Buddha the obese cat loses four pounds in first month of new workout regime thanks to special underwater treadmill Buddha, Nashville's morbidly obese cat, is making excellent progress in the first few weeks of his new exercise and healthy eating regime. The roly-poly kitty tipped the scales at 31.4 pounds when he was rescued from an animal shelter at the start of August. Buddha now weighs 27.9 pounds, thanks partly to a special water treadmill which he wades on three times a week. He's still got some working out to do to reach his target weight of 20 pounds though. Work-out: Buddha has lost nearly four pounds in his first few weeks of the new healthy regime, partly thanks to working out on this water treadmill three times a week Portly: Buddha weighed a hefty 31.4 pounds when he was rescued in August Thankfully, the six-year-old gray and white domestic shorthair doesn't hate water like most felines, and is fairly happy to get on the equipment. Penny Adams, a volunteer with the Cat Shoppe/Dog Store in Nashville's Berry Hill, is helping to get Buddha into better shape. She told The Tennessean: 'He's on there usually for 7 to 10 minutes at a time. He kind of dictates the timing. Otherwise, he'll just stop walking and you know he's done.' The water in the partially submerged treadmill helps support Buddha's weight and protect his joints. Adams took the portly beast to the Cat Shoppe, which also runs a rescue organization, on August 2. Exercise: The fat cat spends seven to ten minutes on the walker at a time Friendly: Penny Adams rescued Buddha from a shelter. She said he's a 'talkative cat who rolls over on his back and seeks out belly rubs' Buddha was at a shelter after a death in his previous family meant they could no longer look after him. Adams told The Tennessean that Buddha doesn't take his exercise badly. 'He's a very friendly cat who's sleeping most of the time and recovering from all his exercise. And he's a talkative cat who rolls over on his back and seeks out belly rubs,' Adams explained to the paper. The fat cat is also on a special diet and the goal is for him to lose one pound a month as rapid weight loss can lead to heart failure. His carers and coaches want him to get down to a more manageable but still hefty 20 pounds when he can be adopted out. Chris Achord, owner of the Cat Shoppe, said in August that Buddha had developed a love of human food and would not eat cat food. Splashing around: Fortunately for Buddha he doesn't hate water, like many felines Chris said Buddha got really excited at lunchtime, especially when pasta was on the menu, leading him and the vet to think he was fed normal food by his previous owner. Chris told The Tennessean: 'It's just really sad because he can't even clean himself. We tried to give him the gastrointestinal food, the metabolic food, but he didn't like it. 'Whoever owned him before must have been feeding him human food, and that is not good at all for a cat's health. I've been rescuing animals for over 25 years and I've never seen anything like this.'