A rescue cat’s transformation has the internet crying about the power of pet adoption.
The cat owner’s simple act of kindness after finding the stray eating garbage in an alley turned into a viral story when the lucky feline, now named Leo, was filmed making a very important decision: picking out his own luxurious bed. Since the video of the selection was posted on TikTok, it has received over 900,000 views.
“I found him eating trash in an alley a week ago, now he’s picking out his own bed,” the owner captioned the video. “I named him Leo.” The clip shows the black cat sitting in a shopping cart, reaching his paw out to choose a soft, gray bed from a shelf in the store—a far cry from the hard pavement he endured days before.
A New Life for Leo
The video instantly melted hearts across the internet, affirming that the rescue was meant to be.
“This life was meant for him,” one commenter wrote. Another user, sharing a similar deep connection, said, “Aw, I found my void in an alley three years ago. She’s my best friend.”
The story resonated deeply with other owners of rescue animals who were found in desperate circumstances. One person recalled their own rescue: “Mine was sleeping inside a McDonald’s bag down a scary outdoor hallway at an apartment complex…he is now spoiled and just had his first birthday.”
The owner’s decision to name the cat Leo inspired a bittersweet comment from someone who had recently lost a pet: “My favorite harness trained black cat named Leo, who loved to dig in the kitchen trash, passed away a few weeks ago. Telling myself he’s been reincarnated.”
The Power of Rescue
The comments were flooded with stories of abandoned cats thriving after finding their forever homes, emphasizing how quickly a stray can turn into a spoiled family member.
“Just got this little man last week and he’s already sleeping in my bed like he pays the bills,” one commenter wrote with a photo of their rescue cat.
Another user shared a story of two rescues: “My sweet boys,” they wrote. “They’re besties, Celi (black) is three months and Sriracha (orange) is two months. Love love love black cats, will never understand people being weird about them. Sriracha was found in a car engine and had a 108-degree fever and was dehydrated.”
A particularly touching anecdote involved another cat named Leo, who had a similar effect on his new family.
“My Leo (my boyfriend named him Leonard) has one eye and made my boyfriend cry when we were in PetSmart,” a user wrote. “We were going on a date and had stop to pick up cat food when he saw him…Went to dinner and he just kept saying, ‘You think that cats gonna be adopted?’…Date night ended early, and we went back and adopted him.”
For the newly rescued black cat Leo, the trip to the pet store marked the end of a hard existence and the joyful beginning of a new, spoiled life where choosing his own bed is the biggest decision of the day.
Newsweek reached out to @janlevinson_nogould for comment via TikTok.
