Woman With Health Problems Thought She’d Never See Her Cat Again

A woman was found crying outside the cat room of an animal shelter in Maryland last week.

She had given up her beloved cat, Missy - but she couldn't stay away.

When the woman adopted Missy, a 1-year-old cat, from Anne Arundel County Animal Control (AACAC), she had no idea that three years later she wouldn't be able to take care of her.

But things took a sad turn earlier this year when the woman learned that she'd have to undergo a sequence of surgeries.

Missy was four and a half years old at this point, and needed special food and medication. Even though the woman searched for someone who would take Missy on during her surgeries, no one would. With nowhere else to go, Missy was brought back to the shelter.

Friends of the AACAC

So when a staff member at AACAC found the woman crying by the cat room, she decided she had to do something.

"She had come back to AACAC to see if Missy was still there," Friends of AACAC wrote on Facebook. "She was, but the lady could not bring herself to walk into the cat room and see her beloved pet in a cage."

"It would have been easy to pat the lady on the back, say 'sorry' and move on," Friends of AACAC wrote. But that isn't what happened.

Friends of the AACAC

The volunteer staff at AACAC surprised Missy's owner with a plan that would bring Missy home: They found two people willing to take turns pet-sitting Missy at their own homes at no cost until the woman is through with her surgeries and recovered, probably in early October.

Last week, Missy went to the first of the two foster homes.

"The volunteer who has Missy now says the cat is doing very well," Chris Collins, of Friends of AACAC, told The Dodo. "She has been sending updates and photos to Missy's owner."

"As soon as the lady is back on her feet again, Missy will return to her true home," Friends of AACAC wrote, "her forever home."

Friends of the AACAC

Click here to learn how you can help Friends of AACAC.

If you're ready to add a loving and furry family member to your home, visit Adopt-a-Pet.com.