Get ready for a heartwarming tale of how a retired man-about-town named Joe went from being a rough-and-tumble stray to a pampered indoor kitty, thanks to the kindness of a Reddit user named Mykmyk.
“Joe (formerly Hobo Joe) showed up maybe 3 years ago. He would hang out in the yard, sleeping on the porch at night, and sit with us when we would go outside to visit (which was often),” said Mykmyk, who was immediately smitten with the scrappy feline.
Joe would come and go, sometimes disappearing for days at a time, but he always returned to hang out with Mykmyk and his family.
“Most mornings he would walk with me and the kids to the school bus stop, waiting with us, than following me back home. When it got cold outside we put a shelter on the porch for him.
I’d warm towels in the dryer and put them in his house before going to sleep but he became very congested and winter grew colder so we let him stay overnight inside. Soon the time between his roaming and returning home got longer.”
Then, one day, Joe disappeared for a week, causing Mykmyk and his family to fear the worst.
But after weeks of searching and calling for him, Joe finally turned up, looking worse for wear but happy to be reunited with his human friends.
“He was tough as nails years ago, as a stray… I hated that such a good cat had such a rough life and always worried. There was no way we were going to put him back out. He seemed fearless but age was catching up to him and he needed to settle into a home.”
And settle into a home he did.
Now neutered and strictly an indoor cat, Joe is living his best life with Mykmyk and his family. “Joe is the best and I think he likes us,” said Mykmyk.
And it’s been two wonderful years since Joe moved in with his forever family, and there’s nowhere else he’d rather be.
Who says you can’t teach an old cat new tricks?
