When Barney’s owner tragically passed away, the sweet senior tuxedo cat was understandably heartbroken and confused.
He didn’t understand why he was leaving his home of many years with his cat brother, Gus.
The fact that he was blind made the transition much more difficult.
Fortunately, Barney landed into the care of Cats Protection, a feline welfare charity in the United Kingdom.
The staff was determined to do everything they could to make Barney feel safe and comfortable.
They decided to send him to a foster home where he could decompress from the stress of the shelter.
Gus joined Barney so they could make each other feel more at ease.
Unfortunately, Barney being in a foster home Gus didn’t go as smoothly as they’d hoped.
Starting Over
When Barney arrived at his foster home, his new family immediately recognized that he needed extra special care and attention.
They gave him everything he needed and let him take his time getting used to his new foster home.
However, the family realized that Barney wasn’t getting along well with Gus.
It was a difficult transition for both Gus and Barney, which made them behave differently under pressure.
Gus would bully him and eat his food, making them concerned that Barney wouldn’t reach his full potential with Gus in the same house.
They ultimately decided to send Gus to a different foster home.
From there, it didn’t take long for the tuxedo cat to start thriving on his own.
This was the first step to mending Barney’s broken heart!
Blind But Not Broken
As Barney was beginning to thrive with his foster, a woman named Kat came across Barney’s picture on the rescue organization’s website.
“I was looking for a cat who wouldn’t mind being an ‘indoor cat’ as at the time. I lived in a flat with no garden,” Kat recalled.
When she saw Barney, it was love at first sight.
She immediately knew that he was the one.
“I saw Barney on their website and that he was blind and old, so I thought no one would adopt him. I fell in love!” Kat told Tail Talez.
Kat wasted no time to reaching out to Cats Protection and submitting her adoption application.
Kat was soon contacted saying her application had been approved!
She excitedly drove to the facility, eager to meet Barney in person.
However, what she expected to be a happy first meeting didn’t turn out to be as such.
Adapting to a New Home
As soon as Kat met Barney, she recognized that he was scared.
“When I went to visit him to pick him up, he was a very scared poor guy and hissed a lot,” she shared.
Kat was sad to see Barney in such a state, but realized that Barney was simply having a hard time.
Barney was very likely in shock from being returned to the stressful environment of the shelter.
“He must have been scared to have been taken from his home and returned to the rescue where he could hear all the other cats meowing,” Kat said.
But this wouldn’t be the case for long! Barney was about to have a quiet, comfortable home of his own.
They arrived at Kat’s house with Barney still frightened and timid.
Taking the rescue’s advice, she decided to leave him in a room alone upon arrival.
This gave Barney some space to relax and adjust to his new home.
Fortunately, this seemed to do the trick!
Sweet Barney soon blossomed into the cheeky and affectionate cat he was meant to be.
Feeling Right at Home
Barney is now living his best life and couldn’t be happier.
“He absolutely loves dreamies and treats and is amazing at sniffing them all out in the various places we put them for him,” Kat shared.
When Barney isn’t sleeping on the couch or eating his favorite treats, he is out exploring the neighborhood.
“He is still a very brave cat. If we leave any doors open, he always tries to explore!” the fur mom said.
Although he is experiences some health complications in his old age, he doesn’t let them slow him down one bit.
Six years have passed and Barney is still as brave and strong as he was since Kat met him.
He’s so grateful to have found love with someone he can share his golden years with.
Follow Barney on Instagram to keep up with all his latest adventures!
Rob Thompson
Sunday 19th of December 2021
Thank you to ALL animal rescuers! I'm so happy Barney found a new home.