It didn’t take long for word to spread about an oddly huge cat and his unusual rescue from a doggie door in Gresham – and now his former owner is delighted that people couldn’t stop talking about his tabby.

OHS/kgw.com photo

A worker at the Oregon Humane Society poses with the cat nicknamed "Goliath."

That’s because as news spread, it eventually reached the ears and eyes of Geoff Ernest, who was heartbroken over the disappearance of his beloved pet, Hercules six months ago.

He said at first, his parents didn’t even have the heart to tell him that Hercules escaped because it happened while he was in the hospital undergoing a life-saving surgery.

"There was a house sitter when I was away in Seattle for a lung transplant and he took off and never returned," Ernest explained.

If it wasn’t for the humorous story that flashed across televisions and Web sites across the Portland area Wednesday, Ernest may never have known that his beloved Hercules was close by, just awaiting a reunion.

 Background: Fat cat caper foiled by doggie door

A Gresham woman brought the cat to the Oregon Humane Society earlier this week, after finding him stuck in her doggie door.

"I heard quite a ruckus when I went into my garage,” Jadwiga Drozdek said. “It was hilarious… I helped him out of the door and gave him a plate of food on the patio.”

Ernest went to the shelter Thursday to get his cat back. OHS officials said Hercules would be neutered first and then sent home with his former owner.

Hercules, meanwhile, had his 15 minutes of fame, piling up oodles of hits on U-Tube and other Web sites.

While at OHS, Hercules was also diagnosed with Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), which is similar to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). But veterinarians said the tabby can still live a long, happy life.

“While cats with FIV can live for many years, owners have an obligation to keep these cats indoors to prevent them from spreading the disease to other animals,” said Susan Mentley, OHS director of operations. "There's no reason not to adopt an FIV cat. With good care can enjoy a long life."

Veterinerians say about 40 percent of America's cats are obese.

(The Associated Press contributed to this article.)