A friendly stray cat showed up at the door of a workplace one night, asking to be let inside.
About a month ago, on a rainy night, Kay was at her office when she heard what sounded like a cat outside the door. She walked towards the cries and saw a tabby meowing desperately, begging to be let inside.
She immediately contacted her roommate, Lauren Keim, and asked her to come help. "It was rainy and really cold, so we knew we had to at least bring him in for the night," Lauren told Love Meow.
"I met up with Kay at work with our other roommates to bring him home. We gave him a bath. We were all sitting on the floor as he was exploring a room we had set up for him."
The cat was very scrawny, dehydrated, hungry and rough around the edges. As soon as he was given a bowl of food, he wolfed it down in a minute.
Just when they were discussing if they should find a rescue to help him, the sweet tabby curled up in Lauren's lap and dozed off with his face buried in the blanket.
"He crawled into my lap and fell asleep. I knew then that he was mine. I feel like he chose me in that moment," Lauren shared with Love Meow.
They decided to name him Chuck after the CEO of the company where he was found.
At the vet, Chuck was estimated to be 1-3 years old, and he didn't have a microchip. They found an abscess on his front leg most likely due to a bite wound infection, and also discovered that he had a broken back leg that needed to be amputated.
The vet believed that the cat had been living with the broken leg for a long time, and that the surgery would improve his quality of life. Chuck was a champ throughout all the visits and was so grateful to be helped.
Watch Chuck and his journey in this video:
"He is adjusting to life with three legs after his surgery, but he is moving around faster now than when we found him," Lauren told Love Meow.
As Chuck continues to heal, his true personality is emerging.
The tabby has become quite the cuddle-bug and wants to be petted and doted on constantly. There's no personal space in Chuck's world. He will lie down across Lauren's chest, right over her neck, so he can be as close to her face as possible.
"Without even knowing everything he went through, Chuck has such a relaxed personality. His favorite thing is just lounging around. He also loves his cuddles and his food time" Lauren said.
"He is way more cuddly now, like he's showing me that he trusts me, and showing me love back."
Lauren's daily routine has changed since Chuck found her that day. She wakes up every morning to the kitty alarm set by Chuck, telling her that it's time to feed him. Bedtime means snuggle time with a purring cat nestling on her neck.
"He is really silly, and overall, I feel like all he wanted to do was to feel safe and loved. I'm glad he picked me to provide that for him," Lauren shared with Love Meow.
"I don't know what I did to be chosen by him, but I love being his human."
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