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Overlooked Shelter Cat Instantly ‘Knew He Was Home’ After Adoption


Adopters tend to gravitate to younger animals as they will have more time together and likely fewer medical issues, but one woman decided to take a chance and save a senior shelter cat.

The cat was living at a shelter in Vancouver, Washington, for two weeks when Patricia McNabb walked in. The 10-year-old was described as a “geriatric cat” with dental issues and only a few teeth left, McNabb told Newsweek.

She said she took the plunge and decided to bring home the cat, noting that she wanted the cat least likely to be adopted. The cat, which believed to be a stray, had some battle wounds and scars.

“When I saw his little face online, I said that’s him and I got him,” McNabb said.

JP the rescue cat transformation
Photos of Jerry Patrick, or JP, from the day he was adopted and a year later. He has grown into a loving, dog-like cat.
Patricia McNabb

McNabb ended up renaming the cat Jerry Patrick, or JP, because her talk-to-text messed up the message. Instead of the message reading geriatric, it said Jerry Patrick. It was too good a name to pass up. McNabb added that it felt like he even knew that was his name.

JP made it very clear he did not want to be in his carrier on the way home, which McNabb obliged as soon as they stepped foot into his forever home.

“I could not believe how well he acclimated,” McNabb said. “It was not even an hour and I know he knew he was home.”

Within 24 hours of being home, JP was taking over the couch, which is very much deserved. McNabb’s heart “swelled” as soon as she saw him relaxed in his new home.

Since the day she brought him home a year ago, JP has been by her side. He follows her around like a dog and has “a huge vocabulary.”

He has grown from being less than 9 pounds to a health 14 to 15 pounds, McNabb said. He’s also extremely long, reaching a staggering 48 inches.

And now that he’s got a taste of a loving home, JP has become very picky when it comes to food. He claimed his spot on her desk, complete with a fleece blanket, so he can rest and look out the window.

JP went from a shelter cat to owning the house, but McNabb wouldn’t have it any other way. He has been a joy to have, she said.

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