Man Reluctantly Accepts the Neighbor's Cat After They Leave Her Behind; Wholesome Friendship Blooms in a Classic 'Who Adopted Who' Scenario

Author image for Jesse Kessenheimer
Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Dec 9, 2023 11:00 PM EST

Rescue animals can sometimes choose their rescuer. As human beings, we like to maintain a semblance of control over our own lives, but when it comes to pet ownership, nobody is ever fully prepared for the unconditional love that comes along with animal adoption. However, that love can come as a surprise to those who aren't even looking for it. 

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  • For u/yelxxx, a grown man who was terrified of cats, shared his cat discovery story on the popular Reddit forum, r/CatAdvice. As he explains in his first, desperate post, OP found himself in a pickle when his neighbors moved away. Once cat owners, they had no choice but to leave their kitty behind when they moved, so even though OP was unprepared for a cat, he couldn't leave the kitten hanging. Next thing he knew, the cat was moving in, burrowing deep into his heart before he could ever say no. 

  • This is how dog people become cat people. 

    Scroll for the entire wholesome story of how one man quickly learned how to be a cat person simply because the love of a cat urged him to change for the better. Want more cat content? Here's a collection of curated wholesome cat memes that'll leave you feeling warm and fuzzy for the first time in weeks.

  • 01
    Posted by u/yelxxx 2 neighbor left his cat to me, a dog person New to Cats/Just Adopted so as the title says, im usually a dog person but last week my neighbor asked if we could take care of his cat bec he was leaving the country and wont be back for years. at first i
    via u/yelxxx
  • 02
    wanted to say no bec i, a grown man was scared of cats. but my neighbor practically begged and said he's been running around for days looking for someone to take the cat in to no avail. anyway, it's been a week now and so far so good. i can see her slowly warming up. she's been demanding pets and this morning she jumped on my keyboard while i was in a meeting with my boss.
    via u/yelxxx
  • 03
    im just a bit curious and looking for advice on how to earn her trust since i read somewhere that cats take longer to adjust and trust a new caretaker. what are the usual signs that they trust u?? where to pet?? how to ask her to stop scratching me?? how to get her to come to me bec i've been "psssspsssss"ing my out and so far she rarely comes when called. some vids if y'all like to see her:
    via u/yelxxx
  • 04
    via u/yelxxx
  • 05

    Five months later...

    UPDATE: "neighbor left his cat to me, a dog person" Update so, some of you may be familiar with my first post since my last post, she's totally invaded my life. gotten pretty comfortable with the environment and the people around.
    via u/yelxxx
  • 06
    she also cozied up to me a lot more haha. she would jump in bed with me at night demanding cuddles and pets before i sleep and in the morning she would wake me up in the morning by clawing my and not stop meowing until i feed her.
    via u/yelxxx
  • 07
    Cheezburger Image 9848783872
    via u/yelxxx
  • 08
    all through out the day she would have her little adventures going god knows where but comes back from time to time to meow and ask for pets. growing up i never had cats because we were much more of a dog family but i find that its like having a roommate, she lives her own life but stays nearby all the time for pets and lil talks.
    via u/yelxxx
  • 09
    she naps aaaaaalIII theeeee timeeee, at first i got really worried and thought she was sick but people say its normal for cats. sometimes i would ask her questions to find she's napping under my desk or beside me. when she wakes up, she would sit up first and then start clawing my legs for pets.
    via u/yelxxx
  • 10
    Google Qcat sleeps all day Al Shopping Images Videos News Maps Books The average adult cat may spend 16 to 18 hours per day sleeping. This is normal, but much of that sleeping is "catnapping." A cat should respond quickly to usual stimuli, such as the owner walking into the room or cat food being prepared. Subtle Signs of Sickness-The Cat Hospital
    via u/yelxxx
  • 11
    we also seem to develop a chirp. whenever a try to call her i started to chirp and would do a better job at calling her attention than her name. its quiet funny because no matter how far across from me in a room or whatever she may be doing, when i do our little chirp her head would do a full 180 and her ears would stick out.
    via u/yelxxx
  • 12
    i also decided to remove her collar because i don't think she's comfortable with it plus i think she knows im her human now so she's gotta come back to me after her lil cat errands round the neighborhood.
    via u/yelxxx
  • 13
    via u/yelxxx
  • 14
    lastly, she slow blinks at me all the time now haha. i was told its a sign that they care about you so i also started doing it to her and without fail, she'll blink back. like our lil coded message. everythings been good so far and i hope she thinks the same way too.
    via u/yelxxx
  • 15
    OW ATTLE AND ERE VOC CHELSE HAMIN OTHING H CHELSEA HANDLER RAN
    via u/yelxxx
  • 16
    HighRiseCat 3 mo. ago Slow blinks and chirruping, signs of trust and love.
    via u/HighRiseCat
  • 17
    hungryhungry_zippo this is an adorable 17 3 mo. ago post Reply Share Dismal Eagle_5574 3 mo. ago Awww so happy for you both. She looks very happy & at home with you. Give her dreamies from me pls
    via u/hungryhungry_Zippo
  • 18
    JoutsideTO Glad she's settling in! We've settled on a routine with our cat, where he wears his collar if he goes out, but we take it off when he's inside. He can be comfier at home without it on, but having contact info on a collar if someone finds your cat can be the difference between them coming home or not.
    via u/JoutsideTO
  • 19
    CulturalEmu3548 Awww, so cute!!! She loves you!! If she must be allowed to roam free outside (which is actually very very dangerous for cats) she should keep the collar on.
    via u/CulturalEmu3548
  • 20
    elencool03 3 mo. ago I was also and still am a dog person but I have a cat which I adore. Welcome to the club Cats adopting humans One day you dreaming about getting a dog and now you have a fur ball devil running around the house. No regrets!
    via u/elencool03
  • 21
    boringhistoryfan. 1 day ago I'm just a bit curious and looking for advice on how to earn her trust since I read somewhere that cats take longer to adjust and trust a new caretaker. Little did OOP know they were already a trusted servant.
    via u/boringhistoryfan
  • 22
    prone-to-drift 1 day ago "ever since you married batman n... Thanks for formatting this beautiful post! No twins and affairs and phones blowing up and rich grandmas. Just a cute cat.
    via u/prone-to-drift
  • 23
    LayLoseAwake. 1 day ago I love that OOP wanted the cat to come when called. SUCH a dog person
    via u/LayLoseAwake
  • 24
    PennyArena 1 day ago edited 23 hr. ago in the closet? No, I'm in the cabinet I laughed when OOP said the cat still scares them. I suspect this helped the cat in coming around, since cats do appreciate a good trolling.
    via u/PennyArena
  • 25
    neighbor left his cat to me, a dog person New to Cats/Just Adopted so as the title says, im usually a dog person but last week my neighbor asked if we could take care of his cat bec he was leaving the country and wont be back for years. at first i wanted to say no bec i, a grown man was scared of cats. but my neighbor practically begged and said he's been running around for days looking for
    via u/canva

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dog person wholesome cat neighbors adoption pets cute story cat adoption cute advice cat rescue pet story Reddit cat person Cats cat advice neighbor rescue
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