There may be such a thing as a perfect ending (or a purfect ending)—at least in the world of local cat adoptions.

Wilford, the heavy hearthrob who stole our hearts just a few weeks ago, has found a permanent home near College Park, Maryland. And you’ll never guess who the new parents are …

Kiah Berkeley and Peter Sorkin were the parents of Symba, a 35-pound tabby who was taken in by the Humane Rescue Alliance, given a new home (and a new name: Vito), and lost 12 percent of his body fat. Sadly, Vito passed away in January after fluid was found in his abdomen. Berkeley and Sorkin were mourning the loss of their beloved pet when they saw the DCist post about Wilford pop up on their feed, and they decided to reach out to his foster parents, Jen and Ian.

After word spread about Wilford’s search for a home, Jen received more than 100 inquires, she says. Despite the eight-year-old chonky cat’s growing fame, many who inquired about adopting Wilford decided not to go through with it once they learned how much special care he needs—including treatment for his asthma, regular exercise, and a veterinarian-monitored diet.

“It said a lot to us that [Berkeley and Sorkin] were willing to open their hearts to a senior cat with special needs so soon after losing Vito,” says Jen. “I know the pain they are feeling over Vito, and I’m humbled that they were willing to find room during their grief to make a place for Wilford.”

Indeed, Wilford’s new parents had plenty of room—both in their hearts and in a guest room where they’ve gated off space for him to adjust to their home, where they have two other cats, Sags and Motzie.

“We lost Vito five weeks ago now, and even though we know Wilford will not replace him in any way, we have room,” Berkeley says. “We’re not over the loss, but we’re far enough along that we felt we could adopt again. We have experience in slimming a morbidly obese cat down.”

Wilford is gentle, easygoing, and shy by nature, Berkeley says, and having just brought him home on Saturday, the parents are focused on continuing his healthy diet and getting him used to their home. The big lad will poke his head out from behind his little fence to look at the other cats or at their one-year-old daughter, who loves Wilford so far, says Berkeley. They keep Wilford company by playing Scrabble next to him and giving him belly rubs.

While Wilford is technically “not a D.C. boy anymore,” Berkeley notes that their home is only about 20 minutes from Jen’s foster home in Tenleytown. Wilford’s new parents are aware that he has a huge following on social media—even bigger than Vito’s, they say—and they plan to post about him on Symba’s old Facebook page, or create a new page just for Wilford.

Berkeley says she hasn’t weighed Wilford or continued his upper-ab-crunches just yet, as throwing him on a scale and forcing him to exercise wouldn’t be the best way to welcome him home; but at last weighing he was down to 26 pounds, 14 ounces, according to Jen. Pretty good for a cat who started at 28 pounds.

It also helps that Berkeley and Sorkin are in the D.C. area. Jen and Ian wanted to find a local home for Wilford, as his health is fragile, and they didn’t think traveling far was in his best interest.

“While Ian and I have been fostering for almost 10 years now, some cats hold onto your heart a little harder than others, and Wilford definitely had a firm grip on mine,” says Jen. “It was very hard to say goodbye to him, but I know he is in good hands, and now we have space for the next foster cat that needs us.”

Previously:
Heavy Hearthrob ‘Wilford’ Is A 28-Pound Cat Looking For A New D.C. Home
Video: This D.C. Fat Cat Needs A Home
You’re Too Late, Because That 35-Pound Cat Already Found A New Home
That 35-Pound Cat Got His Happily Ever After. See These Wedding Pictures.