A woman was left gobsmacked after she spent weeks trying to earn the trust of a stray cat, only to realise the tragic truth when she took him to see the vet

When a cautious cat kept turning up in a woman's garden, she wanted to know more about where he'd come from.

Shea Maritato and her partner moved to an army base in the autumn of 2023. It was then that the "beautiful baby" kept showing up in their garden, sleeping under furniture on their patio.

Shea described the cat as "very skittish" because he wouldn't let anyone close to him. But she was determined to earn his trust – and kept telling him that she would "be his mama if he let me".

The kind-hearted animal lover said: "After a couple of weeks, he started to get brave and curious about our cat inside. It didn't take him long to realise that we were a safe place for him to get food, shelter and love."

The stray was still skittish, but "his personality began to shine through". Despite the fact he appeared to be a stray cat, Shea wanted to welcome him into their family. So, she hatched a plan to make him come inside.

The couple started to leave the door open to welcome the kitty inside and "sometimes he would walk in". However, the cat would "scurry out" if anyone came too close.

Thankfully, the stray seemed to feel safer as he was making the back garden "his own". Shea shared a picture of the cat lying comfortably on the outdoor chair.

Over the next few weeks, the household worked on forming a closer bond with the cat. And eventually, a turning point came.

Shea said: "By week six, I knew it was time. The night before, there had been a major rainstorm, and I was worried sick. I opened the door to the kitchen, and after a few minutes, he walked in, and I closed the door for good".

The cat "decompressed" almost immediately and apparently "knew he was home". Shea took him to the vet – but then made a heartbreaking discovery.

She said: "We got him to the vet, where we found out that he was neutered and chipped, but the owners had deleted their information. A neighbour of ours said that she thought he'd been dumped."

Despite being unwanted by its previous owner, the cat was very much wanted now. Shea and her partner named him Miso – he's settled straight into their family and isn't afraid to show his "silly side".

The pair have since rescued 19 cats in total, and kept four of them, so they have one big happy cat family. It's a very happy ending!

In the comments, people praised the pair for taking in cats. One wrote: "I’ve worked in rescue for 6 years, people like you that help get them off the streets help so much more than you know, thank you for getting those sweet babies homes!"

Meanwhile, a second agreed: "Those who see the needs of abandoned animals and do everything they can to give them a loving home are those who will be forever blessed".

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