After finding an orange cat wandering around their apartment complex, a Reddit user discovered that the kitty was actually left behind when her owners moved—so they immediately took her in and gave her a new home.
In a post shared on Sunday under the username u/Regular_Range_2451, the poster shared pictures of the kitty, who didn’t waste any time making herself comfortable in their home.
“Apartment kitty abandoned after owners move out,” the caption reads. “This kitty had been wandering around our apartment complex since her owners moved. We have had a huge downpour this past week and yesterday this sweet girl wandered in trying to escape the rain.
“We quickly ran to Walmart to get pet supplies. She made herself right at home. She’s sweet and warm and the softest baby. We watched TV and we laid under the covers to nap while it continued to rain. Trying to give her a name now. Suggestions?”
Millions of cats are abandoned every year, and while cats as a species are able to survive on their own, domestic cats who are used to being fed three times a day by their owners may face particular challenges.
But beside possible starvation, many other dangers threaten house cats when out in the wild. While the outdoor can be a stimulating place for our felines, the dangers of letting them out outweigh the benefits.
Outdoors, cats risk being run over by cars, or being attacked by other predators. They are also exposed to the risk of developing infectious diseases like rabies, FIV, or felines herpes, among others.
Being outside also exposes them to parasites, including toxoplasma gondii, which causes toxoplasmosis, and bartonella henselae, which causes cat scratch disease. Both disease can affect cats and humans alike.
The post quickly went viral on social media and it has so far received over 900 upvotes and 39 comments on the platform.
One user, Frolicndetour, commented: “She is beautiful. I can’t believe someone would abandon this sweetie. So glad she found her way to better hoomins!”
TrailerTrashQueen wrote: “How do people dump animals like they’re garbage? I wish there were harsher penalties. Mandatory jail time and community service with an animal shelter.”
Newsweek reached out to u/Regular_Range_2451 for comment via Reddit. We could not verify the details of the case.
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