Sometimes, cats seem to show up in our lives at just the right time, as if they somehow know exactly that we need them – even before we do.
For Willow’s mom, that couldn’t have been more true. Let me share their heartwarming story with you!
One day in Tampa, a woman found a tiny kitten on her doorstep. There were no signs of a mama cat or any other kittens around, just this little ball of fur, barely larger than the woman’s hand.
What caught her attention right away was the kitten’s unusual appearance. She had a fuzzy nose and extra teeth that made her look so unique, like she didn’t quite fit in with the rest.
But something about her made the woman’s heart melt.
The kitten instantly perked up at the woman’s voice and began following her toward the car, as if she knew she had found someone who would take care of her. The woman smiled to herself, wondering if it was meant to be.
It didn’t take long to decide that this little fluff shouldn’t be left outside. She scooped her up and brought her inside.
Both she and her husband knew that once the little one was in, it was hard not to get attached, as she shared in a YouTube video:
“She followed me all the way to my car which was pretty far. So I put her in the car, I took her to our house, and put her in the bathroom my husband’s like, ‘What’s in the bathroom?’ I said, ‘It’s a kitten.’ Of course, we grew kind of attached.”
A few days later, she took the kitten, now named Willow, to the vet. At just 10 ounces, the vet guessed she was around five weeks old.
Despite a few health issues, like a bloody nose, eye infections, and intestinal parasites, the vet said she was overall healthy. There was no explanation for her strange nose and teeth, it just seemed she was born this way.
The woman couldn’t help but fall in love with her and before long, this quirky little cat started running the house.
Even though Willow was tiny, she had a big attitude to match. She didn’t let their much bigger cat or the huge dog intimidate her one bit. She held her ground like a little boss making sure her furry siblings knew that she was the one calling the shots.
They just stayed out of her way and let her do her thing, as their mom explained:
“No one really bothers with her. She’s only 7 lbs, she’s still real tiny. And our other cat is 18 lbs and then the puppy’s like 42 lbs. But she still, like, runs the house. She gets to pretty much do what she wants to do.”
Some people thought she looked funny, especially when she was younger with those unusual features on her little face. But that’s what made Willow so special.
Willow quickly gained many followers on social media, many of them being people with special needs, who saw something of themselves in her. They, too, felt a little different, just like her and it was a beautiful connection.
In no time, she became an online star, with fans from all over the world!
It was hard to believe that this tiny kitten from Tampa had such a wide reach, as her mom shared:
“It was very strange. She has people that know her from Australia and Japan, all over the place. It’s crazy! She’s pretty famous.”
Willow’s mom is amazed by how much she’s changed their lives. At the time, she had been feeling a little down and Willow arrived like a ray of light, as she shared:
“I think Willow’s changed our lives because she just kind of appeared. She’s like a little angel cat. I was kind of, in kind of a funk when she kind of appeared, like, she truly just appeared out of nowhere and it just gave me a different focus.”
Yup, cats have this way of showing up right when we need them the most. They bring so much comfort and love and also remind us to take it easy, appreciate the little things, and find happiness in the simple stuff.
Willow is living proof that the bond between a cat and their human can truly be life-changing. To see more of Willow’s adventures, you can follow her on Instagram.