Apet owner found a cat in need of help while walking her dogs one night, and after no one came forward for him, she decided to make him a part of her already large family.
In a heartwarming clip, shared on TikTok earlier in July, under the username @haybree27, the cat can be seen slowly learning how to trust the poster, letting her get closer and closer to him every day.
The poster, 29-year-old Hailey, who lives in a rural area with her husband, told Newsweek: “We’d walk our dogs. We’d see a little cat sitting outside the storm drain behind our house, but he was terrified of us, so he would run and hide.
“I visited him every day for two weeks, bringing him food and working on gaining his trust until eventually he’d jump out of the storm drain every night when I’d come by and he’d run right up to me.”
The couple checked for days for anyone missing a cat, called animal control, and got him scanned for a microchip, but no one ever came forward for him.
“We believe he was dumped,” she added. “My husband and I have two dogs and three cats already, so we had no intention of adopting another animal right now, but it felt like fate and like our responsibility to save this little guy’s life, and we knew we had more than enough time and love to share.
“Instead of dropping him off at the already incredibly full shelter, we got him vaccinated, checked for diseases, and brought him to his forever home, with us,” Hailey said.
After welcoming him into their home, the couple decided to make the cat, who is estimated to be 6 to 12 months old, Merlin, and to give him all the love that was previously denied to him by whoever abandoned him.
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“He’s getting along very well with his other five siblings, and he’s loving having a safe, cozy home to call his own. He’s so incredibly loving; he just has the sweetest little soul. We’re so blessed to have him as one of our furry family members and we love him so much!” Hailey said.
“The most important thing to me in life is my animals, and helping animals in any way I can. Giving an animal a loving home is such a beautiful gift that we as humans can provide to these fur babies that need our help.”
Each year, 6.3 million pets enter U.S. shelters, which is an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, the 24Pet ‘Shelter Watch Report’ found.
The Humane Society of Macomb says the most common reasons for dog surrenders include age, allergies, behavioral issues, cleanup, cost, moving, new pets, and shedding.
Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.
The video quickly went viral on social media, getting viewers from across TikTok. It has so far received over 121,300 views and more than 21,900 likes on the platform.