Family adopts a skinny 5-pound stray named Breadstick and watches him transform into a healthy 13-pound cat completely devoted to his person

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Sarah Brown • Writer and Editor
Sep 13, 2026 10:15 AM EDT

A year ago, Breadstick was a 5-pound stray. Now he's 13 pounds of fluff, food obsession, and unconditional love.

Breadstick has come a long way from the tiny 5-pound stray who was adopted in April 2025, and we're not just talking about the extra eight pounds he's picked up along the way.

When Breadstick first came home, he wasn't exactly the type to spend every waking moment glued to his new pawrent. He was friendly, but cuddling wasn't really his thing. That started to change about three months in, when Breadstick began sleeping in bed with his hooman. Once he discovered the benefits of nighttime snuggles, there was no turning back.

These days, Breadstick has gone full velcro cat. If he's awake and realizes his favorite person isn't in the room, he'll actually go looking for them. Excuse us while we cry over the former stray making sure his hooman hasn't wandered off somewhere without him.

He still isn't much of a lap cat, but that doesn't mean he's giving up his cuddle time. Breadstick prefers snuggling right beside his person, which we'd argue is just as cute. He's also a major foodie and, despite presumably having plenty of actual cat toys available, his favorite is literally a piece of string. Cats really will ignore anything you spend money on for the random object they found lying around the house.

Breadstick now weighs a healthy 13 pounds, so that little 5-pound stray has done some serious growing. But his relationship with his pawrent might be the sweetest transformation of all.

His hooman calls Breadstick their soulmate and says he's healed a part of them without them even knowing how. They hope they'll somehow find each other in every lifetime.

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    April 2025 we adopted breadstick. He was found as a stray and only weighed 5 pounds. At first he wasn't a huge cuddle bug, but after about 3 months he
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    started sleeping with me in the bed. Now he is literally like a piece of Velcro. If he's awake and not in the same room as me he will come looking for me. He
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    loves food. His favorite toy is literally string. He now weighs 13 pounds! He's still not a lap cat, but he loves to snuggle next to
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    me. I swear this cat is my soulmate and I hope we find each other in every lifetime. There's a part of me he's healed and I don't know how he did it.
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    Uprooted_Vt_to_RI He is looking so healthy and handsome!! So happy you have each other.
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  • Breadstick had a MAJOR glow-up. It’s crazy to think this big 13-pound boy used to be a tiny 5-pound stray. He’s clearly been making up for lost time when it comes to food, and we love that for him. He looks so happy and healthy now, and he’s got a favorite hooman to follow around all day too. Safe to say Breadstick is doing pretty well for himself these days.

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    Essence_Bessence I love Mr. Breadstick thank you for giving him the best FurEVER home
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    ZombehMallow This is the most beautiful thing I've read today. That is a kind of bond that doesn't happen by accident. He chose you just as much as you chose him.
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  • Breadstick really said, “Yep, that’s my best friend,” and hasn’t looked back. Following you around the house, tracking you down when you’re in another room, and curling up beside you at night is some serious bestie behavior. He doesn’t need to be a lap cat when he’s already making sure he’s never more than a few feet away. You may have adopted Breadstick, but it sounds like he picked his bestie too.

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    WithThePWRofThisVest He looks like the very best friend you could find!
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    Big-Tennis2579 He is a wonderful tabby boi, so smart, cute and kind
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    joydubs What a glow-up! He's so sweet
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  • Breadstick’s glow-up is seriously impressive. Going from just 5 pounds to a healthy 13 is a pretty big deal, and he looks like a completely different cat now. That skinny little stray has filled out into one very handsome boy who clearly takes his meals seriously. We love getting to see transformations like this, especially knowing Breadstick is doing so well now. He’s come a LONG way since the day he was found.

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    AngryTrunk Monkey love your kitty, his physical changes since being adopted and the positive energy he's providing you!
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Cats transformation snuggle adopted cuddling Cat distribution system stray
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