Couple Move Into New Home, Unprepared for Who Joins Them ...

By Maria Azzurra Volpe

Life and Trends Reporter

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Right as they moved into their new home, a Reddit owner and their partner found an intruder, a fluffy stray cat who decided she’d also move in with them.

In a viral post shared on Sunday under the username u/bagelsandkegels, the poster shared a picture of the feline, a big, fluffy, gray tuxedo with round green eyes, and white paws that make her look like she’s wearing gloves.

“Moved to a new house, opened the door, and she ran right in," the poster explains. “We had only been in our house a month in December of 2023 when my husband went outside to get the mail.

“A half-grown kitty ran from across the street, threw herself at his feet and started purring. When he opened the front door to tell me to come out, she ran right in.”

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The Reddit user explained in the viral post that they initially had to move her onto the patio away from their other cats.

“We set her up with a bed and a heating pad, as well as a litter box. We kept the door open so she could come and go as she pleased, but she stayed put and shortly thereafter we closed the door,” they said.

After taking her to the vet, they discovered that the kitty was about nine months old, had no microchipped, and wasn’t even spayed.

“Got her chipped, tested for diseases, got rid of her fleas and brought her inside. We were just going to foster her until after the holidays, but on New Year's Day we came home, I looked at her and realized I couldn't part with this baby," the poster said.

Now, her name is Phoebe and she is officially a member of the poster’s home, become their fifth and final kitty.

British animal charity Battersea Dogs & Cats Home says that if you find a cat and suspect it may be lost or stray, you should avoid automatically feeding them, because it can encourage the feline to stick around even if they have a family.

Instead the charity suggest putting a paper collar on the cat with your contact details, and if nobody contacts you after a few days, it might be stray.

It also suggests asking neighbors, putting up found posters locally, posting online, and reporting the cat to local vets or rescue centers, as their owner may already be searching. The best thing to do is to get the cat scanned for a microchip to check for owner info.

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The video quickly went viral on social media and it has so far received over 13,000 upvotes and 224 comments on the platform.

One user, Tina-Tuna, commented: “Phoebe is your welcome to your new home gift from the CDS [cat distribution system]. She was in such a hurry to meet you that she forgot the rules and just dived in head first at your hubby. Thank you for saving her, she's such a pretty floofy tuxedo.”

Procedure-Loud said: “The cat distribution system is working fine! What a beautiful cat! I think you lucked out this time!”

Newsweek reached out to u/bagelsandkegels for comment via Reddit. We could not verify the details of the case.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.

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