Stray cats are often scared and timid since they have to fend for themselves daily. These poor souls were probably abandoned at one point, so trusting humans can be challenging for them.
Today I’ll tell you a story about a man named Alex who was determined to gain a stray cat’s trust!
One day Alex noticed a ginger cat in his yard, helping himself with some food Alex left out for other stray animals.
He slowly approached the balcony door hoping to meet the newcomer. However, once the cat noticed Alex his eyes widened with fear and the poor boy ran away.
He immediately noticed how bad his shape was. The ginger fellow was extremely malnourished and his fur was dirty.
Over the next few days, Alex would place delicious treats on his porch, waiting for the ginger boy to show up. He would eventually show up and help himself with the cat food, however, the poor soul was terrified. As Alex shared in a video:
“He would take a bite to eat, and then he’d freeze. He probably thought that it was unusual that there is so much food and that could be a trap.”
Alex named the ginger fellow Cinnabon and he did his best to gain the cat’s trust. Whenever Alex would approach him, Cinnabon would start meowing almost as if he was trying to tell him something.
Alex realized the poor boy was probably abandoned at one point in his life and more than anything he was in desperate need of a loving and warm home. As he mentioned:
“I realized he was homeless and actually needed a home more than just food and I just accepted a challenge to try to get him to come inside.”
Alex proceeded to place Cinnabon’s food dish in their living room area while leaving the porch door open. However, Cinnabon didn’t fall for it at all!
The ginger fluffball would just sit in front of the door and meow at his food bowl, never stepping forward into the house.
Fortunately, Alex never gave up on him. He would stand next to the door and encourage Cinnabon to come inside. As Alex said:
“I could tell he wanted inside but he didn’t have all the courage to actually make that leap.”
After days of encouragement, Cinnabon finally stepped inside, enticed by a delicious treat. It was a huge moment for Alex, however, Cinnabon still didn’t fully trust him.
He went on to explore the house, but every time Alex tried to cuddle him Cinnabon would run away.
His new dad realized Cinnabon needed space and time to adjust to his new environment, so he made sure to give him all the time he needed.
Over the next few days, Cinnabon discovered the joys of being an indoor cat. Every bed and blanket was now his safe spot and he finally let his dad pet him. However, this leap of trust formed a special bond between the two, as Alex said:
“Once he let me pet him, things accelerated pretty fast from there.”
Cinnabon couldn’t get enough of his dad! He became a true cuddle bug and would climb on his dad, just to get some well-deserved love!
Today, Cinnabon has a well-balanced indoor and outdoor life. He enjoys sleeping inside and watching movies with Alex. However, when Cinnabon feels like going outside, Alex gladly joins him. As he mentioned:
“Outside we’d go for walks in the woods. You can tell he’s really happy.”
The determination Alex had to provide a safe home for Cinnabon truly warmed my heart. Make sure to follow these two and their adventures over on Instagram!