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Lifestyle & Human Interest

Cat Returned to Shelter After New Owner 'Can't Stand' His Cuddly Personality

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The idea of the aloof cat is so ingrained in most peoples’ minds that it’s practically accepted as fact. Remember the old saying? “Dogs have owners, but cats have staff.”

I’d wager that few people would not place cats high on a list of most cuddly pets.

Yet some felines really do love to snuggle. In fact, one large, orange tabby from Michigan was so cuddly that it caused one owner to return him to an animal shelter.

According to The Dodo, Jacque the cat had a hard life almost from the get-go. When he was only about 7-months-old, his owner moved — and left Jacque behind.

Michigan Cat Rescue President Nancy Hutchinson explained, “He was found in a house that was foreclosed upon. The person who owned him left him there and didn’t care.

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“He was found by the realtor and brought into the shelter. This happens quite often, sadly.”

But Michigan Cat Rescue wasn’t the shelter that initially took possession of Jacque. Instead, he ended up with another organization stuffed to the brim with other animals.

No one seemed particularly interested in the big, orange cat, so he ended up on the shelter’s kill list. A visit from Hutchinson was the only thing that saved him from an untimely death.

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“I saw him in his cage and felt so bad for him,” she said. “I opened up his cage and … sat on the floor with him for a while, and he sat on my lap.

“I thought, ‘Wow. What a nice cat.’” Hutchinson took Jacque under her proverbial wing, advertising him as a lap cat, and soon enough he had a new owner.

However, the relationship between adopter and pet wouldn’t last. After about a year, Jacque ended up back at Michigan Cat Rescue, and the reason for his return might surprise you.

In a post on Facebook, the organization recounted the owner’s words: “He constantly wants to sit in my lap…

“I can’t stand it. Its VERY annoying, he isn’t welcome at my house anymore.”

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As surprising as it might seem, the kitty himself took the rejection pretty hard. “He didn’t eat for a few days,” Hutchinson said.

“Stress can really take its toll — not just on people, but on animals — and it broke down his immune system. He had a horrible upper respiratory cold.”



Fortunately, Jacque’s story has a happy ending. A loving family saw Michigan Cat Rescue’s social-media posts about him and decided they wanted him as their own.

“His story went viral on Facebook with over 250,000 people who read about him, who shared his plight and expressed their love and sadness for him,” the organization wrote on Facebook. “GUESS WHAT? HE IS ADOPTED!”

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A graduate of Wheaton College with a degree in literature, Loren also adores language. He has served as assistant editor for Plugged In magazine and copy editor for Wildlife Photographic magazine.
A graduate of Wheaton College with a degree in literature, Loren also adores language. He has served as assistant editor for Plugged In magazine and copy editor for Wildlife Photographic magazine. Most days find him crafting copy for corporate and small-business clients, but he also occasionally indulges in creative writing. His short fiction has appeared in a number of anthologies and magazines. Loren currently lives in south Florida with his wife and three children.
Education
Wheaton College
Location
Florida
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Entertainment, Faith, Travel




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