When Buster the cat arrived at the Orphan Animal Rescue and Sanctuary, he was in a bad way.
The 6-year-old “big-boned sweetheart” was rescued from off the streets, and once at the shelter, it took him a long time to recover from his stint outside.
The shelter speculated that poor Buster had once been someone’s house cat before ending up out on the streets. He spent a whole winter out in the cold fending for himself, and was rescued just in the nick of time.
The list of Buster’s injuries was heartbreakingly long.
Altogether, he had a dislocated hip, broken and infected teeth, frostbitten ears that were infected and frozen shut, multiple scabs all over his body, abscesses between his toes, a scar on his head from a chemical burn, and a clubbed tail.
It pains us to think of the abuse and neglect this brave boy went through.
It took three months for Buster to recover, and although he now feels better, he’s been left looking a little different. Buster now has a bald spot on his head where the chemical burn scar is, and his tail looks a little wonky.
But while he may look different, Buster still has all the love in the world to give– and workers at the shelter hoped that someone would fall in love with him just like they had.
It was time to find Buster a new home, and the shelter decided to share their plea on Facebook in the hopes of getting the sweet boy adopted.
“Hi! I am Buster, and I am a 6-year-old big-boned sweetheart,” the shelter shared, alongside the most adorable picture of Buster. “I know I look a little rough, and I know that will likely affect me getting adopted, but if you could please find it in your heart to look past my bald spot, frostbitten ears, and wonky tail, I promise to love you forever.”
Despite his tricky past, Buster is full of love– though sometimes he can get a little overexcited.
“I am so loveable and sweet (and) I like other cats as well,” the shelter wrote. “I have a habit of giving “love bites”, so I would be best in a home with older kids, just in case.”
It wasn’t long before the online community fell in love with Buster, and in no time at all, the post reached over 400,000 people.
He might look a little different, but Buster had succeeded in stealing the hearts of people all over the world.
Staff at the shelter were blown away by the love and support that Buster’s post received:
“We are a local, volunteer-driven cat rescue, and the response to this post from across the U.S., Canada, and Europe has been astounding,” they said in a Facebook post titled. ‘BUSTER UPDATE’. “We have just 2 volunteers responding to the hundreds of inquiries we have received, so we appreciate your patience as we try to respond to all of you.”
“We are so appreciative of everyone who commented, shared, and liked our post, and for the many people who have submitted an application. The amount of love everyone has shown for a cat who is down on his luck and in need of a loving home is a true testament to the good in this world.”
The applications to adopt Buster began pouring in so quickly that the shelter was forced to stop accepting any more. They will now begin the selection process that will find Buster his perfect new home!
We’re so happy this sweet boy is going to get his happy ending. Take a look at him in action below.
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