I think we can all agree that stories about animals finding their fur-ever homes can easily melt even the frostiest of hearts. Some stories will have us smiling and cooing from the cuteness. Others will have us sniffling and bawling because we can’t help but feel so happy when they finally get the love and care that they deserve. Well, get your tissues ready, because the story of Bubby the 3-legged cat will have tears of joy rolling down your cheeks in the next couple of minutes!
His story began seven years ago, when he wandered into the Abbot family’s home in Grand Falls-Windsor. He had already been missing his front leg and half his tail when he appeared in the family’s kitchen. The stray cat developed a habit of calling the family’s pet cat Seson out to play. Then, to everyone’s surprise, Boyd – the family’s patriarch – and the visitor cat developed a special friendship, despite the fact that the cat didn’t trust people very much. Sadly, the family’s pet cat Seson passed away. But that didn’t stop the stray cat – who they eventually named Bubby – from visiting.
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The Abbott family wanted Bubby the 3-legged cat to become part of their family
Despite their loss of Seson, the Abbott family still had their frequent visitor, Bubby. Their feline friend even went on to claim a chair for himself in the family’s home! And the more time the Abbotts spent together with Bubby, the more they wanted to make him a permanent part of their family. They even gave Bubby his very own set of dishes! However, Bubby always insisted on being let out, so the family had no choice but to let him wander and come back as he pleased.
This set-up went on for about five years until Boyd Abbott passed away. Bubby only entered the Abbott home once after his friend’s passing. The heartbroken family tried everything to lure him back home, but the cat simply refused to return. He never even touched the food that they would leave out for him. Then, after some time, Bubby simply vanished. The family thought that Bubby had passed away. But that wasn’t the case.
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Bubby returned to the house after two years
Not much can be told about Bubby’s life between the years of 2017 to 2019 except that they weren’t very kind for the ageing stray feline. The Abbott family had sold their home and moved away from Grand Falls-Windsor at some point as well. It wasn’t until the summer of 2019 that the Abbott’s neighbour, Roy Pinsent (who happens to be a huge cat lover) caught a glimpse of the cat lurking around the former Abbott house. Roy knew about Bubby’s special history with the house’s former occupants. And he also didn’t miss that Bubby’s age was already catching up with him. This certainly made Roy worry about the cat, so he came up with a plan to rescue him.
Catching the elusive cat didn’t prove to be an easy task for Roy. The well-meaning cat lover spent months trying to capture Bubby, but the street-smart cat always managed to evade Roy’s attempts every time! It became more stressful for Roy when winter rolled in and Bubby was still roaming free. Roy got so worried about the cat that he actually lost sleep over him! Fortunately, things were about to turn around.
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The new owner of the house isn’t a feline fan
Apparently, the new owner of the Abbott house didn’t share the family’s love for cats. In fact, she was afraid of them! When Roy learned about this, he paid her a visit and asked if she noticed a 3-legged cat wandering around. She said that she sees Bubby every now and then. This confirmation gave Roy hope, so he asked her to open her door for Bubby the next time he appeared. He asked her to call him anytime and he would come and take Bubby away. Roy didn’t have to wait long for the call – she called him the very next day!
Bubby was in bad shape when Roy arrived to pick him up. So his rescuer rushed him to the veterinarian. The cat was almost lifeless, and it made Roy think that he would never see him alive again. According to the veterinarian, Bubby suffered from severe dehydration and a serious physical beating. But as soon as he was laid up on the examination table, the weakened cat began purring. It was almost as if he was comforted by the fact that he knew he was in a safe place.
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Bubby was taken to a shelter, where he would meet his fur-ever furparent
As soon as Bubby was safe from mortal peril, he was taken to Exploits Valley SPCA Adoptables. He was put under the care of shelter volunteer Sarah MacLeod. She took his photos and uploaded them on the shelter’s page (view the post here; read Bubby’s detailed life story here), hoping to reach anyone with any information about the cat. Fortunately, the pictures reached Boyd Abbott’s daughter, who quickly paid him a visit. The reunion was quite emotional, as Boyd’s daughter cried at the sight of him. She also brought his old set of dishes, which Sarah reports, Bubby continues to eat from to this day.
It didn’t take long before Sarah offered to foster Bubby. At first, she only intended to keep him until he regained his strength. It wasn’t really in her plans to take home a new kitty, let alone one with three legs, but there was something about sad-eyed Bubby. Sarah’s boyfriend also needed convincing, she shared:
“I knew I wanted to keep Bubby forever before I took him home. We weren’t in the market for a cat, so my boyfriend needed convincing.”
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Her boyfriend eventually caved
Sarah convinced her boyfriend to let her bring home the 3-legged cat and we’re definitely happy that he eventually fell in love with the cat to. After all, introducing a pet to any household can be a lot of work. And we can only imagine how much more work is needed to care for Bubby. It’s certainly not a feat that just anyone can do! But it appears that the 3-legged cat, who spent most of his life as a lone wanderer, had eventually decided to accept Sarah and her boyfriend as his family.
“I came home from work to find Bubby and my boyfriend both on the floor. Bubby had crawled onto him. Neither one of us had seen him do this before, but I knew he won him over.”
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“Bubby with his sad human eyes was loved once before and he is now again. He purrs the minute he wakes up in the morning and as he goes to sleep every night. He’s never asked to go outside once. He must know that he’s home now, for good.”
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The heart-warming tale touched many hearts
Source: Instagram (@somebubbytolove)| Exploits Valley SPCA Adoptables Facebook