homeless.
The Camden County Animal Shelter says the cat's owner came forward to say she had to abandon the tubby tabby because her home was foreclosed.
Shelter director Jennifer Anderch says the older woman recently lost her home and could not keep the 10-year-old cat, whom she called ``Powder.''
The shelter has been caring for the cat _ who became a local media sensation this week and was dubbed ``Princess Chunk'' _ since it was found on Saturday wandering the southern New Jersey suburb of Voorhees.
It also turns out that the princess is a prince. A veterinarian who checked the cat Thursday on ``Live with Regis and Kelly'' determined it's a ``he.''
In a week with headlines about presidential politics, suicide bombings in Iraq and big baseball trades, the cat has also captured the nation's attention.
In fact, Anderch has changed her voicemail greeting to identify herself as ``Chunk's publicist.''
Shelter volunteer Deborah Wright says the cat eats normally despite its girth.
The largest tabby on record weighed 46 pounds, 15 ounces. That cat, who lived in Australia, died in the 1980s. The Guinness World Records has since dropped the category, fearing cat owners might harm their animals in an attempt to break the record.
Hundreds of people have called seeking to adopt the cat. Anderch's voice mail greeting says she's getting up to 15 calls an hour about the cat.
Powder was due to appear Friday on ``Good Morning America'' and closer to home later in August. She's scheduled to meet the public at the shelter's pet ``adopt-a-thon'' at a pet store in Cherry Hill on Aug. 17.
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