Across the world, there are thousands of cats who live out their days in a shelter. But if that has got you down, don’t worry, Bored Panda has got you covered.
We’ve gathered some wholesome and heartwarming before and after pics of cats who found their forever home. We also got in touch with Joey Lusvardi, Certified Cat Behavior Consultant at Class Act Cats to learn more about our furry friends. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and share your thoughts below.
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#1 Mrrmrr’s Glow-Up. From Starving Rescue To Pampered Princess

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#2 My Princess Before And After 6 Months Of Adoption

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#3 This Is Barley. My Son And I Found Her By The Road. She Was Very Thin And Covered In Fleas. Now She’s Healthy And Simply The Sweetest Little Cat Ever

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Bored Panda got in touch with Joey Lusvardi, Certified Cat Behavior Consultant at Class Act Cats and he was kind enough to answer some of our questions. First and foremost, cats can often be pretty aloof, so we wanted to hear what sort of behavior is evidence that your cat likes you.

“Cats can show affection and that they like us in a variety of ways. The most straightforward one is that your cat will seek out spending time near you. They may not always be sitting on your lap, but they may curl up next to you or will follow you from room to room. Your cat may make biscuits and purr.”

#4 Phyllis Before vs. After Our Foster Fail

We found her in a barn at around 5 weeks old, worm-riddled and unhealthy. Four months later, and she’s the sweetest girl in the world, with a little heart on her back.

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#5 Casper’s Before And After

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#6 Baby Pearl Was Found Under The Dumpsters Behind A Restaurant And Is Doing Much Better Now

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“Cats might also do a behavior called bunting where they give you a “love headbutt.” This is a way of them saying they want their pheromones all over you because you’re something they like. It’s not an aggressive behavior despite potentially seeming aggressive. As odd as it may sound, your cat tolerating some of the annoying things we do to cats is another sign they really like you. For example, if you pick your cat up in a way that is uncomfortable and your cat lets you, that means they like and trust you enough to at least put up with being picked up temporarily. That doesn’t mean you should do things to annoy them, but it’s a sign that they like you despite how you interact with them.”

#7 Minnie At Rescue And Now. She Is Still Nervous, But We Are Getting There

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#8 This Is Timon, A Cat I Wanted To Bury When I First Saw Him Because I Thought He Was Dead. Now He Is 2 Years Old And Thriving

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#9 My Rescue Took In This Underweight, Matted Cat, And I Can’t Believe The Transformation

Philip weighed a little over 2 pounds, even though he was 13 months old. His fur was so matted that it had to be shaved. Fortunately, he didn’t mind the sweaters that kept him warm and protected his fragile skin. He is much healthier now and has all of his fur back!

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Cat owners are probably also aware of the ruckus your feline can make, particularly, for some reason, at night, so we wanted to learn more about it. “The “nightly freakout” is likely a case of the zoomies. The technical term is a frenetic random activity period. Basically, the cats will get a sudden burst of energy and run around seemingly without purpose.”

#10 Tossed In A Dumpster, Covered In Paint, And Close To Starvation, Kittens Have Officially Been Adopted. From Certain Death To A Happy Ending. I’ll Miss Them 

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#11 We Found This Stray In Our Neighborhood Four Months Ago. Suffice To Say He’s Doing A Lot Better Now

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#12 Harry Before And After Adoption

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“We’re not fully sure why they happen, but one of the most likely explanations has to do with a cat’s hunting cycle. Cats are crepuscular so they are most active around sunrise and sunset. The night zoomies are a manifestation of the cat being ready to hunt and their normal sleep/wake cycle. It could also be due to boredom or a lack of stimulation. If you’re not playing with your cat regularly, you might see them run around at night because they don’t have anything to do. Some cats will also get a sudden burst of energy after they poop. If your cat typically poops at night, it may be the poop zoomies.”

