Cat lover picks the perfect day to volunteer at a shelter and ends up bringing home kitten number three

Sarah Brown • Writer and Editor

Sep 17, 2026 8:45 AM EDT

The Cat Distribution System could not have planned this one better if it tried.

One cat lover randomly decided that this would be the day they donated to and volunteered at their local shelter. And who should arrive while they were there? A tiny kitten who had just been found on someone's porch with a dog trying to get at him. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.

The shelter believed the little guy may have been a car rider before ending up on that porch. He had a broken tail and a burned butt, which is a pretty rough start for a kitten who hadn't even made it to two months old yet. Poor baby had already been on quite the adventure.

Unfortunately, the shelter was full. The other option was a place that would have put him down because of how young he was. Yeah, no. There was no way this cat lover was going to spend the day helping shelter cats and then leave this tiny guy behind.

And just like that, volunteering turned into adopting.

His new name is Norbert Nubbins Sawyer, which is an incredible amount of name for such a tiny cat. His family apparently isn't sold on it, but we're team Nubbins. He also answers to Nubs, Nub Nub, Nubbins, and Norbert, so clearly he isn't picky. He's now seven weeks old, and his tail and little burnt butt have fully healed.

He also came home to two tuxedo siblings with very different opinions about the situation. The big boy already loves his new little brother, although he may also appreciate the extra food that appeared around the same time. We see you, sir. The little lady tuxedo hates him. You can't win everyone over immediately, Nubbins.

This person went to the shelter planning to help some cats and came home with cat number three. If that isn't the CDS at work, we don't know what is.

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Sounds like Norbert has already managed to win over almost everybody in his new family. His new pawrent obviously fell for him immediately, and his big tuxedo brother is already a fan too. Sure, the extra food might be helping that friendship along, but we’ll still count it. Now Norbert just has one final challenge: winning over his tuxedo sister. She may not be impressed yet, but give those tiny kitten charms some time. We’re rooting for you, Nubbins!
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Norbert has come a long way from the tiny injured kitten who first showed up at the shelter. His broken tail and burned little butt have healed, and he’s looking pretty darn good these days. Just look at that handsome boi! It’s hard to believe this is the same little guy who had such a rough start only a few weeks ago. Now he’s safe, healthy, growing fast, and settling into his new home like he was always meant to be there.
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There are so many cats in shelters waiting for someone to give them a chance, and Norbert was lucky to meet the right person at exactly the right time. Amazing job to his new pawrent for making sure this little guy got the safe, loving home he deserved. He had such a rough start, but now he gets to grow up surrounded by people and kitties who care about him. That’s one very lucky little Nubbins!
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