Getting a pet is always a lot to consider. It’s a new addition to your family which requires as much attention as anyone else and that‘s not something that everyone can handle. Apparently, this is what happened with this family from North Carolina that decided to give away their 7-year-old cat, Toby.
He originally showed up at their home as a stray cat, and it all began in February when his owners noticed that he was not getting along with their other cats. That is when they decided to find him a new home, and they did – they gave him to another family about 12 miles away from them.
Meanwhile, Toby had no idea why he was being forced to leave his family — but he missed them so much., so he patiently walked those 12 miles back to his old family’s home, he arrived at their doorstep. But instead of being welcomed back, he was met in the worst way.
“The family he thought had loved him took him to a shelter and asked staff to euthanize him,” said Tara Lynn, The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Wake County in a Facebook post “It was just so heartbreaking to know he made it all the way back to his family, and that was their response.”
The public shelter refused to put Toby down, and instead contacted the SPCA “The shelter called us at the SPCA to ask if we could take him in and help him find a new family. Of course, we said YES!”
Then, the SPCA started giving him the medical care he needed to get him ready to find a new home. “He tested positive for feline immunodeficiency virus, and also had an upper respiratory infection,” Lynn said. “We got him treated for the infection, which took a little while.”
“He was very friendly,” Lynn said. “Just your sweet, typical cat — they want to get love and to love you.”
Once the rescue posted on social media about Toby, the word about Toby spread quickly and the calls came rolling in. This is when Michelle Puckett from Raleigh, North Carolina, accidentally saw it too and left everything to go to the SPCA to meet this adorable cat.
“She was on a job site and just dropped everything to come here.” Lynn said.
And it was the beginning of a new chapter in Toby’s life
Lynn said Toby was turned in to a county shelter before he was brought in to them. “It’s funny,” she says. “He’s very sweet, but he didn’t get along with his [feline] roommate. We thought he’d need to be adopted out as the only cat in a home, but his new family has two other cats and he’s fine with them. He’s just been through a lot and wasn’t settled yet.”
Luckily, Toby “clicked with his new family, as if he’s always been there.”
Seeing how comfortable Toby is with her family, Puckett can’t help but think of the sad fate his old owners had intended for him “It’s really hard to understand how someone could have dropped him off to be put to death like they did,” she said. “It’s shocking, but we feel so grateful he was saved.”
Lynn feels the same — and hopes that Toby’s story will help make a difference for other pets who can find a second chance through rescues, just like he did “There are tons of pets who are easily discarded by their families or a breeder,” Lynn said. “I really hope he inspires other people to go out and adopt.”
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