‘He’s come so far from the hissy pants that I trapped’: Shelter asks a neighbor to set up a cat trap in their garden to capture a notorious injured stray, Henry the floof ends up ensnaring their heart too

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
May 29, 2025 4:00 AM EDT

Some cats throw a hissy fit when they're detained. Like rowdy little prisoners, they literally bite the hand that feeds them in the cage, hoping to swipe, scratch, or sass their way out of capture. This is why it's so tough to catch a kitty in the neighborhood, because they're too smart to waltz right into a straitjacket without putting up a fight. 

But the floofy cat in this next story—a notorious feline stray that had been circumventing the shelter pawlice for months—was finally brought in by an unsuspecting neighborhood resident. After the rescue had spotted the kitty limping around in her yard, they asked if she could set up a cat trap to ensnare him. Agreeing to help out the rescue, this kind resident didn't realize that the cat would be doing some feisty capturing of their own, grabbing hold of their heart just as the trap door closed on their kitty cage. 

Purrhaps this is how the feistiest feline relationships are forged: In the vice-like grip of a well-placed can of tuna and a capture wrought out of love.

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  • On 7th March, I was contacted by a local rescue agency who told me a stray cat that was severely limping had been sighted in my front garden. They'd been trying to catch this cat for a while but
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  • hadn't been successful, and with the limp, it was now urgent as they believed it had a broken leg. I work from home full time but hadn't seen the cat in my garden,
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  • so whilst I agreed to put a trap in the front garden (where it'd been seen earlier that day) and monitor how it went, I sceptical. I have a lot of cats, foxes, and badgers
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  • visit and wasn't sure it'd work. But, a few hours later (after the wrong cat was trapped and released, sorry mate!), the stray ended up in the trap.
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  • I drove the hissing, extremely ped off cat to the rescue lady's house and asked if she could keep me updated on how it got on with being checked over and
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  • JP Jedi Fleece Mad
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  • whatnot. I offered to donate towards the vet bills as I figured they were going to be huge, and if no one came forward to claim/re-home them, then I
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  • might, and I told the rescue as much. As is usual with the CDS, when you're not actively looking for another friend, they don't give a sh and just come along when they're ready, not you.
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  • It was a boy! And his leg wasn't broken! He was a longhair moggie, probably around 5, and his fur was so matted that it was pulling the skin on his leg so taut
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  • that he couldn't straighten it. They had to shave him completely, and the fur came off in one piece, like a shell. He also had a nasty bite to that leg, no
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  • 凸 97 20
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  • microchip, was fully intact, and had a rash at the base of his tail. Oddly his teeth were in really good condition. The rescue lady named him Leopold.
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  • She kept me updated - once shaved, he had a good deal of movement back and was a bit happier. Due to the bite, the vet tested him for FIV and it came
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  • back positive. She was also concerned about the rash at the base of the tail that wasn't healing after an X-Ray, they - found that he had an old pull
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  • C before C post op 1
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  • injury, and so the tail had to come off. As the injury was so close to the spine, it had to be done at a specialist clinic, so more bills for the rescue. Once the tail was off,
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  • he had much more freedom of movement, so it was clearly a de d weight that he'd been lugging around for so long. In between all this, Leopold was
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  • microchipped and neutered, so he had a lot of healing to do. With every medical intervention, and as he healed, he gained more confidence, became chattier and more playful, and was able to
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  • showcase his magnificent ear furnishings to the best of his ability. The more I was updated about Leopold's journey, the more I kept
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  • thinking about adopting him. He just wouldn't leave my thoughts. I would talk with my mum about him and keep her updated on his progress too - I soon realised he
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  • was my boy and I was going to adopt him regardless, so I let the rescue know. Somehow I was the only person interested in adopting him - how?! Just look at his little face!
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  • He had his tail stitches out early last week and is in the cone of shame for a little bit longer but he has become the happiest, tiniest little maniac ever. He's come so
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  • far from the hissy pants that I trapped and transported, and now he just wants to explore everything, say hi to everyone, and live a good life. On Friday, he
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  • came back to me and to his forever home, and soon he can meet his older brother and sister, explore the enclosed garden access they have, and revel in his new name - Henry (or, His Grace King Henry IX). I kept Leopold as his middle name.
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  • Dulce59. A magnificent name for an absolutely magnificent cat. What a story. Thank you for sharing him with us, he is majestic and beautiful and I wish you both many, many more years of good health together (and thank you for listening to your gut and adopting him! You truly were meant to be together!)
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  • Bakingsquared80 I'm so glad he got the help he needs. He was suffering so much you are an angel for helping him
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