Cat walked 12 miles to get back to his family, and they tried to euthanize him
Danielle Wolf
20 hrs ago
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TODAY, product courtesy of merchant siteToby the cat's sad story has a happy ending!© Will Anzenberger TODAY, product courtesy of merchant siteToby the cat's sad story has a happy ending!
After walking 12 miles to get back to the place he thought was home, Toby the cat's original family took him to a county shelter and requested that he be euthanized.
Luckily for the 7-year-old Maine coon mix, the shelter, not wanting to euthanize a seemingly healthy cat, contacted the SPCA of Wake County in Raleigh, North Carolina, for help. "The shelter called us at the SPCA to ask if we could take him in and help him find a new family," the nonprofit wrote on Facebook. "Of course we said YES!"
Cat walked 12 miles home only to find family wanted to euthanize himToby walked 12 miles to his old home.© TODAY, image courtesy of merchant website Cat walked 12 miles home only to find family wanted to euthanize himToby walked 12 miles to his old home.
According to Tara Lynn, SPCA of Wake County communications manager, Toby's former owners tried to give him away to another household, but the strong-willed feline found his way back to them.
"It's a hard concept for me to understand: somebody asking that a pet be euthanized," Lynn told TODAY.
Although it's unclear why his original family had such a strong request for the county shelter, Lynn said the shelter told the SPCA that Toby struggled to get along with the family's other cats. Toby also has feline immunodeficiency virus. Lynn speculated this condition could have been another motive for the family's decision.
Cat walked 12 miles to be with his original family, who wanted to euthanize himToby naps in his new home.© SPCA of Wake County Cat walked 12 miles to be with his original family, who wanted to euthanize himToby naps in his new home.
FIV behaves very similarly to HIV, weakening the immune system and therefore making the cat more susceptible to illness. However, Lynn said that with proper medical treatment, FIV-positive cats can live out healthy, happy lives.
After 45 days at the SPCA of Wake County, Toby finally found his fur-ever home. He was adopted by local resident Michele Puckett and her two children on April 13.
TODAY, product courtesy of merchant siteToby loves his new mom!© SPCA of Wake County TODAY, product courtesy of merchant siteToby loves his new mom!
Puckett first heard Toby's heartbreaking story from her sister in New Hampshire who read about him through celebrity animal activist Beth Stern's Instagram account.
"North Carolina friends: Ok sorry to be Debbie Downer but this just about killed me," Stern, wife of radio personality Howard Stern, wrote in the caption to her 416,000 followers. "He still needs a home as he's at the shelter - a home with someone who will not only love him, but guard him as he'd likely try to get 'home' again."