Abandoned By Family, Valentino The Cat Finds Love Again

By: Kelli Brinegar
For more than five years, Kelli Brinegar has been using her ability to write and her passion for research to tell the tale of what cats are thinking and why. She has provided care to more than 30 cats in her lifetime.Read more
| July 28, 2020

Valentino had a home, but the family he lived with moved away, leaving him behind.

Alone, he wandered the neighborhood, his days of security gone as he searched for food and a warm place to sleep.

The fluffy boy eventually found his way to a neighbor’s porch, where the neighbor recognized the abandoned Ragdoll. Though her husband suffered from severe cat allergies, the kind woman took Valentino in and tucked him into a safe spot in her garage, far from her husband.

The cat couldn’t stay long with the allergy risk, but the kind woman already had an idea of who could help Valentino. Thankfully, she worked with Debbie Harris, cat foster extraordinaire, and knew the feline foster mom would know just what to do for the abandoned darling.


@fosterkittys/Instagram

Homeless to New Home

Having fostered cats and kittens since 2004, Debbie was smitten when she saw a photo of Valentino and took him right away.


@fosterkittys/Instagram

Debbie took Valentino to the vet where she learned what a good cat she had on her hands. She shared on Instagram, “He was very relaxed and quite the little gentleman. He greeted and rubbed on everyone and just purred away. The staff gushed over him!”

Valentino was sneezing at the time of his rescue and Debbie suspected an URI from his time in the wintry outdoors. The vet confirmed her suspicions and, in her time helping him heal, she pretty much figured Valentino would be a ‘foster fail’.


@fosterkittys/Instagram

After she started posting the handsome lad’s photos on Instagram, the adoption inquiries started rolling in, but Valentino, aka Mr. Fluffypants, was already home!

“I think it’s safe to say that he is enjoying his new pampered life.”


@fosterkittys/Instagram

He took to toys and cat towers no problem, but getting along with his two new siblings, JoJo and Lil Man, was a little bit harder. But with a cat mom like Debbie at work, the new furry family members were soon moving in a happy, but still sassy groove. There’s some “clobbering” between siblings, but isn’t that normal of all families?


@fosterkittys/Instagram

Kindness Saves Kitties

But if hadn’t been for kindness, Valentino’s story could have been quite different. Debbie said, “I still have a hard time understanding how a family could sell their home, pack up their belongings, and leave their pets behind. Valentino’s family abandoned him, and he was alone to fend for himself.”

As cat lovers, it’s hard for us to understand as well. But what we do understand…kind hearts like Debbie and her coworker make all the difference to cats in need.


@fosterkittys/Instagram

H/T: www.goanimals.co
Feature Image: @fosterkittys/Instagram