When Brian arrived at the Pennsylvania SPCA back in October 2023, the friendly orange cat immediately began making friends. At the time, Brian was dealing with some health issues and needed surgery to fix an eye condition. Once fully recovered, Brian made his way to the SPCA’s adoption area. He was ready to find his family.
“I met him shortly after the surgery,” Pennsylvania SPCA social media coordinator Sarah Brown told The Dodo. “Though he was quiet while healing, he was so gentle and seemed hopeful. It was almost as if he knew his life was just beginning.”
But as the months went by with no interest from adopters, Brian’s personality began to change. The cat who once loved munching on treats and begging for pets now spent his days sulking in the corner of his kennel.
“When offered a treat, he would lift his head up and sniff the air but just lay it back down,” Brown said. “It was as if he had lost all hope, and it was truly heartbreaking.”
Brown was devastated to see Brian so defeated. She took a photo of Brian’s pleading face and posted it to social media, urging potential adopters to consider him.
“I could see the sadness in his eyes and knew right then that we had to get him noticed,” Brown said.
Soon, Brian’s post began blowing up. Scores of commenters were rooting for Brian, and many of them asked how they could apply to adopt him.
Pennsylvania SPCA staff sorted through all the eager applicants and finally found Brian’s perfect match. When Brian met his forever family, their connection was clear.
“They fell in love right away!” Brown said.
These days, Brian has no reason to cry. The amiable cat now spends his hours luxuriating with the ones he loves.
“Brian is doing so great!” Brown said. “His adopters said that he has been purring since they brought him home — this is not something he had done at the shelter for a while. They said he is such a sweetheart and is enjoying his time sunbathing in the window.”
