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ATTLEBORO - Albertus Magnus has a home.

The overweight kitty, who's made a splash in newspapers and on TV in the last two weeks, was adopted Saturday by a Winthrop resident with experience helping fat cats lose weight.

Jessica Cook, a paralegal for a Boston law firm, saw his picture in the Boston Herald after being tipped off by a friend, Chris Daly, and had to have him, she said.

"His photo was so great. He looked like a great big old love bug," she said when she and Daly picked up Albertus, who's affectionately known as Fat Albert, from the city's Pond Street animal shelter. "He's awesome."

Albertus was rescued by shelter volunteers two weeks ago from a South Attleboro backyard and immediately became a feline celebrity because of his weight. He was featured in The Sun Chronicle and other newspapers and on at least two television stations, perhaps becoming the best known cat in eastern Massachusetts. Cook's first overweight kitty has passed away, but when she got him, he weighed 32.4 pounds or almost a whole pound more than Albertus.

That cat's name was Cosmo and Cook was able to help him reduce to about 18 pounds.

It wasn't easy for Cosmo to lose weight, and it won't be for Albertus either, but Albertus has a head start.

The shelter's feline care coordinator Diane Beltran said Albertus has already managed to lose about five pounds, bringing him down to about 26.5 pounds.

But Albertus is still big, which is very unhealthy and could lead to diabetes and kidney disease.

Cook said she reduced food gradually for her previous cat.

Albertus is already having hunger pangs because as he was waiting to head off to his new home, he kept trying to pilfer food nuggets from some of the other, slimmer kitties at the shelter.

Beltran said Cook was the obvious choice for Albertus out of more than half a dozen applications.

"She was our choice because she knows what it's going to take to keep Albertus on a very strict diet," Beltran said.

GEORGE W. RHODES can be reached at 508-236-0432 or at grhodes@thesunchronicle.com.