How do you keep a beefsteak tomato fresh for a 1500-mile-long haul?
When the tomato in question is a 16-lbs ginger cat, be sure he has a litter box, a seat at the picnic basket, and some amazing road trip views!
But why would a big ginger cat need to travel from California to Texas?
Because his forever home was waiting at the end of the journey.
Steak the Cat, the “Chillest” Tomato Around
Steak is a big ginger boy. He’s so red and round, he reminds one a beefsteak tomato! Hence, the unforgettable name Steak. And while he may look like a tough tom, he’s really just a big snugglepuss who loves to purr. In fact, Best Friends Los Angeles told potential adopters, “What do you get when you mix a tank with a teddy bear? You get a cuddly hunk of a cat named Steak!”
But to be such a good kitty, he’s had some bad luck.
Steak shared, “My story starts in California. The City of Angels actually, and that’s exactly what I found when I was picked up as a stray by the LA Department of Animal Services.”
Though he had a painful case of scabies, Steak was still the gentlest of cats, and “he greeted every stranger as if they were just friends he was waiting to meet,” according to Best Friends.
Steak soon entered the care of Best Friends Los Angeles and made friends with everyone, including Diane Barber, a former staff member who still volunteers. She labeled the orange tabby one of the “chillest” cats ever as Best Friends nursed him through stomach troubles brought on by stress and problems with itchy eyes. When Steak found a home, Best Friends thought he’d found his fairytale ending.
Steak, Courtesy of Best Friends
But It Wasn’t to Be, So It Could Be
Sadly, this home wasn’t Steak’s dream come true and soon he was back with Best Friends. Diane saw the sweet tomato back again and didn’t hesitate to swoop him into her foster care. She quickly recognized his former problem with itchy eyes was again flaring. Turns out Steak “had entropion, a condition caused by the eyelids turning inward.”
After his surgery, the ginger tomato was back-in-action and capturing the hearts of followers on Facebook. Little did he know, his forever family had already found him thanks to those posts.
Steak, Courtesy of Best Friends
Watching Steak on Diane’s Facebook, Doug from Houston, TX, fell smitten with Steak. Though the distance separated them, he knew the big ginger tomato was meant to be part of the family.
Diane seemed to know Doug and Steak were meant for each other, so when it came to closing the 1,500-mile gap between them, Diane and her wife planned a road trip to get Steak home. She worried about how he’d handle the long car ride, but turns out, Steak took it in stride, just like everything else in his life.
“He was amazing,” reported Diane. “We’d pick up stuff for a picnic and find a park for lunch. We put a harness on him and he sat on a blanket with us.”
The trio traveled about 5 hours a day and Steak usually hung out in his carrier, with the door open so he could watch the sights go by as he traveled toward forever.
Once Steak arrived in Doug’s arms, the ginger cat knew he found his family.
Steak, Courtesy of Best Friends
Now, you can follow Steak the Cat on Instagram and catch this sweet tomato in action.
H/T: www.bestfriends.org
Feature Image Courtesy of Best Friends & Diane Barber/Facebook