A shy, injured stray cat found his way to a family’s home during feeding time but hesitated to ask for food. He returned repeatedly until he mustered the courage to approach them.
In a viral TikTok video shared by @murdock_grayson in September, viewers see the tabby tuxedo, now called Levi, watching from the stairs of a family apartment in Tumon, Guam, as they feed their other cat, Artemis.
“A new kitty wandered onto our floor at our 2 a.m. feeding time. He immediately ran off but he showed up again the next day. Wanted to attempt to befriend him, he must have been really hungry,” the clip’s overlay reads.
On this occasion, the family chose to feed Artemis separately so there would be no fighting over the food, while Levi waited patiently from afar. They eventually set him up with food options, giving him a mix of wet and dry in case he preferred one over the other.
“He was definitely hungry, a wet food boy for sure. We also noticed a wound on his shoulder. He came back a couple of days later! We made sure he was well-fed with a full tummy,” the text continues.
In the U.S., over 6.3 million pets enter shelters each year, and around 920,000 are euthanized due to overcrowding. If you find a stray cat, it’s essential to contact a veterinarian and consider getting it spayed or neutered.
According to U.K. charity Cats Protection, the first step when encountering a homeless cat is determining if it’s a stray or feral. Feral cats are not domesticated and can be dangerous to handle without expertise.
To differentiate between the two, check their physical condition. A skinny cat may be a stray. Strays also tend to roam alone, while feral cats often live in colonies and shy away from humans.
Behavior can also provide clues; strays often appear confused and near human habitats, unlike feral cats who know their territory well.
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If you establish that it is a stray, can you adopt it? British animal charity Blue Cross advises visiting a veterinarian, who can check for a microchip. If the cat has no owner and you’re ready to provide a loving home, you can keep it.
Sadly, the family couldn’t adopt Levi. In an update shared in October, they reported taking Levi to the vet for treatment and neutering before releasing him back outside, as no foster homes were available.
“We would’ve loved to have made him an indoor cat, but our condo is full with 9 indoor cats, and every other rescue is maxed out. This overpopulation is a serious issue that hampers good cats like Levi from being adopted in favor of younger kittens,” the poster noted.
The video gained remarkable traction, receiving over 1.1 million views and more than 179,000 likes.
Comments poured in, with one user stating, “Aww, he looks so sweet. I like the name Levi for him. Praying you catch this sweet fellow very soon.” Another remarked, “Thank you for taking care of little voices that can’t be heard,” and a third pondered, “Sometimes I wonder if these cats tell others where to find food or something.”