Follow This 35-Pound Cat's Journey Towards Healthy Weight Loss

Members of the Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA) said Thursday that Symba was like no other cat they've ever seen.

Weighing in at 35 pounds, the 6-year-old orange kitty was put up for adoption on Thursday by the Alliance at their Washington, D.C., headquarters on New York Ave., but while he's under their supervision he will go through an intensive healthy regimen to lose weight.

HRA said on a Facebook post on Thursday that Symba is "bigger than a lion cub." The group also said that the big kitty would be "much more comfortable if he slimmed down a bit" noting that he's "sweet, mellow, and waiting for a new home where he can thrive."

READ: Lion Attacks Baby: Watch Video Of Big Cat Biting While Mom Smiles Nervously On Live TV

The HRA posted a video of Symba that showed the big cat beginning its journey towards being healthy in what the post called, "The Biggest Loser: Cat Edition!" In the video, a very reluctant Symba is shown taking his first steps on a treadmill wheel before getting off in a breathless huff.

Facebook user Emalie Hoar wrote in the comments section that she had could empathize with Symba's reaction to the treadmill: "This is also what I feel like on the treadmill: 'Can I get off now?'"

The HRA said that Symba only walked a few steps before he got short of breath, although the behaviorists and volunteers are looking to make that into a "short but consistent" routine.

"HRA behaviorists and volunteers will begin a short but consistent exercise routine. Right now, he can only take a few steps at a time without getting short of breath, so staff are encouraging him to learn to walk on a cat wheel. From now on, it's just one foot in front of the other for sweet Symba," read the HRA's blog.

Symba quickly drew a comparison to another orange and lazy cat: Garfield, the comic strip cat by Jim Davis. "Clearly he hates Mondays and loves lasagna?" wrote Facebook user Stephanie Traub.

According to the HRA's blog, Symba has received "2/3 cup of food every 12 hours and is fed out of food puzzles" designed to slow down a cat’s intake of food.

READ: Big Cat Steals GoPro: Look Inside The Mouth Of An African Lion [VIDEO]

Lisa Stemcosky is a behavior and training specialist and has begun to work with Symba in order to help the large cat slim down. Stemcosky said that by allowing cats to feed themselves freely all day is "unnatural" for the cat. Instead, they can alleviate obesity by eating multiple small meals throughout the day. With that "free food" barrier removed it allows the cat to eat consistently through the day.

Stemcosky is the owner of Pawlitically Correct, a dog and cat training service. She offers private cat and dog training sessions to modify animal behaviors both in-home and via Skype sessions. Recently, Stemcosky has been chosen as a Shelter Mentor in the Jackson Galaxy Foundation’s Cat Pawsitive Program.