#13 I Adopted A Barn Kitty. Was Told He Wouldn’t Get Too Big. One Year Later, Here We Are

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#14 Meet Basti, One Of Our Rescued Cats. We Picked Him Up From The Opposite Side Of Some Coffee Shop

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#15 Before And After Finding The Forever Home

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Similarly, we were also interested to learn if you could train a cat like you would a dog. “Cats can absolutely be trained in similar ways to dogs. Cats are very good at picking up on patterns that get them things they like whether that’s a tasty treat or attention from a favorite human. If you are intentional and careful about rewarding them for a behavior you want them to do more, you can eventually add in a cue to get them to do the behavior in response to it. Cats can do a lot of really neat tricks.”

#16 I Found This Poor Baby Out In A Cold Acting Quite Lethargic, And I Wasn’t Sure If She Was Okay. Thankfully, There Was A Happy Ending. Before And After

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#17 We Found This Little Guy Running Around A Parking Lot. It Turns Out He Had Lost Part Of His Tail And One Of His Feet. After Many Vet Visits, He Recovered And Became One Of The Sweetest Cats

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#18 I Was Asked To Rescue This Kitten In The Summer Of 2022. Today, I Received New Pictures From Her New Family And Couldn’t Believe My Eyes. From Kitten To Beautiful Princess

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“An easy one to start with is teaching your cat to touch their nose to your finger. Present your finger to your cat and wait for them to touch their nose to it. When they do, say something like, “great” or “treat.” Quickly give them a treat. Repeat this until they’re doing it reliably. Once they are doing it without issue, you can teach your cat to follow your finger around by gradually adding in movement.”

#19 Crusty’s Glow-Up In Five Months. I Hope We Can Help Many More Stray Animals. We Can’t Save Them All, But We Can Make A Difference For The Animals We Help

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#20 Took A Chance, And Decided To Rehabilitate This Boy Instead Of Letting Him Be Put Down. One Of The Best Decisions Of My Life. Before vs. After

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#21 I Rescued 3 Kittens From My Construction Job Site. Now They Are Grown And Very Loved By Me

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While not really that practical, I taught my cat Zoloft to press the Y button on my Nintendo Switch. When I got to the end of Tears of the Kingdom, I had him press the button to deliver the finishing blow to the final boss. I like to say I trained him to vanquish evil. If your cat is physically capable of doing it, you can train them to do almost anything. He was a very smart cat! Not every cat will be as easily trained on every behavior and not every behavior will be easy to teach, but you get a lot of things on a cue if you work at it. Another training tip is to focus on getting your cat to do the behavior reliably before attempting to add in a cue. Your cat doesn’t understand what you’re saying and isn’t ignoring you to be a jerk. They likely don’t know what you’re asking them to do and it will just confuse them if you try to get them to sit by saying “sit” repeatedly when they don’t know what that means yet.”

#22 Farmers Were Feeding Kittens To Their Dogs, And I Rescued This Beauty. Before vs. After

A coworker was asking if anyone would adopt kittens because her parents were letting their dogs eat them. I was horrified and volunteered to foster some kittens until I could find homes for them. By the time I found out, there were only two kittens left, and someone else had claimed the other one. I didn’t plan on keeping her. I just wanted to keep her safe.

Two years later, and I still can’t find a home for TieDye. 

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#23 I Rescued My 2nd Kitty. Before vs. After

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#24 My Cat, 1 Year After We Rescued Her. She Was Abandoned By Her Mom

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Lastly, we wanted to hear if he had any remaining tips and tricks. “Not the most exciting thing to train in the world, but it’s a really good idea to get your cat used to taking medications before they need them. It isn’t always easy to get a cat to take medications, but if you prepare ahead of time you can go slower and it will ultimately be less stressful on both of you. I like hiding medications in an empty gelatin capsule because it masks the taste better than just mixing it in foods.”

