A former stray is now living his best life as a spoiled house cat, with his transformation wowing people online.
Tom-Tom was the "neighborhood feral cat" in Portsmouth, Virginia, until Katie Cats Sims noticed him outside her house in March 2022. The animal lover spent over four months bonding with the anxious tabby, eventually winning his trust enough to lure him inside.
"He looked like he was in pain and his little damaged ears just tugged at my heartstrings," Sims told Newsweek.
"The way Tom-Tom looked at me, I just knew that he was asking for my help."
A year later, and Tom-Tom has settled into his new home with Sims and her three other felines—Envy, Bru, and Mila.
To celebrate the anniversary of his "gotcha day," Sims shared Tom-Tom's tale to TikTok, including a clip of the first time she spotted him. Looking sickly and disheveled, the feral feline melted hearts with the video receiving almost 230,000 views.
There are roughly 70 million homeless animals in the U.S., per figures from PETA. Many were abandoned by their owners, while others are the result of pets not being spayed or neutered, producing more homeless animals.
Stray dogs and cats are at risk from vehicles, the elements, and attacks from other animals, as well as infectious diseases and poisoning from contaminated food and water.
Although Tom-Tom clearly needed help, earning his trust wasn't easy. Each time Sims tried to move closer to him, the skittish street cat would run and hide under her car.
"I just talked to him from a distance and told him that I thought he was cute and I was going to be his friend," she said. "I felt like he had been abused and abandoned. I wanted to offer him a safe place to call home."
Sims was moving to Virginia Beach and knew she had to take Tom-Tom with her. To win him over, she started leaving food outside for him. It was slow-going, but on every visit, Tom-Tom would move a little bit closer to Sims.
Next, Sims contacted a local rescue center, who provided her with a humane trap. However, Tom-Tom refused to go inside, even when tempted by treats. So, she purchased some chicken nuggets from Chick-Fila-A and tried to lure Tom-Tom into her kitchen instead.
"I left my back door open, put warm Chick-Fila-A nuggets on a plate in the middle of my floor, and hid behind the back door," she said.
After 10 minutes, Tom-Tom entered and started nibbling on the chicken. Sims shut the back door, but once he was done eating the tabby began to panic. He tried to climb out of the kitchen window before running and hiding in one of the bedroom closets.
"I started talking to him like I did outside and told him that I was trying to help him," she said.
Billy the Kidden Rescue came over the next day to take Tom-Tom to the vet, where he was neutered, tested for Feline Infectious Peritonitis (a viral disease) and leukemia. He was also given antibiotics for his infected ears and was sadly diagnosed with liver disease, a heart murmur, high blood pressure, a broken tail, and diabetes.
At first, Tom-Tom was terrified of Sims, hissing and scratching at her whenever she came near. So, she created a "safe place" out of a crate that he could retreat to when feeling overwhelmed.
"He looked so scared but after a few weeks of using a back scratcher to pet him and giving him food and water, he seemed to soften up," Sims said.
Unfortunately, Tom-Tom's health struggles weren't over. He suffered a seizure in October and spent five days fighting for his life in an animal hospital.
"It was recommended that I consider his quality of life and not let him continue to suffer," Sims said. "To all of our surprise, he made a full recovery. He's quite the fighter."
By Christmas, Tom-Tom was playing with toys, exploring the house, and bonding with her other cats.
"I'm incredibly proud of his progress," Sims said. "Since January, he has not gone into the safe place at all and meows very loudly when I leave the room."
TikTokers praised Sims for helping Tom-Tom, with user ViVi dubbing her "an angel."
"That is such a BEAUTIFUL sight," said Darlene. "Gosh he has come so far," agreed Kel_Wel23. "Amazing what love can do," wrote Ricky Alvarez182.
"Just love seeing Tom Tom now living the life he deserves," said Robin Dawn. "He knows he got it good," added neekie.
"What a difference a year can make," commented user611208789382. "Thanks for sharing his journey with us and for being a wonderful human being."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to life@newsweek.com and they could appear on our site.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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