A casual lunch break turned into a life-changing moment for a construction worker in the U.K. after a stray cat approached him, begging for food—and a second chance at life.
The moment was captured in a TikTok video posted on Wednesday by user @thesubstance_. In the clip, a hungry orange cat is seen helping itself to the man’s ham and fries as he films the encounter for his wife. Her response was immediate: “Bring him home.”
In the video, the wife explains, “My husband was having lunch on his construction site when this baby came to ask for food. He was clearly starving. So I said, ‘bring him home.’”
At first, the couple believed the cat was male. They admired the feline’s unique appearance, calling it “a little bobcat” with “the cutest face.” They also noticed the cat was in poor health, missing back teeth and extremely underweight. Despite this, the cat was affectionate and clearly seeking human contact.
They took the cat to the vet, where they learned the feline was actually female. She had no microchip, was flea-infested, and was severely malnourished. The couple decided to adopt her and named her Lucky.
In the caption of the video, the woman wrote: “Finding a stray cat and wanting him to have a better life because all animals deserve to be loved and taken care of!!!!!! I will die on this hill.”
The story has touched thousands online. The video has gained more than 259,000 views and 39,300 likes on TikTok.
Life on the streets is hard for stray cats. According to Georgia-based veterinarian Dr. Jess Kirk in Vet Explains Pets, the average lifespan of a stray cat is only two to five years. These cats face many dangers, including starvation, disease, extreme weather, predators, and traffic. In the U.S. alone, about 5.4 million cats are hit by vehicles every year, and 97 percent of them die from their injuries.
While Lucky now has a safe and loving home, millions of stray and feral cats across the U.S. still live without care. Experts estimate there are between 60 and 100 million homeless cats in the country.
TikTok users praised the couple’s compassion. One user, Ashleigh Dean, joked: “You’re amazing people for helping him. But can we all pay attention to the fact your husband had a packed lunch but clearly went to Maccies [McDonald’s]?”
Another viewer commented, “Rumor has it that cats pick their human.” A third added, “He was dumped. Stray cats aren’t that friendly. Thanks for taking him.”Thanks to one man’s lunch and one cat’s courage, Lucky now has a new beginning.
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