It’s always annoying when animals are returned to shelters, but one recent example is particularly tragic: a cat was given to a shelter 7 years after being adopted out.
After losing his sole home, this gorgeous cat is looking for a new family.
Fig arrived at the Valley Animal Center in Fresno, California, in 2016 after being rescued as an orphan, according to Newsweek. The kitten was quickly adopted, and everything appeared to be going well.
Fig’s family abandoned him since they were relocating and it was too complicated to bring him along. “It is a long, difficult process to move a pet to a different country based on the laws and regulations of the country,” a shelter spokesman told Newsweek.
Even so, it seemed to have taken its toll on poor Fig. Viral videos shared on TikTok show the cat looking heartbroken after being uprooted from his own home.
The story shattered hearts online. “After 7 years, that cat is like family,” one comment said. “I don’t know how someone could do this.”
Fig reportedly celebrated his eighth birthday alone in the shelter, with his fate uncertain. He not only lost his home, but he also had a difficult time finding a new adoptive family. “Senior cats struggle to find homes,” a TikTok video says.
However, whereas senior cats frequently struggle when left in shelters, Fig appears to be coping pretty well. “Fig is the ideal senior cat adjustment; he has been very sweet and cooperative the whole time he has been back in our care,” the spokeswoman told Newsweek.
Given this, they are optimistic that Fig will be able to defy the odds and find a new home to spend his remaining years in. “He seems like a pretty laid-back guy, and I think he could adjust to any kind of family,” the spokesman said.