When Kathryn van Beek spotted a kitten on the street, she knew it was up to her to rescue the poor creature. Little did she know that the kitten, Bruce, was soon going to change.
Watching him grow, Kathryn was stunned to witness Bruce’s fur magically change from gray to patchy and black. Stay tuned because there is more to this kitten than meets the eye!
Kathryn Van Beek Spotted A Kitten In The Rain
It was November 3, 2015, in Auckland, New Zealand, when Kathryn van Beek spotted a tiny kitten in distress. Not seeing the tiny creatures mother around, Kathryn knew she had to do something.
So, rescuing the kitten, she scooped the small creature up and brought him back home with her.
She Named The Kitten Bruce
Kathryn named the kitten Bruce. Now, Bruce was one lucky kitten who almost had to use one of his nine lives to get out of the sticky situation he was in before being rescued.
It was a nasty day in Auckland, raining so hard that it was a miracle Kathryn spotted the gray cat, as he was drenched and looked like a rat.
He Was In Bad Shape
Thankfully, Kathryn realized that the creature was not a rodent of some kind but a newborn kitten who was in desperate need of some help. During an interview with Love Meow, Kathryn spoke of the first time she saw Bruce.
She said, “He wasn’t meowing when I found him. But he was crawling slowly along on his tummy.”
The Kitten Was Very Young
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.”
She continued to discuss how tiny the kitten was and how young. Kathryn said, “His eyes were still closed, and he still had his umbilical cord attached.”
Kathryn Knew He Needed Help
After looking around for a little while, it was clear to Kathryn that no one knew where the kitten came from or how he came to be freezing, drenched in the pouring rain. There was one thing she did know, though.
There was no way Kathryn was going to leave the little baby all by itself.
Bruce Became Part Of The Family
So, Kathryn did what any animal lover would do. She took the kitten home and soon adopted him and made him part of the family.
Soon, the kitten even had a new name — Bruce, after Bruce Wayne, the orphaned superhero better known as the Dark Knight of Gotham City, Batman.
Time To Nurse Him Back To Health
Now came the hard part for Kathryn. After she brought Bruce home and dried him off, there was one very hard thing left to do. She had to somehow nurse the kitten back to health.
But she and her husband rose up to the challenge. They were set on getting Bruce healthy again.
24-Hour Bruce Watch
The first few months were tough, with both Kathryn and her husband on 24-hour Bruce duty making sure he was warm, fed, and not in any pain. Slowly but surely, the once orphaned kitten made a full recovery, thanks to the hand-feeding done by his new family.
He even found his voice, something he wasn’t shy about using when he wanted a little something extra in his stomach!
People Began To Question If Bruce Would Make It
Even so, the little kitten was not out of the woods for a long time. Like Batman before him, Bruce had many brushes with more than one near-death experience. At the time, Kathryn was very concerned about whether or not the poor thing would survive.
Even her colleagues at Auckland Council began questioning Bruce’s well-being.
Kathryn Started A Facebook Page
Kathryn even discussed her job during an interview with NZ Herald. Apparently, everyone who knew about Bruce wanted front-row seats to his recovery.
During the interview, she said, “I was working for Auckland Council at the time… They were really interested, so I started a Facebook page to keep everyone updated.”
Bruce Became Internet Famous
Little did Kathryn know that Bruce’s Facebook page was about to get very popular. During an interview with NZ Herald, she discussed the circumstances and the social media page, saying, “At first it was a real life-and-death battle, and then I thought interest might fade.”
Well, people’s interest definitely did not fade!
He Went From Light Gray To Black
While Bruce was being an online star, unbeknownst to him, something else was happening to the kitten. His once light gray fur coat was getting patchy and turning darker. At first, the changing color and patches were only happening on his face and paws.
But, pretty soon, Bruce went from a little orphan kitty to an entirely black Dark Knight kitten.
It Was Like Magic Fur
Kathryn had no idea what to think of Bruce’s little fur magic act. She had never seen anything like it before in any animal. Not only that, but she had never heard of anything like it, either.
One thing was certain, though. With Bruce’s magical fur, his online fanbase skyrocketed. He was more popular than ever.
Bruce’s Online Presence Grew
What started as solely a Facebook presence turned into Bruce having an Instagram page, Pinterest, YouTube channel, and even a Twitter. People could not get enough of the color-changing Bruce.
And Kathryn said exactly that during an interview. While speaking to the NZ Herald, she said, “He started turning black so that interested people.”
Kathryn Wrote A Children’s Book
Amazingly, even with all of his social media platforms, Kathryn thought they could set the bar a little higher. Bruce was totally famous, after all. The first thing she thought of — dip their toes into the literary world!
Kathryn decided what better to share Bruce’s magic with the world than write a children’s book.
Bruce Finds A Home
Written and illustrated by Kathryn, the children’s book is titled Bruce Finds a Home. It was published in 2018 and received stellar reviews upon its release.
The story revolves solely around Bruce and how he started as a one-day-old kitten lost in the rain, to being rescued, to becoming a magic fur-changing cat!
It’s Called Fever Coat
Speaking of the magically changing fur. The phenomenon Bruce faced was something called fever coat. Nothing to be worried about; fever coat happens when a pregnant mommy faces some sort of disturbance or upheaval in their life.
This could be some sort of stress, medication given to them without knowledge of the pregnancy, or even an infection.
Bruce’s Fur Pigmant Was Temporarily Gone
Whatever the case was for Bruce’s mom, he was born with fever coat. This means the pigment in his fur was temporarily gone, and his little body was not sure what color it was, taking on a gray hue.
Again, this is a temporary pigment loss, which is why Bruce began magically changing from gray to black. When it comes to fever coat, it can take up to eight months for the affected animals’ pigment to right itself.
Kathryn Wrote A Second Book!
With Bruce’s magic fur, he became even more of a celebrity. Kathryn even decided to write a second book about her little cat’s adventures when they moved to Dunedin in the South Island, New Zealand.
The second children’s book is titled Bruce Goes Outside and is all about his life in his new town.
She Loves Giving Her Fans A Fun Read
Writing the books has been amazing for Kathryn. During an interview with News Now, she spoke of writing and illustrating the books and how the books help her young fans, saying, “It’s a bit of fun really, for me.”
“It’s just an interesting hobby. I think he brings his fans a bit of light relief.”
They Want To Help Other Kittens In Need
On Bruce’s personal website, Kathryn wrote about their mission to help other kittens who need help and rescuing. She wrote, “I’d like to help other little kitties and the people who look after them.”
“With [the public’s] help, I’ve raised funds for the SPCA, and now I’m working with the Animal Rescue Network.”
