A kitten who lived as a feral, turned out to be a sweet tabby who just needed a chance.
A few weeks ago, a family from San Jose, California discovered a hissy feral kitten outside their home. Upon closer inspection, the kitten had an infected eye and needed medical attention.
Their neighbor's daughters are co-founders of Mini Cat Town, a local cat rescue, so they brought the spicy kitten over and asked for help.
"Our mom took one look at her and brought her inside, set up a playpen for her, and gave her a fluffy blanket. By the time we got home, she already named the kitten Lucky," Tram Bui of Mini Cat Town told Love Meow.
"She had a pretty bad eye infection that we treated her for. The first set of medication didn't work, so we had to change her eye medication before she showed improvement."
For several days, the tabby continued to timidly hiss every time she saw a person. Tram and her family knew she just needed some time to adjust. They brought her food, treats, toys and all the soft things to help her feel comfortable.
"We socialized her by using a toothbrush to brush her and talked to her. We watched as she slowly came out of her shell," Tram shared with Love Meow. "Pretty soon, she became affectionate, sweet, and purred when we petted her, though she would still hiss if we approached her too quickly."
One of the resident dogs came to offer some cuddles and TLC while she was on the mend. Lucky happily nuzzled into her and fell asleep while she purred up a storm.
As the kitten became more comfortable with her surroundings, all of the hissing subsided and her playful side emerged.
"She left the hissing life behind and started to enjoy purring and lots of head scratches."
The former feral blossomed into a sweet-natured tabby. She would switch on her purr motor when she was petted, and would go after any moving toy and try to pounce on it.
Watch Lucky and her journey in this video:
"She met all of our household pets, Lilo, Finny, Rosie, and Misty! She especially loved playing with Misty's toys, to Misty's dismay."
When she was ready to find a forever home, they took Lucky to the adoption floor to hang out with other kittens.
Calpico, a friendly calico, took the tabby under her wing. She kept Lucky company and comforted her when she needed a cuddle.
Lucky may be a little shy when she meets people for the first time, but with a few pets, she will quickly warm up and turn into a love-bug.
She just needed a family that could understand her and see past her shyness. After a few weeks in foster care, she finally had her dream come true.
"She goes to an awesome family with a mom, a dad, two human sisters, and three kitty siblings," Tram shared with Love Meow.
"We had a virtual adoption meeting with them, and they allowed us to meet the whole crew, including their resident cats, gave us a house tour, and showed us where Lucky would be staying to acclimate to her new home."
Lucky the cat is truly a lucky one to be on her way to a wonderful life as a spoiled indoor cat.
"We and our mom, who took care of Lucky, will miss her dearly, but we're so happy and excited for everyone."
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