Stray Cat Climbs Into Couple's Garbage Bin And Waits To Be Saved

A small act of kindness can mean more than you’d ever know. For a cat named Granpruno, it changed everything.

Last summer, a Montreal couple began leaving food out for abandoned cats in their neighborhood. It didn’t take long for them to notice a grumpy-looking tabby who seemed especially keen on a meal. He looked like one of their kittens named Pruno, so they gave him the nickname “Granpruno.”

Granpruno returned to the couple's yard for daily visits, but he was so loving and social that they assumed he had a home and a family somewhere.

“This big cat was looking for caresses and he was happy to have attention. He came as soon as they called him,” Chatons Orphelins Montréal, a Montreal-based animal rescue, wrote on Facebook. “He was nice and sociable; his hair was beautiful [and] he looked normal.”

When, one day, Granpruno didn’t show up, the couple started to worry. They hoped he was with his family and doing well, but they continued to leave food out and watch their yard just in case he came back.

A few weeks later, they were taking out the trash when they spotted Granpruno in their garbage bin. The sweet cat had completely transformed — they could hardly recognize him.

“He was skin and bones and he didn't look well at all,” Chatons Orphelins Montréal wrote. “He came up to them and they hugged him straight away. He let himself go [with them] without saying anything.”

The couple, who volunteer with Chatons Orphelins Montréal, realized he needed immediate veterinary attention and took him to the rescue for help. Test results revealed that Granpruno was suffering from hyperthyroidism, which made it difficult for him to keep food down.

But once the 9-year-old cat started medication, he reverted to his happy, healthy self.

“He's the cream of the crop and he gets along well with the other cats in the house,” Chatons Orphelins Montréal wrote on Facebook. “He likes to talk or to have cuddles [and] still likes to have fun. If you have feathers or games with catnip, he becomes a cat that rolls on his back and rubs himself with pleasure. He runs after feathers and he has fun like a baby.”

Chatons Orphelins Montréal worried that finding a home for a senior cat with health issues might be difficult, but Granpruno's foster parents immediately fell in love with the sociable guy and decided to welcome him into their home — permanently.

Now, Granpruno is finally safe — living a life of comfort with a family who cares for him. And he's not letting his people out of his sight.

“He always wants to be close to his humans," Chatons Orphelins Montréal said. "He follows them everywhere to see what they are doing.”