After worrying for months, person notices the stray cat they've been feeding who disappeared is watching them from the window of his forever home, and they're overjoyed to see him well-loved and chonkier: 'I'm so happy I could cry'

Author image for Mariel Ruvinsky
Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor
Jul 19, 2026 1:30 PM EDT

What we want more than anything is for every stray cat that we feed to find a home. We just wish we could know about it when it finally happens. 

As hard as it is to believe, there is a limit to how many cats one person can have in their home. I had to learn that from personal experience. Once there are too many of them, their relationships get complicated, the personal space each of them has gets diminished, and their quality of life gets worse overall. That's why I feed stray cats. Because I can't make all of them not stray cats on my own. And feeding the stray cats around my building is one of the constant highlights of my days. But as nice as feeding stray cats is, what I want more than anything for each and every one of them, is for them to find their forever homes. The problem is that I can never know about it. 

You hope and pray that every cat you feed gets adopted someday, and it does happen sometimes, but to you, the person feeding them, they just disappear one day. If you're lucky, the person who adopted the cat knows you've been feeding it, and they come tell you about the adoption. But, like the kind person who shared their story on r/Straycats found out, most people have no clue who you are, and they adopt the cats with no way of letting you know about it. I wish what happened to this person would happen to me with every stray cat that I feed. I hope that every once in a while, I will see these cats through the windows of my neighbors, chonky, fluffy and living their absolute best lives just like itty-bitty Dusti is. 

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  • 01

    "Found one of my favorite (former) strays watching me from my neighbors window! Haven’t seen him since July!"

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  • 02
    I noticed this black cat watching me from my neighbors window for a while now, I never looked too close until today. I realized it's my Dusti! He found a home!
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  • 03
    He's got the ear tip and the little white splotch on his chest. I'm so happy I could cry.
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  • I can imagine the joy that you must have felt, I really can. Seeing this with one of my strays, I would have probably started bawling my eyes out on the spot. 

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  • 06
    My partner and I missed him so much, we honestly assumed the worst that he had wondered off and passed away. I'm so grateful that isn't the case!
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  • 07
    He was such a good boy when we fed him, I hope his new owner is taking great care of him. That seems to be the case based off how much weight he has put on <3
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    barracudab1tch OP And to clarify it's in the building next door to mine, he watches me walk to my car every day lol. The window basically overlooks our whole parking lot.
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  • 11
    barracudab1tch OP I just realized in the last pic you can see the window he watches me out of now that was always my favorite pic of him! Foreshadowing lol!
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  • It's nice that he's so close to your home. You might be able to see him again and say hi every once in a while. We're sure he hasn't forgotten what you have doen for him either. 

  • 12
    Kacey-R I hope that you know that the socialisation you did with Dusti would have helped make this happen - well done!!!
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    barracudab1tch OP Thank you so much he's now the second from our OG crew from when we first moved here to be taken into a home. We've already got a full yard of new feral kitties I'm trying to socialize. They're so good at finding the houses that leave food out
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    NellieLovettMeatPies Awwww!! Enjoying the view from his forever home!
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    barracudab1tch OP I realized he still knows his schedule too, I would feed him and all his friends as I left for work every day in our little gated front yard. He watches me at the same time I would've been feeding him if he were still a stray □ god I love cats so much lol
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    Trytolearneverything You should go tell them! I would love to meet anyone who cared for my babies before me. I bet he would like to snuggle you one last time!
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    barracudab1tch OP I might have to! We have sooo many pics of him from feeding him for almost a year. He was one of our favorites!
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    artzbots You could leave a note on their door saying you noticed they took in one of the cats that used to show up, and you are so thankful and happy to see that he's become an indoor cat to be loved on and spoiled.
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    barracudab1tch OP I think I need to do this and give them all the best photos we got of him
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