#25 I Adopted A Stray Cat And The Whole Process Was Very Fulfilling

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#26 From Stray Kittens To Spoiled House Cats, Before And After. My Roommate And I Used To Feed A Local Stray, She Had Kittens, And We Caught Several

I gave them away to some friends, and my parents took the last two. Meet Beans (brown) and Momo (white).

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#27 I Rescued A Kitten With Mange, But He’s Feeling Better. I Named Him Vincent

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“A pill launcher is a great tool that you can get your cat to use by making it a fun game. Get them used to licking a tasty treat off the end of the pill launcher. Begin feeding them small pieces of treats with the pill launcher so it becomes associated with some good. After they know that the pill launcher means good things, you can occasionally sneak an empty capsule in between the treats.”

#28 One Year Difference

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#29 It’s Been 3 Months Since I Rescued Gouda

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#30 Before And After Of Ninja When We Found Him

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“If needed, cover the capsule in a bit of a lickable treat like a Churu or even a small amount of butter to help make it more enjoyable for them. When your cat actually needs a pill, you can just play the pill launcher game with them. This process can (and should) be used to help them get used to getting medications from a syringe, too. Instead of a treat, you can use a bit of diluted Churu or tuna juice.” If you want to see more of his work, check out Class Act Cats.

#31 Before vs. After My Dad Rescued This Kitten

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#32 She Was In The Middle Of The Street And Riddled With Worms. She Is Now Healthy, Loved, And Very Ungrateful

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#33 Nebula Found Me About Two Years Ago, And I’m So Happy She Did. Before And After

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#34 One Year Of Good Care And Love

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#35 Miso’s Progress Of Getting Better And Becoming A Mama’s Boy

One day I saw this little cat curled up on the grass while I was walking to the park I worked at. A few days went by and I started to get to work early to look for him, and finally I found him again in a hole in the grass. I called up my boyfriend, and he headed over with a towel, some tuna, and garden gloves.

My boyfriend took him to the emergency vet while I was at work, and as a placeholder name, he put down Miso. After 8 hours of waiting, he was diagnosed with sarcoptic mange along with infections on his ears where the skin was scratched raw, dehydrated, and weighed around 7 pounds. They estimated he was a year old. He stayed quarantined in our bathroom and stayed very food-motivated due to being starved for so long.

Despite eating 1.5x the amount for a cat his age due to being underweight, he still wasn’t gaining weight and at the vet visit we found out he had a tapeworm and the bloodwork determined he also was FIV. This was disheartening to hear, but our veterinarian assured us Miso would be able to have just as fulfilling of a life as any other cat with the right care and precautions. 

Miso is now looking very handsome at a nice 10.5 lbs, and I never stop spoiling him with new treats, an automatic feeder, toys, and a water fountain. He’s my baby boy.

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#36 Picked Bambi Up Off The Street In 2021. She Was A Foster Fail Due To Being A Black Cat. I Think She’s Forgotten Her Rough Beginnings, Given Her Sassy Attitude

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#37 I Adopted A 14-Year-Old Pouncer After His Human Mother Died. Sadly, He Was Very Neglected And Needed To Be Shaved Upon Adoption. This Is His One-Year Progress From The Day He Was Rescued

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#38 My Cat Is Named Lukas (Nicknames Are Smol Cat And Fluffy). My Stepdad Found Him In A Peanut Field In The Rain. He Was So Small When We Got Him, But He’s Such A Big, Beautiful Boy Now

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#39 My Sweet Smoosh Before vs. After

He was originally picked up by the pound but then brought to the shelter. He was there for about a month or so, and I was surprised no one picked him up! He looked a bit rugged, but I loved him. They assumed he's about 3-4 years old, and he’s the sweetest cat ever.
The shelter shaved off all the tangled fur, but I went and got him completely shaven to just start over. Pictures are from oldest to most recent.

