After preparing to say goodbye forever, cat parent brings their beloved cat home, where she spends her unexpected extra days doing nothing but purring, reassuring her human they made the right choice

Author image for Mariel Ruvinsky
Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor
Jun 21, 2026 2:15 PM EDT

Kindness comes in many forms. Adopting a terminally ill cat might be one of the purest. 

Whenever this story was first shared on r/cats, the person who rescued this stray cat didn't know that she had so little time left. They bonded with her, spent time with her as a stray, and tried their best to gain her trust. Eventually, she allowed them to get close enough to take her to the vet, and that's where things got a little more difficult. 

Someone else in that position might have acted differently. Getting the news that the 2-year-old cat you rescued and bonded with doesn't have a long time left would be heartbreaking. Someone else might have been unable to deal with the heartbreak and would have left the cat with the vet or at a shelter. But the right thing to do - the kindest thing - was to make sure that this cat spends the time she has left in the best way, the happiest that she has ever been. And that could mean only one thing - the person who bonded with her, showed her that humans can be trusted, who she chose has to choose her back. 

This person had two months total since adopting the cat before the vet told them that the treatments for her FELV are no longer working. But since the kitty still seemed happy - grooming herself, eating snacks, and purring - the vet and the owner decided that she needed to go back home. It could be for hours, could be for days, they don't know for sure. All they know is that she needs to be where she is the happiest, purring for hours in her human's lap, dreaming, snacking, and being loved on as much as humanly possible. 

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10639895808
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  • 02
    My cat was supposed to di today, but I took her home instead. She is hopped up on medication and has been purring for 3 hours, even if its just for a few days it feels like the right decision.
    via -GiKi-

  • Of course it's the right decision. You know this cat, and you clearly knew that being at the vet's - where she's scared and uncomfortable - in not the right way for her to spend the time she has left. She's happy with you, at home, and that's what she needs. 

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  • 05
    fussymode Beautiful baby
    via fussymode
  • 06
    -GiKi- OP Thank you, she is barely two years old, but she was born on the street and has felv complications
    via -GiKi-
  • 07
    frostynippples so sorry to hear it. if i may ask, are the treatments not working anymore? i now know AZT is used as an antiviral for FIV and FeLV to reduce viral load and improve the immune status.
    via frostynippples
  • 08
    -GiKi- OP An xray showed a potential tumor on her spine which apparently is common with felv, its up against nerves so her ability to walk and defecate on her own is weakening by the day. The issues with number two are compounding as well.
    via -GiKi-
  • 09
    She wont do it because her ability to push it out is weakened, so it stays inside her, then dries up and hardens. it will So when she actually does manage to hurt a lot because its like hard and sharp rocks. Which in turn means she will hold it in intentionally, so it hardens further. Repeat cycle.
    via -GiKi-
  • 10
    She had a intestinal cleaning a few days ago so she will be ok for a while before the issues probably come back. I have a bunch of medications from a pharmacy that I will administer every day, then see how it goes.
    via -GiKi-
  • 11
    Kind of funny going to the pharmacy and handing them a prescription from a veterinarian and telling them the dr_s are for my cat, pinky promise! PS to the people who are saying Im doing something wrong, the cat is grooming herself and cuddling, she is very content and the vet wouldnt have let me take her if she wouldnt be fine for a little while longer.
    via -GiKi-
  • 12
    mangokittykisses Do what's best for you and your kitty, but for the record cats will purr when they are in pain to self-soothe, so it's you can't rely on that to tell if she is happy and okay. Purring for hours is not a good sign, unfortunately.
    via mangokittykisses
  • 13
    -GiKi- OP She is grooming herself and cuddling, the vet wouldnt have let me take her if she wasnt going to be happy for a little bit longer. Currently curled up on my arm dreaming about something making chirpy sounds
    via -GiKi-
  • 14
    The 137 Yea. Yea it was. Call off work tomorrow, enjoy your time
    via The137
  • 15
    -GiKi- OP I dont really work anymore so luckily no need for that, I just take care of street cats and my own.
    via -GiKi-
  • 16

    "This little girl showed up outside my house"

    Cheezburger Image 10639899136
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  • This story first went up online two months ago. We remember seeing it and congratulating the human for finally winning over their stray. We knew, from the post, that she didn't have long left, and even then, we were so happy that she was going to spend that time - however much she would get - in a loving home. 

  • 17
    Three of my cats d d in less than a year, one of them was euthanized the same day as this cat found me. I was walking home from the gym and I saw a little cat sitting along the walls on my street. (all the houses have tall walled gardens)
    via -GiKi-
  • 18
    PSPSd her, but she didnt come towards me, I went inside to grab some food and when I went back outside she was gone.
    via -GiKi-
  • 19
    Later I saw a small shadow in my garden and it was her, theres a tree outside of the wall so its the only wall thats climbable for cats from the outside. She is super sweet, purrs and plays a lot. Hard to tell her age, but she seems young.
    via -GiKi-
  • 20
    Unfortunately her breathing is bad and she has tumors on her belly, she probably wont live for much longer, but I will do my best for her to have as much happiness as she can.
    via -GiKi-
  • 21
    Yesterday was her first time indoors because of yardwork, she was fascinated by the TV. PS- She doesnt have a name yet, any suggestions?
    via -GiKi-
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    that, innit, d very sharp.
    via -GiKi-

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