Shelter animals can’t explain their loneliness or confusion, so compassionate staff members often step in to speak for them.
At the Humane Society of Broward County, one worker recently wrote a simple but heartbreaking note and taped it to a kennel door — hoping it might finally help the resident inside get noticed.
“I don’t understand why nobody wants me,” the note read. “I see people walk past my cage every day, but they don’t stop for me. I’ve been waiting since December … just hoping someone will finally see me.”
Behind the glass sat Rio, a gentle cat who had been overlooked for more than 100 days.
Rio has FIV — feline immunodeficiency virus — which can weaken a cat’s immune system. But staff knew it didn’t make him any less deserving of a home. Cats with FIV can still enjoy long, fulfilling lives, and Rio had plenty of love to give.
Though he isn’t a fan of being picked up, Rio shows affection in other sweet ways.
“He loves affection and will ask for pets and rubs all over you,” Cherie Wachter, vice president of marketing for the shelter, told The Dodo. “He is sweet, cute, will meow for attention and drools when he is happy.”
To give Rio a better chance, rescuers enlisted help from Florida Panthers hockey player Sam Bennett, whose “Benny’s Buddies” program covers adoption fees for shelter pets. Once Rio became an official “Benny’s Buddy,” his story spread fast online — and it finally caught the eye of someone special.
A woman scrolling through her feed saw Rio’s face and instantly knew he was meant to be hers. She arrived at the shelter wearing her Panthers jersey and adopted him on the spot, renaming him Bennett in honor of the player who helped bring them together.
“She sent us updates and reports [Bennett] is very happy,” Wachter said.
After more than 100 days of waiting, Bennett finally has the loving home he always deserved.
To support other animals like him, you can donate to the Humane Society of Broward County.
