'Told myself if the little guy survived surgery, I would take him home': Black kitten brought into vet's office badly injured, vet tech falls in love with, prays for her to stay strong, and takes her home

Author image for Mariel Ruvinsky
Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor
Aug 27, 2026 1:30 PM EDT

When the CDS finds you, you can go from not wanting a cat to desperately needing one in one meowment. 

More often than not, you don't get to choose when a cat comes into your life. You may want a cat, you may not, it doesn't matter. The choice is left in the hands of the CDS, and we have seen the CDS turn people who have never even thought about cats into cat people in an instant. See? You may claim to "hate cats", but if you get chosen by a cat, you will end up loving it. And you may be someone who has never wanted a cat, but once a cat has found its way into your life, you suddenly can't imagine your life without it. And maybe you're someone who loves cats, who, like the person in today's story, works with cats and takes care of them all day long, but you just don't see yourself adopting in that exact moment. Doesn't matter. Once you're chosen, it's done. 

The vet tech in this story was certainly not planning on being chosen by a cat. They may love cats, but it just wasn't something that they planned. And then Odin ended up in the hospital. And Odin was in bad condition. Odin's eye was not quite right, but that didn't stop this vet tech from looking at him and instantly knowing that Odin is his. Now, it was up to Odin to choose him back. And for Odin, it was a difficult choice to make. If he survived the operation on his eye, he would have a home to go back to, but he needed to be strong for that. He needed to be a hero. And he was. 

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  • 01

    "Same look, 9 years apart."

    Cheezburger Image 10658364160
    via Haunting_Parsley_667
  • 02
    very birth
    via Haunting_Parsley_667
  • 03
    My boy Odin looking at me the same way he was before I adopted him.
    via Haunting_Parsley_667
  • 04
    Worked at a shelter vet clinic and he came in injured (one eye literally popping out) - likely human inflicted.
    via Haunting_Parsley_667
  • 05
    Told myself if the little guy survived surgery I would take him home. He did, and the rest is history.
    via Haunting_Parsley_667

  • It is so amazing that this tech decided to open this kitten, we cannot even tell you. People pass up kittens in shelters for things that are much, much smaller than a missing eye. There is a good chance this little guy would have been sitting in the shelter for a long time, waiting for a home. Instead, he found it right away. And that is beautiful. 

  • 06
    Aware_State Beautiful story! And perfect name too.
    via Aware_State
  • 07
    Haunting_Parsley_667 OP Funny enough when he arrived in the shelter they originally named him Popeye ③But they realized it was a little mean so they changed it to Plankton. I didn't think he embodied the Plankton villain vibe so I picked Odin!
    via Haunting_Parsley_667
  • 08
    HBTFD1785 This one got me. He's precious. And Odin is a perfect name!
    via HBTFD1785
  • 09
    Haunting Parsley_667 OP He's a special one that's for sure!
    via Haunting_Parsley_667
  • 10
    zuhlz People like you make the world a better place. What a cutie!
    via zuhlz
  • 11
    Haunting_Parsley_667 OP Thank you for saying this, it means more than you realize. My Odin has definitely helped me and is still helping me through rough times so he also saves me on a daily basis.
    via Haunting_Parsley_667
  • 12
    Reptilesblade Odin is literally the best possible name for him! I love him! Please give him extra hugs for me.
    via Reptilesblade
  • 13
    Haunting Parsley_667 OP 1 DONE AND DONE GIF
    via Haunting_Parsley_667
  • 14
    Bent_Silvr_Spoon0130 He's literally still the same size and I'm not just saying that as an endearing joke, I'm genuinely not seeing a size different and am in shock!! Beautiful boy
    via Bent_Silvr_Spoon0130
  • 15
    Haunting_Parsley_667 OP Haha you're not wrong honestly! He's small for a 9 year old male cat
    via Haunting_Parsley_667
  • 16
    along4thejourney That's awesome! Sweet boy. Thank you for saving him.
    via along4thejourney
  • 17
    Haunting Parsley_667 OP He saved me too
    via Haunting_Parsley_667
  • 18
    askkak My old lady void also lost her eye as a baby!
    via askkak
  • 19
    beating_hearts_bebop He looks almost exactly like my void!!!
    via beating_hearts_bebop
  • 20
    Negative-Window-5912 I'm glad to see another black cat with one eye! Henry had to have his enucleated as a kitten
    via Negative-Window-5912

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aww wholesome cat adorable adoption heartwarming cute adopted story Cats rescue
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