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#40 My Baby Athena (Previously Stella) Was Rescued From A Shelter And Is Now 9 Months Old And A Whopping 5.5 Lbs

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#41 A Cat Showed Up At My Mom’s House And Stuck Around. Since Then, He’s Been Groomed And Been To The Vet

About a month ago, my mom started talking about this cat, Scrappy, which is hilarious because he’s the sweetest cat I’ve ever been around. She asked if I could help her bathe him before taking him to the vet when I would be in town for Mother's Day this weekend. She helped with the washing part, but he was patient enough to go through hours of gentle combing and mat cutting. I’ve never seen so much flea dirt in my life. Pulled off countless ticks and burrs.

He went to the vet today, and unfortunately, he is FIV and leukemia-positive. My mom and her fiancé haven’t really wanted pets, but this boy just won them over. He’s now an inside baby.

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#42 Meet 4-Month-Old Reina Bella. She Was Rescued From An Inoperable Car’s Engine, Where She Lived During The Winter All By Herself, Covered In Oil

Reina is deaf, but she doesn't let that get in the way of her hours and hours of playtime.

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#43 The First Day We Met Him vs. Now

Asan was a stray cat who lost his paw to a stray dog while he was trying to escape. Luckily he was found by a friendly vet and got amputated before huge blood lost. Unfortunately he wasn't able to grow up with his brothers and sisters but we're so blessed to have him in our home.

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#44 From Dumpster Kitty To Exercise Supervisor

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#45 My Boy Before And After I Rescued Him

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#46 Cheddar Found His Forever Home, And It’s Even Better Than We Hoped For Him! I Hate To See Him Go, But He’s Going To Be So Loved And Spoiled. Before And After

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#47 Bella Was Found In A Takeaway Box On The Streets In Egypt Last Year. Now She’s At Her New Home In The UK

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#48 Our Rescued Cat’s Before And After

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#49 My Beautiful Girl Chase Before And After

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#50 Musia’s Owner Died, And Her Relatives Threw Her In The Street In Winter When It Was -20°C. I Took Her To The Vet, And Soon After Spaying I Found A New Family For Her

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#51 From Finding In The Parking Lot Covered In Every Kind Of Parasite, To Absolute Unit

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#52 Before And After From Panterkin. He Is One Of The Three Kittens That Were Left On Dachas Before Wintertime. I Will Be Fostering Him Until I Find A Family For Him

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#53 This Is Skittle’s Before And After. He Was Living Behind The TV Station I Work At And Was Pretty Rough. I Grabbed Him And Took Home With Me. Now He Is Loved And Very Special To Me

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#54 This Little Man Came From A Storage Warehouse, So I Rescued Him, And He Became My Foster Fail

This poor little street cat was so kind, just looking for help. I started feeding him, and I caught him pretty easily. He was so friendly and happy, not feral. I fostered him until he was fixed, vaccinated, and tested. In the end, we couldn't let him go and had to adopt him. He likes to sleep on anything that is not a cat bed. He is also emotional and sensitive, but very happy in his loving home.

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#55 From Shivering And Scared To Now Being Loved And Comfortable

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#56 Before And After Rescue. Meet Yuki 

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#57 Meet My Rescued Kitten Named Seven. He Made Such A Nice Recovery Throughout The Months 

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#58 It’s Our Rescue Cat’s Birthday. Her Name Is Chola. She Is Still A Bit Elusive, Even Though She Has Been At Home For Two Years

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#59 He Was Found In The Street By My Brother. Some Old Bastard Swept Him Out Of The House With A Mop, Water, And Soap. Before vs. After Rescue

He couldn't walk at all for about a week but would gradually meow for us when we left. Then he started purring and hissing at our dog when she came close, then started standing and walking. And today he's an energy-rich furry jerk wreaking havoc on our house, and we love him for it.

