Even though not every feral cat can adapt to humans and home life, the incredible transformation of a cat named Potato and his heartwarming story prove that anything is possible when given a chance.
Potato found himself in a rescue shelter, clearly sad and depressed, confined to a tiny cage.
The poor cat was just one hour away from being euthanized due to his feral and aggressive behavior. But that was when his guardian angel Grace stepped in.
Grace Choi is a cat rescuer and foster, with experience in rehabilitating feral cats, and the founder of @thehappykittyrescue in Los Angeles. She described their first encounter:
“I came across a video of him in the shelter, and it absolutely broke my heart. For over a month, he was sick and alone in a tiny cage. He looked completely defeated.”
Potato had been labeled as feral and aggressive, with euthanasia as the only option. However, he was merely lost and confused, terrified of humans and instinctively defending himself.
Potato needed a miracle, and Grace was his only chance. Luckily, she never gave up on him, literally saving his life. She recalled:
“The shelter staff informed me that ‘he is untouchable,’ and he is unable to handle due to being so aggressive. However, his medical notes mentioned that he wasn’t aggressive upon intake… just fractious and scared. So with a glimmer of hope, I rushed to the shelter to give him a chance.”
Grace took Potato in and his transformation slowly began. Initially, he was traumatized, spending most of his time hiding in the corner of the cage.
Fortunately, he had an understanding and caring person by his side. Step by step, he started adjusting to Grace and his new surroundings. She said:
“Potato has been terrified of me… constantly hiding, growling, and hissing. But this day, he decided I wasn’t so bad after all. Maybe it was my singing? I do believe that music has the power to heal and communicate love.”
As the days passed, Potato grew more comfortable and relaxed around Grace. Then, one day, he surprised her by confidently approaching her, meowing and asking for pets.
Grace was astonished, but she gladly obliged. However, Potato unexpectedly scratched her finger, leaving her perplexed. With humor, she shared on her Instagram:
“This may have been one of the sweetest and most surreal moments in my life… but then things took a bit of a turn. Maybe he’s just trying to play hard to get. Regardless of how this interaction ended, the fact that he was asking me for pets absolutely blew my mind. Internally, I was FREAKING OUT. I am so incredibly happy and so proud of my Potato! We still have a lot of work to do… he clearly doesn’t trust me completely.”
After four months of dedicated care and effort from Grace, Potato was a completely different cat. In just four months, he transformed from a traumatized, aggressive feral cat into a loving, playful kitty who craved affection.
Grace explained how she did it:
“I think my key to success was staying confident and calm. I also took my time to observe and learn from his body language. Turns out he gets overstimulated very easily. So easily, that I’ll be staying completely still with him rubbing up on me… then he’ll turn around and swat/bite me, lol!”
She also added:
“I honestly wasn’t sure if he’d ever learn to trust humans. But here we are!”
Potato was just one hour from death’s door, and now he has his entire life ahead of him.
Now, he lives with four humans and four feline friends in Los Angeles, experiencing a life he could only dream of before.
If you don’t believe it, check out Potato’s Instagram account to witness his incredible transformation and see how he’s thriving, all thanks to Grace!
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