Honey, a cat whose story is winning hearts, turned out to be far sicker than her adopter first believed. The thin, quiet cat one kind human brought home was facing a life-threatening medical emergency.
What happened?
In a Reddit post, the adopter said Honey's health problems were much worse than they seemed when they first took her home.
"Phew. I thought I was adopting a shy, quiet kitty who just needed to gain some weight," the adopter wrote. "I adopted a kitty in multi organ failure due to a raging uterine infection."
"I was paranoid and rushed her to the emergency vet 1 day after adopting her because she seemed uncomfortable," the original poster explained. "Her heart, lungs, bladder, and uterus were all abnormal/in failure.
They added, "$15,000 in emergency surgery and three months later, Honey is thriving."
Along with this harrowing story of emergency surgery, medication dosing, and wound management, OP added before-and-after photos of Honey.
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The first photo was taken the day Honey was adopted; thin, agitated, and reserved. "I can't look at this first photo without thinking about how much pain she must have been in," the poster said.
The second photo shows Honey at a healthy weight, engaged, and sitting on top of a kitchen counter, as cats do. OP explained, "A new Honey has emerged, three months later. She runs around like a crazy cat, plays with her toys, rubs on my legs and loves forehead kisses."
"This cat has taught me so much about resilience and perseverance. She has truly changed my life," OP wrote. "Despite all odds, despite all the trauma, she chooses every day to be brave and to keep going."
Why does it matter?
Severe infections in cats can become life-threatening very quickly, and in Honey's case, the problem had already escalated into multiple organ issues by the time she received emergency care.
Animals that seem "difficult" or withdrawn may actually be coping with fear, pain, or illness.
With treatment and patience, Honey went from lashing out to thriving; exactly the kind of turnaround that can inspire more people to take local action for animals in their own communities.
Honey's adopter revealed, "Everyone in my life told me to return her to the shelter. I'm stubborn and a bleeding heart and I just couldn't do it."
"These kinds of stories remind me, that there is so much love and happiness in this world, despite all the bad things we hear about every day," one commenter wrote.
Another added, "You are [an] amazing human being."
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