Sad and Scruffy-Looking Stray Cat Transforms into a Fluffy Beauty After Finding His Own Home
Katherine Meara and her partner were looking for a senior cat to adopt when one scruffy-looking stray on the New Zealand SPCA website stopped them in their tracks. Tuggly looked older, thinner, and far sadder than the other cats, and Meara knew right away that she wanted him.
He was actually only five years old, but he had already been through a lot. Found wandering as a stray in Christchurch, New Zealand, with severe injuries around his neck, Tuggly arrived frightened, underweight, and wary of people, which made his first days in a new home a little complicated.
Still, the couple stuck with him, and the transformation that followed was hard to miss. Read on.
Katherine saw Tuggly on the New Zealand SPCA’s website and knew he was the one
Meara explained that "he was a little frightened, and after essentially starving for so long, he would just get panicky and aggressive about food." She added that when they got Tuggly, he was extremely thin to the extent that his fur was also very sparse due to malnutrition.
Tuggly is actually around 5 years old, but he had already been through so much
They bought him an automatic feeder, and he became fine as he stopped associating them with food.
"He was scared, he was starving, and it took him about a week to adjust, which is actually quite fast compared to most cats. It’s a good reminder that sometimes cats just need time."
He was found living as a stray in Christchurch, New Zealand
Tuggly was expected to take a long time to settle in, or at least that is what the couple thought, but after just a few weeks, he was so comfortable in his new environment. Six months down the line, Tuggly looks and acts like a completely different cat, as he no longer has an aggressive bone in his body.
When Tuggly first arrived in his new home, he was eager to explore
When the couple looks back at Tuggly’s images from the SPCA, he appears to be an entirely different cat.
"His cheeks have finally filled out, and he’s got the cutest, roundest tomcat jowls. His fur has really filled out as well, and he’s now our big, floofy boy."
Now he doesn't have an aggressive bone in his body
Meara and her boyfriend do not have any kids or other pets, so it’s safe to say that Tuggly is the prince of the household. The cat wants to be with the couple all the time, as he is "very curious and has to be involved in everything we do."
The way Tuggly looked and acted back when he was first rescued from the streets is now a distant memory
In the winter, he enjoys lounging in front of the fireplace, and in the summer, he enjoys chasing butterflies. It appears as if Tuggly’s only requirements to live a happy life were time, patience, and love.
Meara signed a waiver for his aggressive behavior initially, but now he has turned into "the loveliest, most affectionate little cat, and we love him so unbelievably much."
Ready for another rescue glow-up, see how an abandoned “stone-skinned” pup was saved. Read the miraculous transformation story.
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