Cat Who Once Hated Being Touched Now Hugs Every Grumpy Cat He Meets

Humphrey was only 4 months old when a Good Samaritan found him lying in the middle of a highway intersection with serious injuries. Luckily, he was brought to Hands of Mercy Cat Sanctuary and given immediate, lifesaving care from a team of dedicated rescuers.

As he recovered, the little orange cat’s rescuer, Brenda Wilkson, noticed his spirit was always calm and strong. So, she gave him the name Humphrey, which means "peaceful warrior."

“I could tell he was a survivor, and I wanted him to know I knew that,” Wilkinson told The Dodo.

But there was one thing the peaceful warrior did not tolerate: humans. “He was terrified of everything,” Wilkinson said.

Still, Wilkinson refused to give up on him — even though Humphrey seemed uncomfortable receiving love or affection of any kind.

“It took a little less than a month for him to purr for me,” Wilkinson said. And once he started, Humphrey never stopped purring.

“He’s constantly purring,” she added. “All you’ve gotta do is look at him and he’ll start.”

Humphrey started spreading love to the other cats at the sanctuary as soon as he started accepting it from Wilkinson. He paid special attention to those who felt like he once did: “Everybody that needs a little nurturing,” Wilkinson said, “I find them hugging Humphrey.”

Benny, or “Angry Benny,” as he's lovingly known by his Hands of Mercy family, is one of the many cats who came into the sanctuary too scared to receive love. Although the feral kitten is still not a fan of humans, according to Wilkinson, there is one caregiver at the sanctuary Angry Benny will accept comfort from: Humphrey.

With his peaceful warrior energy, Humphrey is able to not just place a paw on Benny — a feat his rescuers are still working to achieve — but also pull him in for a cuddle when needed. “He’s like a little love magnet,” Wilkinson said. “I don’t know what it is.”

While some cats come into the sanctuary hating human touch, others come in wary of other cats. But Humphrey’s magnetism always attracts them to him, eventually.

This was the case with Kevyn, who did not “tolerate other cats,” Wilkinson said. It wasn’t long, though, before Humphrey’s loving paws found their way over to Kevyn’s body, and they have stayed there ever since.

Humphrey was only supposed to be at Hands of Mercy until he was healthy enough to be adopted. Now, as the sanctuary’s in-house nurturer, Humphrey will get to spend the rest of his days giving love to other cats who just need a friend.