Bronson, also known as the ‘real life Garfield,’ is on a mission to lose weight and has quite a few online supporters cheering him on—264,000 to be exact.
The five-year-old cat weighed in at 33 pounds when he was adopted by owners Mike Wilson and his girlfriend Megan Hanneman in April 2018.
Bronson left quite the impression on the couple, who stumbled upon the overweight feline during a visit to the Humane Society of West Michigan. “When we first saw him, we were shocked at how big he was,” Wilson told The Dodo. “Neither of us had seen a cat that size before and we thought he was so cute and cuddly, like a large stuffed animal!”
Although the cat owners didn’t have time for an interview that day—a required step of the adoption process—they returned the following morning and completely fell in love with Bronson, who has the genetic abnormality polydactyl, where the first digit of a cat’s paw is longer and separated, resembling fluffy mittens.
After bringing Bronson home, the couple decided to help him lose weight at a slow pace through exercise and an adjusted diet to prevent health complications. Luckily for Bronson, his new owners are the founders of Catastrophic Creations, a wall-mounted cat furniture line that’s made to promote cat activity. Although he’s too heavy to climb all the way up most of the furniture, Wilson and Hanneman are confident he’ll eventually reach the top—thanks to his ongoing weight loss.
Since joining his new family, Bronson has lost over 13 pounds, shedding over 20 percent of his body weight. Once he’s lost enough weight, he’ll be able to join his owners and 3 cat siblings for walks outside.
“His weight loss journey has been going very well and we can already see a change in his shape, where he has a lot more definition in his arms and shoulders,” Wilson said. “His front arms used to buckle a little when he jumped down from our couch and now he jumps down without a problem.”
Bronson’s weight loss journey has turned him into an internet sensation, with over 260,000 Instagram followers who love to cheer him on and encourage his progress. According to PEOPLE, his owners are working on a website that will provide more updates on his weight loss as well as offer an online space where other cat parents can discuss cat weight issues and how to treat them.
