Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/cat-abandoned-for-sofa/

Cats might be strong and independent creatures, but they are also quite emotional as well. They form very deep bonds with their owners and can become quite upset when something upsets that bond.

I remember my first cat, Rufo, was my constant companion as a kid. I was bullied quite a bit in elementary school, so I never really had friends to come over and hang out with me. It wasn’t until high school that I finally had a decent social life. Rufo ended up going ballistic whenever these new friends of mine would show up after school. He thought he was getting replaced!

Of course, he ended up calming down a bit once we worked with him, but his little freak out was a perfect example of just how attached a cat can become to their person.

For one sweet little tabby, Tim, his bond with his owner was shattered the day that he was actually replaced by his owner in favor of a new sofa. Tim had been with his owner since he was a little three-month-old kitten.

He’d grown up only knowing one home where he was sure that he’d be loved forever. Sadly, Tim’s owner wasn’t going to live up to that promise. Instead, the cat’s owner surrendered him to the New York City Animal Care and Control citing the reason as having purchased a brand new couch. How awful is that?

It was such a heartbreaking blow to the little cat, and he immediately fell into a major depression. But if that wasn’t hard enough, Tim’s days were numbered as he’d been placed on the euthanasia list.

In fact, on the day that Tim was scheduled to be put down, a miracle happened. The rescue organization, Magnificat, came to his rescue and got him out of the shelter. Magnificat works hard to rescue and rehome cats who are down on their luck.

Magnificat ended up placing Tim with a lovely foster family, however, Tim was still quite sad. His depression had gotten so bad that he actually started refusing food. All he would do is curl up into a little lump of sadness, and that’s how he’d spend his days.

It got so bad that Tim’s foster family started requiring force-feedings. Despite how much they did for the cat, Tim was still sad and he still kept losing weight.

But the difficulties faced with Tim did not deter Tim’s foster family and Magnificat from working with Tim to get him back on his feet and feeling happy again. They didn’t give up and just kept giving him loads of love and care. And slowly, Tim started coming out of his shell.

Sadly, he passed away shortly after from cancer. He died peacefully and quickly, “cradled in his foster mother’s arms.” His life may have been short, but we’re glad he got to pass away after he found peace in life with his new temporary family.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog