Seasoned street cat spent over 500 days deciding if the persistent people who care for him are really willing to make him their indoor king: ‘We fed [him] outdoors for a year and a half.’

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Ayala Sorotsky • Writer and Editor
Apr 29, 2026 3:30 PM EDT

The patience it takes to adopt some cats is truly profound. But the result of having a floofy feline ruling over your home is always worth it.

Some cat adoptions take a long time. For some cats, it's not by choice. It might be a rejected cat, waiting for their adoption turn, or a cat who couldn't find their way back home. But some cats, believe it or not, are simply too shy or scared to get adopted. Yeah, shocking. But seriously now - some cats never learn how to behave next to people, and definitely don't necessarily know what it's like to have a person care for them. It might be confusing to them, that these weird and big cats who walk on two legs bring them food… so they run away.

But when these said people don't give up on the more "difficult" cats, they win the love of a cat - which is arguably the best thing in the world. Sure, some cats require more patience and attention, making the adoption process very long (and sometimes tedious), but the results are unmatched. The joy of being able to give a cat a home, especially after so much time and effort were put into the process, is something that's hard to describe in words.

But one person did just that - took care of a cat for a year and a half outside her family's home, and after a successful adoption process, went to tell the online feline family the good news. This is such a heartwarming read that can surely melt the hearts of every cat person out there. And this is exactly why we bring it to you right here - because learning about another cat who won a home and a family's heart is always wholesome.

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    From bolting on sight to living indoors. We're 6 weeks into bringing him inside
    via cautionfromthebirds
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    Here is our boy who we fed outdoors for a year and a half and then brought inside 6 weeks ago.
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    He bolted on sight for the first 6 months we fed him and was the most feral of the 3 ferals we feed.
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  • We have to pause on this absolutely adorable picture of this dapper gentleman of a cat sprawled all over the bed with his belly up. When a cat is exposing their belly anywhere near you, that's a sign of absolute trust they have in you. You see, cats tend to hide their bellies - this is the easiest access a predator might have to their most vulnerable parts. So exposing the belly up is a cat essentially saying, “I trust you so much that I know you won't ever hurt me. My life is literally in your hands, and I willingly let it happen.” It's not just a show of confidence, it's a show of love.

    And having this once-street cat do this to his hoomans? It's just knowing he ended up in the right place for him, where he was meant to be. Surrounded by love, warmth, and care.

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    He's made such big strides and everyday I can tell he feels more at home inside and with his new 65 pound labrador brother
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    ArabellaFort From scratched up tom to window seat life Thank you for helping him.
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    cautionfromthebirds OP He still has those little scars on his nose! When he got neutered, the vet had to shave the side of his face because she suspected cystic wounds from how large his jowls were. Turns
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    out it was just some healing gashes from his latest fight and scar tissue from his life on the streets. He doesn't need to be a tough guy anymore and we love that for him!
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    ArabellaFort They have such hard lives on the streets. I'm so glad this boy is with you now. Please post updates. I also suspect he will be best friends with the doggy.
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    InterestingPause2355 What was your truck to catching him and taking him indoors? I'm working on several atm but they frighten so easily
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    cautionfromthebirds OP He would bolt on sight for maybe the first 6 months. Once he stopped, I would just sit there and slow blink at him, sometimes turning my head away, while they all ate. Then one day I decided to try giving him a churro which is the closest I got to him. Eventually I was able to see he was intact (this was like a year in), so we knew we had to trap him. This is also when he started getting into big fights with the other 2, so I worked on getting my partner on board to adopt,
    via cautionfromthebirds
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    After that, I got serious about his socialization - worked up to pets with treats and lapwork (all outside). It was helpful that it was cold, so he learned to sit on my lap and get under my jacket for warmth. The final month, I was spending several hours outside sitting with him,
    via cautionfromthebirds
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    talking to him, and petting him (mornings, and evenings). Then two weeks before taking him in, I started feeding him in a carrier. At first he was hesitant but I would just sit there watch him go in and out to eat. Soon he would eat in there without issues knowing nothing would happen.
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    Four days before taking him in I did dewormer in his food. Then, the day after he was done with the dewormer, I shut the carrier door while he was eating and calmly carried it inside.
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    I had our downstairs bedroom all set up with litterbox, under the bed boxed off, controlled hiding spots, treats and toys. I followed the Socialization Saves Lives method (but no cat tent since we were already far along with trust).
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    headgyheart This is inspirational! Thanks for posting. Does he ever go outside now?
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    cautionfromthebirds OP We haven't let him back out yet. He would go crazy trying to get out at night the first 3 weeks, scratching at the door for at its peak 7 hours straight. That made us decide a long reset and him forgetting outdoors for a bit would be necessary. We want him to be full indoors for 3 months.
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    In the Summer we'll be letting him out but not unmonitored - only when we're there. I'm reading The Trainable Cat right now and trying to come up with a game plan. Either we'll do harness training or I need to be confident he will stay in the backyard/near us and come to me when I call.
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    alisonlou Really hope he acclimates to indoor life! That's a beautiful boy you got there! Hope you have lots of love and many years of companionship!
    via alisonlou

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stray cats wholesome cat adorable heartwarming cat adoption adopted Cat distribution system Cats stray
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