11/12/2025
Hello, we are Bert(Black and white) and Ernie (Gray and white)! We are biological brothers with heart conditions and quite the backstory who are looking for the purrfect home to make our happily ever after and will care for us all the rest of my days! Both of us were born with enlarged hearts, and we both tested positive for a heart condition called HCM. We are looking for a owner(s) who aren’t afraid of kitties with a heart condition, and will give us the life we deserve: full of love, admiration, and the vet care I require.
In May of 2025, on the first 80 degree day in Frankenmuth, somebody dumped our mommy, both of us and our 4 brothers outside Pet Angel. Our mommy cat was left inside a teeny, tiny cage and next to the cage, they left a rubber maid tote fully closed with us and my 4 brothers inside of it. We were just 6-week old, and the tote didn’t even have air holes in it!!! When the volunteers showed up for the evening shift, they found us, and quickly brought us inside to safety. Pet Angel named our mommy Sesame, and me and my brothers were all named after Sesame Street Characters (We’re Bert & Ernie, but our brothers names are Elmo, Rocco, Grover & Snuffy!) We went off to foster care, where we were safe and sound while our mommy weaned raised and weaned us, and we came back to Pet Angel when we were big enough to be without 24 hour care.
Let me tell you one thing about Ernie (the gray and white one), he is ADDICTED to the cat wheel in our room. It’s like a hamster wheel, but big enough for cats to walk on it. And BOY is Ernie obsessed with it! He is on the cat wheel ALL the time, and its so funny because he YELLS at the top of his lungs while he’s walking on the wheel. Step-MEOW-Step-MEOW-Step-MEOW: all day long! He will even nap on the cat wheel sometimes so our roommates can’t steal it from him. He loves people, and will always try to get in your lap and get attention. He loves to wrestle and play with our roommates! Ernie loves to chew on peoples long hair, play with the strings on your hoodies, and chew on your shoelaces! He is outgoing, playful, loveable, and talkative! If I can be honest with you, sometimes Ernie munches on his human friends. He has never drawn blood, but he likes to wrestle with you just like he wrestles with my roommates. Because he’s a human-muncher, He is not fit for a home with young children.
Bert (the black and white one) is a CUTIE! Bert is a sleek boy with long legs and a long nose! He loves to play with toys, carry around pom pom balls, and chew on show laces. He enjoys wrestling our roommates (especially my counterpart, Ernie) and clinging to your shoulder when you pick me up! Our foster mama used to let Bert sleep in the hood of her hoodie, so now Bert love cat hammocks because they’re kind of like a sweatshirt hood. Bert sleeps in the hammock with his belly up! He is outgoing, and wants to be around people! Bert is playful, with both toys, roommates, and people (and shoes- boy, does he love shoes!) and he is the purrfect kitty- you will just love him!! He’s adorable, friendly, sweet, playful and so much fun!
Both of us do have a health condition, and we are hoping that this does not scare away any potential owners, but helps us find the best family who will give us all the care we may need in our lives. In the end of July 2025, one of our brothers, Snuffy, suddenly passed away. One day he was sick, so Pet Angel took him immediately into the vet, and the next day he was gone. It happened so fast, and all of the staff and volunteers at Pet Angel were absolutely devastated. At first, The vet thought Snuffy’s symptoms looked like pneumonia. This prompted Pet Angel to take our brothers and I into the vet to be checked out. Upon further investigation our vet discovered that our brother didn’t pass from Pneumonia, and that my mommy Sesame, along with all 5 of her biological kittens (me included) have enlarged hearts. At this point, the vet was concerned about a heart condition called HCM. In September of 2025, my mom Sesame, both of us, and all of my brothers I went into the vet to get ultrasounds done of our hearts to check to see if we had HCM. Our test revealed two things: We not only have an enlarged heart, but both of us tested positive for HCM. Out of the 5 remaining kittens, us 2 were the only 2 who tested positive for HCM.
So, what is HCM? HCM stands for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. HCM is a heart condition where the heart muscle thickens, making it harder for the heart to pump blood effectively. While there's no cure, it can be managed with medication. Currently, We are too young to go on the medication, but when we get older we will need to go on the medication. It is a pill that we would get once a week, and it would help my heart pump effectively. Long term, we will need a combination between the medication, and to have check-ups with a vet every six months to monitor our heart health. With proper care, we can still live a happy and fulfilling life!
We understand that an enlarged heart and heart condition may be reason potential adopters don’t consider us. However, to be fair, any cat you adopt could have a heart condition that goes undetected prior to you adopting them. Pet Angel has taken extra steps by fundraising the money to do the heart tests for me prior to posting us up for adoption to ensure that you- our hopeful future owners- are aware of this condition so you can give us the care we require to give us a long lasting, healthy life. In fact, they held off putting us up for adoption to do all of these medical tests to help set us and our future families up for success, so my future family knows exactly how to care for us. Please don’t let our heart condition be a factor in why you don’t consider me, but instead know that our enlarged heart just means we have more of a heart to love you with.
We are both fixed, microchipped, up to date on all our shots, and am negative for FIV/FELV. We are looking for a strictly-indoor-only home where we will be able to live with other cats, as neither of us would not do well as a single cat- we need playmates!!! We do NOT need to be adopted together, but since we’re biological brothers, who have duo-names, and the same heart condition, we would be thrilled if a family who is considering one of us would consider taking us both (Pet Angel will even give you a discount on our adoption fee if you adopt us both together- but it is not necessary!) We have not been tested one-on-one with a dog, but we are so outgoing and affectionate that Pet Angel thinks that with a slow and proper introduction, we would get along with a dog that will not hurt us! We would do okay with older children, as Ernie like to chew on people, we are not fit for young children. We need a strictly indoor only home, and due to our heart condition we am not cats who should travel, so we’re hoping to find a family that will keep me home, besides when I go to the vet. We really hope to find a family who won’t be afraid of my enlarged heart or HCM, because I PROMISE, I am worth the extra vet visits. We am located at Pet Angel Adoption in Frankenmuth, Michigan and are looking for a home within the state of Michigan. If you would like to meet us and see if we’re the purrfect match, please submit an application online at https://petangeladoption.com/adopt-a-cat
