Taking in a rescue animal is a big responsibility but when Kathryn Van Beek spotted a shivering furball across the street, she knew she had to act now. She picked up the small bundle of fur and had no idea she was staring at her destiny.
Bruce the cat/Facebook
The young kitten would go on to change Kathryn’s life for the better, earning her millions of dollars and fame and above all, confusing his thousands of fans when the kitten managed to magically change the colour of its fur completely!
A Kitten In The Rain
It was a chilly and rainy November day when Kathryn Van Beek spotted a tiny moving furball across the road. The creature barely moved and was dripping wet and shivering. Kathryn an animal lover, knew she had to do something.
Bruce the cat/Facebook
When she got closer, she realized that this cold furball was a kitten! She said, “He wasn’t meowing when I found him. But he was crawling slowly along on his tummy.” In the rain, Beek searched everyone to find its mother to reunite this lost baby but she had no luck.
Delicate Situation
Speaking to News Now, Kathryn explained her first interaction with the kitten, saying, “[It was] as though he was trying to find his mother, poor little mite. His eyes were still closed, and he still had his umbilical cord attached.”
Bruce the cat/Facebook
The minutes felt like hours for Kathryn, she had a shivering kitten who seemed like he was days old in her hands and with its mom nowhere to be found. She knew that there was only one right thing to do. She took it home.
The Hard Part
Taking the young kitten home felt right but now came the real test. Kathryn and her husband now had to take care of a newborn kitten! It was going to be a challenge but both of them were prepared.
Bruce the cat/Facebook
The animal lovers didn’t have much experience with having cats, let alone taking care of a kitten who was completely dependent on its mother but despite all that, they tried their best to give the baby kitten a fighting chance.
Slim Chances
They took the kitten to the vet, who gave them an extensive and expensive list of things the couple needed to buy to keep the Lil guy safe. Even with all the right routines and equipment, the vet told the couple to be realistic and not get too attached.
Bruce the cat/Facebook
The likelihood of the kitten making it was slim but in just a day, the couple had fallen in love with the Lil furball and they weren’t going to back down. They bought everything they needed and decided to adopt it, officially.
The Name
Kathryn named the kitten Bruce. After Bruce Wayne, the orphaned superhero better known as Batman! The name was inspired by the kitten’s light grey fur, the classic colours for the D.C superhero.
Bruce the cat/Facebook
And with the name, also came the cat’s social media account. Kathryn wanted to let her family and friends follow the journey of this stray cat. So, she created a Facebook page for Bruce called, Bruce the cat. During the interview, she said, “I was working for Auckland Council at the time… They were interested, so I started a Facebook page to keep everyone updated.”
24-Hour Bruce Watch
Managing the social media account for a baby cat seems exhausting enough but Kathryn and her husband were also committing themselves fully to Bruce’s care which involved 24-hour care.
Bruce the cat/Facebook
The first few days, the couple stayed up all night watching the Lil bruce and feeding it every 2 hours on the clock. It didn’t matter if it was 3 A.M or 6 A.M, the couple kept shifts and diligently fed Bruce.
Recovering
And with each day, the kitten started getting stronger. The first couple of days were the hardest not just for the husband and wife but also for Bruce. But the kitten seemed determined to stay alive.
Bruce the cat/Facebook
Just like Kathryn and her husband, everyone else who saw Bruce be it on social media or in-person was captivated by him. The furball seemed to have a striking personality even as a newborn.
Milestones
As time passed, Bruce surprised everyone and crossed each milestone. He was a healthy kitten who hadn’t let life get him down and as he grew, so did his fan base. The heartwarming story of the kitten spread, not just in the couple’s social circle but further.
Bruce the cat/Facebook
People wanted videos of Bruce, every day and even wanted to donate money, toys and food to him. The couple refused all that and assured everyone that Bruce was well, taken care of and didn’t want for anything.
Lil kitten’s journey
Finally, Bruce was a few months old and the 24-hour shifts were a thing of the past. He now ate from his bowl and was fully independent. Even Kathryn was impressed at Bruce’s ability to thrive, rather than just survive.
Bruce the cat/Facebook
He also managed to find his voice, a soft meow that was as sweet the Bruce and at first, the couple were delighted every time he spoke up but soon realized that the kitten wasn’t shy about using his cute meows to get a little something extra in his stomach!
