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Bronson the fat cat is on a strict diet after reaching a weight of more than two stone

Bronson the cat weighs more than two stone (Picture: Caters)
Bronson the cat weighs more than two stone (Picture: Caters)

A fat cat who weighs a whopping two stone has been put on a strict diet.

At 33lbs (2.35 stone), Bronson the tabby was more than double the weight of an average cat and at one point his belly measured 32 inches.

The three-year-old was left at a shelter run by the West Michigan Humane Society in May after his owner died.

Staff believe he was overfed several times a day with kibble (dried cat food in single pieces) that was high in carbs.

His new owners, Mike Wilson, 35, and Megan Hanneman, 29, design cat furniture, but found themselves designing a diet plan for Bronson.

Bronson with one of his new owners, Megan Hanneman (Picture: Caters)
Bronson with one of his new owners, Megan Hanneman (Picture: Caters)

The cat has been placed on a regime recommended by a vet, which restricts his food intake to 375 calories a day.

The couple also plan to use hydrotherapy to help Bronson shed the pounds.

He is already making progress, losing 1.5lbs in the past two months, after cutting down on the kibble and switching to wet, grain-free, low-fat cat food.

Mr Wilson, co-owner of Catastrophic Creations, said: “When we first saw Bronson we were shocked because we had never seen a cat his size. He was huge. He really needed help.

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“We went back to the humane society the following day to discuss the possibility of adopting him.

“Luckily, they thought we would be a good match for Bronson because of our experience with cats and also what we do for a living.

“We don’t know a whole lot about Bronson’s past. The shelter thinks his owner might have been an elderly person who wasn’t very mobile themselves and overfed him.

“His blood tests revealed that he didn’t have any health problems which would cause this weight gain, so it was just overindulgence.

“We think that Bronson used to be on a diet of kibble, which is mostly carbs. We’re pretty sure he was fed every few hours before.

“We’ve switched it up. He’s now on a wet food which is grain free and low fat. We add water to it so that it becomes sort of like a soup to fill him up.

Bronson is already starting to lose weight (Picture: Caters)
Bronson is already starting to lose weight (Picture: Caters)

“He likes the food fine, but you can tell he just wants more. He wakes us up in the middle of the night meowing for a snack.”

The couple, who have three other cats, want Bronson to slim down so he can have an operation to fix a broken tooth.

“Our vet discovered that one of his teeth is broken and it needs to be pulled but right now he’s to heavy for anaesthetic to perform the operation safely,” said Mr Wilson.

“So far he’s lost one and a half pounds but hopefully in a couple of months he can have that tooth pulled. We think this time next year he will have a much better quality of life.”