‘He probably has had to sleep with one eye open for the past six years, so maybe he’s just finally able to feel safe and relax.’: An unexpected rescuer nurses a stray cat back to health, after being found in a rough state

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Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Sep 20, 2025 3:00 PM EDT

There is no other way to put it, cat rescues be crazy. Whether you consider the variety of shapes and sizes they come in, or you take a moment to think about all the different reasons a cat needed rescuing in the first place, the sheer variety and amount of rescues that take place is truly crazy. But some are slightly more outlandish than the rest, which is where we meet our story today.

This story tells the tale of a cat who for one reason or another moved out of his pawrents home six years prior to his rescue. After more than half a decade out on the streets, this catto was picked up by a caring hooman who did the right thing and got the cat checked out, and it's chip scanned. Much to everyone's surprise including ours the original owners were still contactable and we open to the idea of their cat child coming home. But this is where the story gets interesting, and coincidentally where we will leave you to head out and read the story for yourselves.
 

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  • 01
    Hi everyone. So I've made several posts here about a stray boy I found and bringing him inside.
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  • 02
    He is friendly and I was able to get him into a crate and to a cat rescue where they checked him for chip and if not
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  • 03
    claimed they were going to vet him and I'd adopt. Well, he was claimed. I was shocked because he was in
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  • 04
    such rough shape when he came to me. Long story short, I connected with his former owners and he had
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  • Wow, well this is quite the surprise, you do not often get to hear about a story where a cat child is scooped up from the streets to actually be reunited with his pawrents in the holding period. More often than not the holding period is a formality and once it is filled the cat child goes back to the rescuer…

  • 05
    been missing six whole years. I'd only fed him about three months so we don't know what he was up to that whole time. He's 7-8 now.
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  • 06
    For a variety of reasons they asked me if I wanted to keep him and I said yes absolutely. He came home Tuesday
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    Cheezburger Image 10555162880
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    to my guest bedroom/husband's office. We first had him in a large cat cage but he has been fine so he's had access to the whole room during the day.
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  • 09
    Anyway, poor guy seems so exhausted and I'm a little worried about him? His former owner was a vet, believe it
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    or not, so they vetted him and he stayed at their vet hospital for about four days because I was out of town for
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  • 11
    a funeral when they called and asked if I wanted to keep him. Before that he was at a cat rescue for five or so days. I
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  • 12
    frisco by chewy
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  • Oh wow, what a twist and turn of events. And honestly it is so heartwarming to see so many hoomans who have little connection to one and other come together to ensure the best life for the cat in question. No arguments, no bitter emotions, just care and heart towards a cat child who deserves nothing less.

  • 13
    know this was probably all incredibly stressful for him. Unfortunately he also picked up a mild upper respiratory virus that
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  • 14
    we are monitoring but seems to be improving. So he's been going through it. He's been eating, drinking, ping and
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  • 15
    p., ing normally but all he wants to do is sleep on the bed and eat basically. At what point should I worry? My husband
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    Cheezburger Image 10555163136
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    pointed out he probably has had to sleep with one eye open for the past six years, so maybe he's just finally able to feel safe and relax.
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  • 18
    And he's not a kitten by any means. I feel so bad for him but he's safe, warm and loved now. He's also terrified of the outside noises and hid under the bed
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  • 19
    when he heard the garbage truck outside. He's been perfectly well behaved though and using his litter box perfectly.
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  • 20
    I'm curious to hear others' experiences after they brought ferals or strays in? How did they act the first few weeks?
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  • 21
    Thanks everyone. This group has been such a help to me throughout this process!
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nurses stray cat eye reddit story open unexpected years cat story sleep health rough rescue
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