An animal shelter was overjoyed to find a loving home for one of their cats, only for his adopters to realize things weren't right: They had to adopt his sibling, too.
Cirrus and Ivory came into the care of Bertie County Humane Society in North Carolina in November, part of a group of seven cats taken from the same home.
"They were all sick, so we began to work on treating them and restoring them to health," shelter worker Penny told Newsweek. "They didn't understand why they were at the shelter or why they were having to live in a cage, but they adapted and began to get healthier. They learned they were in a safe place where their needs were being met, and people cared about them."
In February, Jean McGinnis and Chris Gartland visited the shelter to adopt a cat after losing their beloved pet, Dexter, and were very interested in adopting Ivory after seeing a video of him on the shelter's social media.
But as the Bertie County Humane Society wrote on a post to its Facebook page on March 4, "there was a problem...they also fell for Cirrus."
Having planned to adopt one cat, they struggled to choose between them, but eventually brought Ivory home, where he thrived in their care.
But as the shelter explained in the post, "for several days they continued to think about Cirrus"—and they got back in touch, asking if they could adopt Ivory's brother, and Penny was more than happy to help.
Penny told Newsweek that both cats are doing great since being adopted, and McGinnis told the shelter she "loves everything about them. She said they are thriving and such a joy to have. Their home was so empty after losing Dexter, and now it is filled with love as Ivory and Cirrus run through the house and play."
While Ivory settled in right away, Cirrus needed a bit more time to decompress and would hide in an upstairs bedroom, and if Ivory tried to leave the room, "Cirrus would call out to him, and Ivory would run back into the room and stay with him to make him feel better."
Now the pets have both settled in and are enjoying life in their loving home with their new names: Gnocchi and Levi.
McGinnis also told the shelter that she hopes more people learn about their organization and visit, as "when they were there, they got to see several of our other cats and wanted homes for all of them, so they just really want people to come and see the great pets we have."
"These folks are great animal lovers, and it has been nice getting to know them. We get to meet the nicest people through adoptions that take place here," Penny said, although she admits that as she learns to love the animals in their care so much, she always cries, "because I am so happy for them, and because I will miss them."
For now, Cirrus and Ivory's five other siblings are still at the Bertie County Humane Society, waiting for their own happy ending.
In the United States, about 2.1 million cats are adopted from shelters each year, compared to 3.2 million cats who enter shelters nationwide each year, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
The shelter's Facebook post announcing the couple had returned to adopt Cirrus had a big response from animal lovers, as one wrote: "Needed this happy ending today. What beautiful kitties!! What wonderfully kind adopters!"
"God bless them and their 2 fur babies," another said, while another wrote: "Such a sweet story & happy ending for both cats to continue living together! Thank you for loving them!"
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