This very shy ginger cat spent most of his time hiding in a box at the shelter until a person came into his life...

Three hours after adoption, look at him now!

The ginger boy was originally named Gabe by the shelter. He was so shy that he decided his "safe" quiet box was more comfortable for him, and he wouldn't leave his box until a young woman came along and started talking to him and calling him Mr. Tumnus.

"He didn't respond to Gabe, but he is starting to pop out of his cat cave when I call for Mr. Tumnus," reddit user kaneick told Love Meow.

"We went to the shelter just to play with cats, knowing that we wanted one in the future. I've always loved big orange cats, and when I saw him, he reached his head out to me and nuzzled me, then climbed onto my shoulder."

"The next weekend we went back (he'd been at the shelter for a month at this point and we'd not been able to get our minds off of him that whole week). He wouldn't come out of his box then, but we'd seen his potential so we adopted him!" she said.

"Three hours before this was taken, he was at the SPCA, too scared to leave his box. Now look at him!"

"These pictures are taken in his new home in the 'safe room' that we set up for him. He has a cave we made out of a drop cloth and his cat carrier."

"When we first got him, if there was a loud noise, he would run back into his cave.

"Now, almost a week after taking him home, he sees us as his 'safe zone,' and will run to us instead of to his cave."

Three hours after being adopted from the shelter...

What a difference a loving home can make!

Share this story and help a shelter cat find their forever home! (More info: reddit | SPCA of Wake County).

Related story: Young Man Took Cat Out of Shelter, Hours After Adoption