Senior Feral Cat's Shock at First Night in Cozy Cat Bed Is So Heartwarming

For ten long years, Johnny survived outside, alone, in Minnesota. He was a “not my cat” one of the numberless lonely feral which populate this countries urban centers and rural byways, eking out a meager and sometimes desperate living through hunting, eating garbage, and relying on the intermittent kindness of strangers. But as he aged, he began to look worse and worse, and eventually, the people where he was living took notice and alerted authorities, who trapped him and brought him to the Furball Farm Sanctuary.

Now, he is learning to trust humans again, and that includes the creature comforts that they provide, like this cozy cat bed.

View the original article to see embedded media.

Life has not been kind to Johnny, a feral cat who was so distrusting of humans he had to be trapped and brought into the Sanctuary. The battles he’s fought are written all over his body—his patchy, discolored fur, aching joints, broken teeth and ragged, half-missing ears—indicative of a hard life lived out of doors. Many of the cats at Furball Farm are missing their ears, the scars of frostbite from the terribly cold Minnesota winter.

Related: Feral Sewer Cat Finally Gets a Forever Home After 4 Long Years

Furball Farm is a unique kind of animal rescue. They do not take in owner surrenders or friendly stray cats. Instead, they focus their efforts on untrusting feral animals who other rescues may not be equipped to handle. Hopefully, after a period of domestication, these animals will learn to trust and even love humans and can be put up for adoption (several dozen are available on their website now).

Johnny took several weeks after his arrival to even accept pets from his new caretakers, but now loves to hang out in the kitchen, nap in a soft cat bed with his feline friend PJ, and of course, make biscuits on anything soft and fluffy.

Helping Rescue Animals Adjust to Their New Homes

Many rescues advise people adopting new animals to help their pets adjust using the 3-3-3 guideline. Basically, the idea is that it will take a rescue animal three days to begin to relax in a new environment, three weeks before their true personality emerges, and three months before they finally feel like they are in their “forever home.”

My experience adopting a rescue cat worked on an even longer scale—it was nearly a year before we caught her snuggling with us after she thought we’d gone to sleep, and now, several years later, she happily hops up on our lap and asks for pets.

The bottom line is—these animals may be coming to your home with some serious baggage, so don’t be disappointed if it takes a while for them to emerge from their shell.

But if even a bedraggled, scary looking bruiser like Johnny can learn to love the softer things in life, there’s hope for almost any cat.

What to Look for in a Senior Cat Bed

When getting a bed for an older cat like Johnny, it’s important to consider how they like to sleep and what special needs they have. My friend’s senior cat enjoys her heated cat bed, and cat beds with memory foam can support an older animal’s joints.

If your cat likes to curl up to sleep the y may enjoy a nest-like bed, but a mat may be a better choice for cats who like to splay out.

And don’t forget to make sure it’s a nice soft surface, because even cats like Johnny like making biscuits.

Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos.

Or, share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips.