An orange tabby cat who spent eight months alone after his owner’s death has finally found comfort and love in a new home.
Kurt, the loyal feline, had formed a close bond with his late owner, becoming his favorite among the many stray cats he had rescued. They often watched NASCAR together, and Kurt had a habit of perching on the man’s shoulders, said Courtnie Burke, who adopted Kurt and shared his story on TikTok.
When the man passed away, everything changed. While the other cats ran off when a real estate agent entered the home, Kurt refused to leave. The man’s daughter, living in another state, tried for months to find someone to adopt him—with no success.
“Kurt was left alone in the house,” Burke told Newsweek. “His daughter hired someone to feed him and change his litter, but the caretaker never saw him—just heard him howling from another room.”
Eight months later, Burke saw a plea for help on Facebook and felt compelled to act. When she took Kurt in, he was in poor condition—he had a severe infection from sitting in the litter box due to fear, had stopped grooming himself, and had visible cuts on his face and nose.
Despite his ordeal, Kurt quickly adjusted to his new life. He bonded with Burke, her boyfriend, and their other cats. In a TikTok video shared under the handle @courtniescats, Burke showed how Kurt slowly began to trust again and settle into his new home. He grew especially close to Burke’s boyfriend and remained calm even after they moved houses.
All Kurt wanted was love, Burke said—and that’s exactly what he received.
“I didn’t know the full story at first, but I hoped he had been loved,” she said. “When I found his owner’s obituary, it was filled with messages about how kind James was to stray cats. It made me so happy to know Kurt had been truly loved.”
Kurt’s story struck a chord with viewers. The video quickly went viral, amassing more than 479,700 views and 85,900 likes in just two days. One user commented, “If there’s an afterlife, I know his old owner probably felt so relieved when you adopted him.”
Another wrote, “Alone for 8 months. That’s so sad. Thank you for saving him and giving him the best furever home.”
A third added, “I can’t even imagine what this poor guy went through. Thank goodness he now has you as his forever family.”
Kurt’s journey from isolation to a loving home has become a heartwarming reminder of the power of rescue—and second chances.
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