50 People Share How Their Beloved Cats Have Changed Since Being Adopted (New Pics)

It is really amazing what a bath, some love and a safe home can do for a cat. Aside from looking cleaner, fluffier and a bit bigger in the belly area, many of these cats simply look happier as well. And thankfully, many people around the world have gotten behind the “adopt don’t shop” mindset. The Before and After Pictures of Adopted Animals subreddit has 1.1 million members at the moment and describes itself as “a place to share the amazing difference a loving family can make on an abandoned or mistreated animal”. 

The page also notes that all pets are welcome, but today we’re here to celebrate the felines. And this subreddit does great work in raising awareness for how wonderful pet adoption can be. If you’ve ever adopted a fur baby before, you are probably well aware of how many are sitting in shelters awaiting loving homes. But if you have never considered rescuing a pet, it might be eye opening to hear that about 920,000 innocent animals were euthanized in shelters in 2020 because they were not adopted in time to be saved. 

To get more information on why it's important to rescue and adopt cats rather than buy them from breeders, we reached out to Heather Svoboda Miller at the Cat Adoption Team. She told Bored Panda, "When you adopt a cat from a shelter or rescue, you actually help two cats—the kitty you are adding to your home, and the one who will get to come into the shelter now that there's an open space," Heather explained.

"No matter how comfortable and loving a shelter and its staff and volunteers are, the shelter and the strangers there are stressful for even the most confident cat. After all, there's just no substitute for a loving home with a dedicated family of one's own. When you adopt, you give a cat the chance to feel their best again!"

We also asked Heather what kind of transformations she has seen in cats that have been adopted into loving homes. "Recently, a cat named White Lightening Jr. was adopted from Cat Adoption Team after more than 100 days in our care. When he first arrived, it was clear that shelter life was overwhelming him. He would hiss, growl, swat, and lunge at our staff and volunteers," she explained. "With help from our behavior team, we soon learned that treats and playtime helped White Lightening Jr. feel more relaxed and happy. Even though our team put in a lot of time and effort to make him comfortable, he still didn't like to be touched and wouldn't solicit petting or sit in laps."

"Well, all that changed once he was adopted! His adopter shares that White Lightening Jr. absolutely blossomed once home. He runs up to her purring and excited to see her. He also snuggles in her laps, never swats or hisses, and seems thoroughly joyful now that he's home! His is just one story. It's heartwarming to see how a cat who is shy, fearful, or just not very social in a shelter will transform into the snuggliest puddle of love once they get comfy and confident with their new people."