Ohio Family Brings Home Orange Kitten, But The Tiny Cat Soon Decides He Is Actually A Human Child
Wilbur the orange kitten didn’t just want to be the family pet. From the moment he met his human brother, he decided to do everything the baby did.
A Very Important Lunch Date
You could set a clock by Wilbur the orange cat.
Every day right around lunchtime, the feline would come walking into the kitchen like he had somewhere incredibly important to be. Nobody even had to call him; he just knew it was time.
He would sit next to his human brother Charlie’s high chair, looking back and forth between his parents and the food.
He was patiently waiting for lunch to begin. If Charlie wasn’t there yet, Wilbur looked almost impatient, acting as if he was waiting for his little brother to show up so they could eat together.
A December Arrival
The beautiful bond between the two started when they were both incredibly small.
Charlie was born on September 6th, and his parents brought Wilbur home that December. The family thought the baby and the kitten would get along eventually, but they weren’t expecting an instant connection.
From his very first days in the house, Wilbur stayed close to Charlie. If the baby was lying on his play mat, Wilbur climbed right onto it with him.
Wherever Charlie ended up, Wilbur wasn’t far behind. Before long, it just felt completely normal to see a baby and an orange kitten spending every minute together.
The Copycat Kitten
The funny thing was, Wilbur didn’t just like being around Charlie. He actually wanted to copy him.
If Charlie was kicking his legs on the play mat, Wilbur was rolling around right beside him. If Charlie was interested in something, Wilbur suddenly needed to see it, too.
His parents never trained him to do any of that.
He simply watched Charlie all day and decided that whatever the baby was doing looked like a pretty good idea.
Claiming The Toys
Wilbur’s desire to be just like his brother naturally extended to playtime.
Charlie would reach for a toy, and a few seconds later, Wilbur had his paws on it, too. The best example was a little stuffed Elmo that Charlie got from his grandmother.
The parents gave it to Charlie, but Wilbur clearly thought they had made a mistake.
He carried that little Elmo around the house like it belonged to him. His parents would laugh and tell him, "Buddy, that’s Charlie’s toy," but Wilbur never looked convinced.
The Favorite Chair
Eventually, the clever cat discovered the baby rocker.
Out of all the comfortable places in the house, that little baby chair quickly became his absolute favorite spot. His parents would walk into the room and find Wilbur curled up inside it like a baby taking a nap.
Sometimes Charlie would be sitting in his own chair beside him.
The two of them would watch cartoons together without making a sound. Seeing a toddler and a cat quietly sitting side-by-side never stopped making the family smile.
Saving The Last Bite
Of course, lunchtime remained Wilbur’s favorite event of the day.
The second Charlie climbed into his high chair, Wilbur came running. He would sit there patiently, staring at every single bite like he was making sure nobody forgot about him.
At some point, it became part of the family’s routine to give Wilbur a treat while Charlie ate.
Then it turned into another little tradition. Wilbur almost always got the last bite, which Charlie thought was hilarious.
Childproof Locks For A Cat
Wilbur wasn’t a picky eater, either.
He would eat just about anything he thought he could get away with. More than once, his parents caught him digging through the kitchen cabinets looking for jars of baby food.
One day, they found a popcorn bag torn open on the floor, with Wilbur sitting nearby acting completely innocent.
After a while, the parents ended up putting childproof locks on the cupboards. As they love to joke: "I had to put child locks on the cupboard for the cat, not for the baby."
Growing Up Together
As Charlie got older, nothing really changed between the two best friends.
Wilbur still followed him everywhere. If Charlie was playing, Wilbur wanted to be part of it, and if Charlie moved to another room, Wilbur usually beat him there.
Somewhere along the way, they settled into a perfect older brother, younger brother relationship.
They annoyed each other once in a while, they shared everything, and they never stayed apart for very long.
A Brother With Four Paws
People often ask if pets really become part of the family.
For this family, spending just five minutes watching Charlie and Wilbur together answers that question instantly. They didn’t teach Wilbur to love Charlie, and they certainly didn’t expect him to think he was one of the kids.
Looking back, one of the best parts of raising Charlie has been watching him grow up with a best friend by his side every single day.
Wilbur may have been adopted as a family cat, but to Charlie—and maybe even to himself—he is simply a little brother with four paws.
