Adopted Cat Steals Hearts Online Over His 'Huge Cheeks'

A newly-adopted shelter cat has melted the hearts of viewers on Reddit, after going viral for his unique facial features.

The male feline's adorable appearance has been upvoted 34,000-plus times, thanks to his large cheeks giving him a rare and sweet look. The cat's new owner, who is known as u/cool_mcstellar on the platform, posted an image of their latest addition on February 16. The post, which features two images of the orange-and-white tabby named Rook, has sparked delight among pet-loving Reddit users.

Viewers were able to see the feline sitting comfortably on the top of a sofa that had been backed against a windowsill, with his large cheeks on full display.

The post was captioned: "Adopted this stray tomcat last weekend. He's got huge cheeks."

"He has been neutered! His name is Rook and the vets think he's around 5 years old. Took him 3-4 days of hiding before feeling comfortable around the apartment, but now the place is basically his," the cat's new owner added in the comments.

They clarified that the cause of Rook's unique cheek size is "mostly fat."

"He has some fluff there, but there are like two golfballs of mass under there," they said.

They continued that a veterinarian had told them that these "jowls" develop due to testosterone, and that they will become smaller over time since Rook has been neutered.

To little surprise, Reddit users quickly flooded the comments section with warm messages for the cat's new owner. Many gushed over the feline's heartwarming looks, with several mentioning his unique cheeks.

"I love him. Please give him a pat from me," one viewer said.

Another added: "Same, I'm obsessed with those giant cheeks!"

"His cheeks are just so amazing," another said.

Another added: "I was going to say that they'll start to deflate soon, so enjoy his enormous chops while you can. Thank you for adopting him," another said.

"Awesome. More surface area for kisses," another commented.

Another added: "Awww, he's such a cutie!"

"My neighbor adopted a stray tom cat as well," another said. "His cheeks were big too, but they got smaller after he was fixed."

Newsweek has reached out to u/cool_mcstellar for more information via Reddit.

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