Mike Wilson and Megan Hanneman didn’t expect to leave the Humane Society of West Michigan with a new pet when they stopped by one day in April.
Bronson, a massive 3-year-old orange cat weighing a staggering 33 pounds, was love at first sight for the couple, who had been considering adding a kitten to their family.
“We were startled at how huge he was when we first met him,” Wilson told us. “Neither of us had ever seen a cat so big, and we thought he was adorable and cuddly, like a big stuffed animal!” We walked over to look at him from outside his room right away.”
Wilson and Hanneman waited in line to be questioned so they could meet Bronson, but they had to rush off to work before they could sit down with the shelter worker.
Even still, they couldn’t quit staring at the photo of the big cat they had snapped before leaving. “We were talking about him continuously on the way to work and started regretting not hanging around for him,” Wilson recalled.
The couple’s concern of Bronson being adopted rose as the day progressed, so they returned to the shelter as quickly as they could.
After his elderly owner died, Bronson was surrendered to the humane society. He was known as “Fat Kat” by shelter employees, and despite having lived in a home with other cats, he was a bit of a loner who stayed to himself.
No one knew how such a young cat could have accumulated so much weight.
“The staff changed his name once they brought him in,” Wilson explained, “but his naming kind of reveals how seriously they were treating his obesity.” “Their best assumption was that he was either being fed too much kibble or table leftovers.”
Bronson’s stature put him at a higher risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and a slew of other health issues. Bronson’s potential adoptive, the interviewer advised, would need to help him lose weight gradually through diet and exercise. The young cat’s large size made it difficult for him to clean himself properly, so they’d have to brush him every day to keep his behind clean.
When Wilson and Hanneman first saw Bronson in person, they were taken aback by how love-starved the cat appeared to be, begging for affection and petting. The pair decided they had to bring him home even if their hands were slick from caressing his striped orange fur.
“He was pretty untidy and had a lot of dandruff in his hair,” Wilson added, “mainly owing to his inability to maintain himself due to his size.” “All I wanted to do was bring him home, clean him up, and take care of him.”
Bronson may not have been sociable in his previous life, but he likes hanging out with his two feline siblings in his new home. Bronson’s pals, in turn, have encouraged him to explore the home and play with the toys strewn around.
And his owners are overjoyed to watch the once-shy cat emerge from his shell.
“He kind of did his own thing during the day and stayed in our bedroom when we first brought him home,” Wilson recalled. “Nowadays, when we arrive home, he waits for us at the entrance with our other cats; if he hears a noise of cans opening, he goes out to the kitchen and hangs out with the other cats in the living room.”
