A chubby cat dubbed "Prince Chunk" who made news after being rescued from the streets of south New Jersey will soon be on a diet, officials said Tuesday.

The 44-pound cat, found by animal control without a collar in Voorhees, N.J., last month, had an initial veterinarian exam and the results found healthy teeth and no immediate health problems, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

"He did have an initial wellness exam," Catherine Harr, the president of the Camden County Animal Shelter told the Inquirer. "Apart from how obese he is, his teeth look great. Until blood work comes back, we can't say anything about choosing an adoptive family because if the cat has a thyroid condition or diabetes, we want to make sure that the adoptive family would be comfortable administering any medication he may need."

Officials were contacted by the cat's owner, a homeless senior citizen, last week after his portly state made headlines throughout the nation.

Donna Oklatner, 68, told MyFOXPhilly.com that she lost her home to foreclosure and couldn't take Prince Chunk, real name Powder, to the place where she was staying.

"It broke my heart to give him up," Donna Oklatner told MyFOXPhilly.com. "I could not take care of him. I love him. It broke me heart. I wanted him to have a good home."

She said she gave the cat to friends who said they'd bring the cat to a shelter, but Prince Chunk was found by Animal Control, the shelter said.

Shelter officials told the Inquirer that Prince Chunk's exam revealed beautiful teeth. Blood tests are expected back later this week.

Prince Chunk is expected to make an appearance at the shelter's pet "adopt-a-thon" in Cherry Hill, N.J., on Aug. 17. The paper reports the shelter has received nearly 500 applications to adopt the fat cat.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.