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#60 Before And After I Rescued This Old, Toothless Cat Named Music

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#61 Princess Sasha, AKA Princess Scruff Scruff. Found In A Trashcan. She Was Shouting So Loudly To Be Saved. It Was Touch-And-Go But The Staff At The Vet Were So Amazed By Her Spirit

She had to have four major operations, but she has some vision in her remaining eye. She is feisty, fearless, and a total diva. She loves nothing more than getting grubby in dust baths in the summer.

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#62 We Saved A 12-Week-Old Kitten From A Highway. Now She’s Loved And Protected By Her Two Big Brothers

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#63 Then And Now. My Little Rescued Baby Turned Out To Be My Greatest Blessing

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#64 I Adopted A Ratty Old Lady From Death Row, And Now She’s Our Fluffy Princess

I had absolutely zero intention of picking up another cat, but I happened to see her on a random Facebook post sharing animals whose time was up at an overwhelmed local shelter. So despite my best laid plans of no more cats, we called to spring her with 13 or so hours left before she was scheduled to be shuffled off this mortal coil. When we picked her up, she was the sweetest thing. She just purred and made biscuits on her new soft bed in her carrier the entire way home.

She weighs about 8 pounds now, which is about a pound too fluffy. She drools when she's happy, which is always, and she plays like a kitten and has completely unhinged zoomies at the drop of a hat. She trills and chatters with us constantly, screams for food time, tolerates our dogs, is hateful to our other cats, and loves to lay on a mouse or keyboard for attention if you're busy. She's perfection.

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#65 Chandler’s Before And After. We Found Him Outside, Alone In The Cold. Now He’s A Healthy, Loved, And A Handsome Boy

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#66 My Sister’s Adopted Cat Who Had Jaw Surgery Before vs. After

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#67 Our Rescue Baby. Before And After 30 Days Apart. He’s Doing Great

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#68 I Took In Three Foster Kittens, And Joshi Was One Of Them. Soon After, I Found A Loving Family For Him. Now Joshi Is A Big Cat And Is Living His Best Life

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#69 From An Underweight Boy To Mr. Chonkers. I Rescued My Boy From A Chimney Eight Years Ago. He Went Through A Massive Glow-Up (And Now He’s On A Diet)

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#70 Being Rescued At 2 Months Old And Now (8.5 Months). He Never Lost The Crazy Eyes

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#71 My Rescued Void, Ozzy, Who I Rescued From An Abusive Shelter. Before vs. After

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#72 I Adopted The Unfriendliest Cat In The Shelter. He Was Afraid And Had Been There For Months, Hostile To People. 8 Months Later, After A Ton Of Patience And Love, He Is The Neediest Lap Cat

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#73 I Found Valera In 2021. Homeless, With Bad Teeth (Unable To Eat Dry Food), All Covered With Mats. Now He Is Adopted And Lives In UAE With His New Family

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#74 When I Got Sweet T She Couldn’t Walk, Meow, Eat, Or Breathe Well. She Had A Bulging Eye And Severe Constipation. After Months Of Fighting, She Turned A Corner And Now Lives Happily

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#75 I Found A Stray Cat That Was Covered In Oil From Hanging Around Our Shop. A Little Bit Of Dawn Dish Soap Is Slowly Bringing Out His True Coat Colors. After Everything We Will Go To The Vet

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#76 Patti Before vs. After

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#77 Before And After Adoption. I Found Antoshka, Last Winter, On Dachas When It Was -24°C. Now Antoshka Has Been Adopted And Has A Big Family

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#78 Leia Before And After Adoption

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#79 Schnurri’s Before And After

She came from a farm, and the owners said that she seemed to have lost her mother. She was fed by another cat, but she didn't get much milk because the other kittens were much bigger and stronger. As she got sicker and sicker, we took care of her.

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#80 I Trapped Claude 14 Months Ago. Now Look At Him. This Is What Tuna And Love Can Do

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#81 From “Amoy Kanal” To “Amoy Freshly Baked Bread” Rescue From Feb 2022 Weeks After My 14 Y/O Dog Pased Away

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