Toby the cat didn’t understand why his family gave him away.
In February, they handed him over to a new home. But for Toby, the separation didn’t make sense — he still loved them.
So, guided by instinct and longing, Toby set out on an incredible journey: he walked 12 miles to find his way back to the family he thought he still belonged to.
But when he finally arrived at their doorstep, exhausted and hopeful, he wasn’t met with love. Instead, the family took him to a shelter — and asked that he be euthanized.
“It was just so heartbreaking,” said Tara Lynn, communications director for the SPCA of Wake County. “He made it all the way back to his family, and their response was to try to end his life.”
Thankfully, the shelter refused to carry out the request. They reached out to the SPCA, who took Toby in immediately.
Toby was in rough shape. He tested positive for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and had a painful upper respiratory infection. But the team at SPCA was determined to give him the second chance he deserved.
As his body healed, so did his heart. Toby, it turned out, was a sweet and affectionate boy — eager for love and ready to give it back tenfold.
Once the SPCA shared his story online, it didn’t take long for someone to fall for him.
Michele Puckett of Raleigh, North Carolina, saw the post and acted instantly. She was in the middle of a workday but didn’t hesitate — she left the job site and headed straight to the shelter.
“She didn’t even blink,” Lynn said. “She just came.”
Toby was adopted that very Friday. By the time the weekend was over, he had made himself right at home.
“He’s already taken over our bed,” Puckett said with a laugh. “It’s like he’s always been here. He sleeps under the pillows and cuddles up with us every night.”
Toby also gained a full house of companions — two human siblings and two feline ones — and he seems to love them all.
Still, Puckett can’t help but reflect on the painful twist Toby’s story could have taken.
“It’s hard to believe someone could do that to him,” she said. “But we’re so grateful he made it to us.”
Lynn agrees, and hopes Toby’s story reminds others of the countless animals who are given up too easily — but still have so much love left to give.
“There are so many pets like Toby,” she said. “Discarded, forgotten — but completely deserving of a second chance.”
To honor Toby’s journey and help others like him, you can donate to the SPCA of Wake County.
