'[I] felt bad that she was eating nasty trash': After spending 3 months gently coaxing a stray cat from the trash can, the feline suddenly becomes obsessed with her human and finally comes home

Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor

Aug 12, 2026 3:00 PM EDT

How long would you spend trying to gain a stray cat's trust?

Gaining a stray cat's trust is not an easy endeavour. Many of them, at best, have no interest in humans, and at worst, are terrified of humans - for good reasons. They live their lives the way that they know how, fighting for every bit of food, for shelter, for warmth. They do it because that is just how things are, and most of them don't know anything else. And although it's true that some cats decide to quit being a stray, decide to get adopted and by which person, a lot of them… don't. Because they don't know it's even an option. If we want to help a cat like that, it is up to us to take the risk, make the first move, and work for as long as it takes to gain their trust.

We imagine that a lot of people would give up rather quickly. In today's story, it took three months of gentle coaxing for this stray cat to finally reach out. It's an unrewarding mission most of the time. You don't know if your work will pay off, if investing all that time will be worth it. We would have started doubting ourselves far sooner than at the three-month mark. But we do know that if you stick it out - for as long as it take - the reward is absolutely meowgical. The cat we'll be talking about today didn't just begrudgingly accept this random human's love after three months. No, she became obsessed with them. Finally, her walls came down, and she was able to trust the giant. And once that happened, all bets were off. Now, she's the cuddliest cat, spoiled by her humans every day, and she will never have to eat trash again.

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"Saw Her Eating Dumpster Trash and Now She's Mine"

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It's a wonder that this beautiful creature lived on the streets as long as she did. She's stunning! The only reason she didn't get snatched by someone else is because she was patiently waiting for you and only you.
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That is one happy cat right there. Spoiled, loved, surrounded by friends. We wish this for every single stray cat out there.
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