Tonya Andrews was on her way to take Blondie, her beloved 16-year-old cat, to the vet when it tragically passed away in her arms.
Tonya was devastated – the loss left her heart in pieces.
It was clear she was heartbroken when she showed up to Joshua High School where she works as a teacher.
“I cried pretty much every period that next day at school,” Tonya told the Huffington Post.
It didn’t take long for her students to learn what had happened.
Knowing how much their teacher loved her senior cat, they came up with a brilliant idea to lift her spirits.
A Heartwarming Surprise
After some quick planning, Tonya’s students walked into class later that week holding a dozen white roses, balloons, and homemade cupcakes.
As expected, the sweet gesture warmed Tonya’s heart right away.
“I was smiling so big by then because I could feel the love of the class,” shared Tonya.
However, the surprise didn’t end there…
Mending a Broken Heart
While Tonya was already happy with the flowers and cupcakes, her class wanted to give her something else: two adorable kittens!
When her student, Rachel, walked in with the two little cats, the teacher thought that they belonged to one of her students.
She assumed that they just wanted her to play with them to help ease pain from the loss of her late cat.
What she didn’t know was that they were actually for her to keep.
“Then she held them out to me and said they were mine…my heart can now experience happiness again,” Tonya shared.
A Beautiful Moment
Tonya’s reaction was priceless. She was overwhelmed with emotion from the kindness of her students.
She couldn’t help but burst into tears after witnessing her students’ kindness and compassion.
The beautiful moment was caught on camera and has since gone viral.
Rachel Hanhart, the high school junior who gifted Tonya the kittens, knew her teacher was going to adopt a kitten in the near future.
She simply beat her to the punch and made the moment incredibly special.
Though there will always be a Blondie shaped hole in Tonya’s heart, she’s thrilled to have the opportunity to share her love with two new rescue kittens.
Thanks to her thoughtful students, Tonya now has two adorable fur babies to adopt in her senior cat’s honor.
Watch the heartwarming moment below!