Losing Interest
With each day that Bruce got stronger though, his fan base dwindled. It seemed like people were invested to know if he would make it through and now that he had, they didn’t want daily updates.
Bruce the cat/Facebook
“At first it was a real life-and-death battle, and then I thought interest might fade.” and just as that happened, the little kitten did something no one expected. It began to change its fur’s colour!
Internet Famous
The couple was stunned! Bruce, who was a light grey cat started developing dark spots across his fur and in just a few weeks turned completely black! Kathryn captured the whole process and posted about it on his social media page.
Bruce the cat/Facebook
While speaking to the NZ Herald, she said, “He started turning black so that interested people.” and while Kathryn wasn’t seeking media attention for Bruce, she surely got tons of it after the kitten changed its fur.
Fur Changing
It looked like Bruce was living up to his name and was turning himself into a black Dark Knight kitten and his fans, yes he had fans by then, couldn’t get enough. The cat’s transformation was almost magical!
Bruce the cat/Facebook
And everyone wanted to know how it had happened but Kathryn had no idea what to think of all of it. She asked other cat owners if they had experienced something like this and they too were just as shocked.
Having Doubts
With no plausible reason insight, Kathryn began to worry that maybe there was something wrong with the fighter kitten. Had she fed him the wrong food? Not taken care of him properly?
Bruce the cat/Facebook
Was there something seriously wrong with Bruce which she had failed to notice? Her head was spinning with thousands of questions and worries and as Bruice’s online fanbase skyrocketed, so did the couple’s worries.
Fever Coat
Before Kathryn could do anything, she had to take Bruce to the vet and understand what was happening. The couple waited, expecting to hear the worst but what the doctor told them was the best news possible.
Bruce the cat/Facebook
Bruce had something called a fever coat and it was nothing to be worried about; a fever coat happens when a pregnant cat faces some extreme disturbance or upheaval in its life and this trauma can end up affecting the kitten’s fur.
Fur Pigment
Bruce was born with a fever coat and that is why his fur appeared to be grey. In reality, his body hadn’t yet figured out what colour it would be and was going through temporary pigment loss.
Bruce the cat/Facebook
And after eight months of good care and health, his pigment came back and thus his coat changed from grey to black. While rare, this was a completely normal phenomenon that didn’t have any adverse effects.
Growing Media Presence
With this worry out of the way, Kathryn could see that Bruce had stolen thousands of people’s hearts and him changing his fur only deepened that impact. So, she focused more of her energy on his social media presence.
Bruce the cat/Facebook
Bruce now had an Instagram page, Pinterest, YouTube channel, and even a Twitter. With each new page, his story was heard by more and more people who felt a connection with this small kitten.
Children’s Book
Bruce became somewhat of a legend around New Zealand and to fully establish his profile, Kathryn wrote a Children’s book about it. This was her first dip into the literary world and the book about Bruce’s magic changing fur was a complete hit!
Bruce the cat/Facebook
Written and illustrated by Kathryn, the children’s book is titled Bruce Finds a Home. The first book was such a hit that Kathryn was asked by fans to write another one. This one was also inspired by real life.
Adventure Continues
When the couple moved to Dunedin in the South Island, New Zealand, this gave them the perfect premise of the second book about Bruce. It is titled Bruce Goes Outside and is all about his life in his new town.
Bruce the cat/Facebook
Bruce who once was left abandoned, wet and cold on the side of the road was now a proper celebrity. Everyone knew who he was around New Zealand and through the books, his fame began to grow worldwide.
Some Criticism
While the couple never wanted to put Bruce on the internet as a way to gain personal fame and fortune, they have inadvertently made money because of Bruce and this idea has rubbed some animal rights the wrong way.
Bruce the cat/Facebook
Critics of the couple believe that Kathryn and her husband might be using Bruce as a puppet to gain media and should give the cat a ” normal life”, rather than write books about it.
Charity Work
The couple, however, doesn’t let the haters get to them. They know that above all, their priority has always been to take good care of Bruce and they will continue doing it as long as possible.
Bruce the cat/Facebook
And he isn’t the only one. Kathryn has decided to use some of the profits made from the sales of her books and donated them to dog and cat shelters and is also working with the Animal Rescue Network.