A “very sad and depressed” cat who found himself at a New Jersey adoption center now has a forever home after a social media post sharing his picture and profile went viral last week.
You might chalk the feline’s good luck up to that, coupled with the fact his Petfinder profile may be one of the most, well, depressing posts anyone has ever read.
“Fishtopher is not a fish out of water, but he is out of sorts at the shelter. He is very sad and depressed and will only eat when he has company,” the profile written by Homeward Bound Pet Adoption Center begins. “Fishtopher was found as a stray, maybe he is missing his family. He wouldn’t even look up for pictures, but did enjoy his one on one attention, and getting chin rubs.”
The profiler’s words drew the quick attention of Twitter user MollyClarke.
“i swear to god. if one of you doesn’t go get fishtopher,” Clarke posted Thursday above a photo of the domestic short-hair and Bengal mix featuring heartbreaking, dejected beautiful green eyes.
At that point, the shelter told USA TODAY, he had been homeless for 39 days.
But shelter workers knew Fishtopher had potential.
“He is a sweet, easy-going, laid-back boy. Fishtopher loves being pet, and is an affectionate boy,” his profile continues. “A big cheeky boy, wouldn’t you love rubbing up on those big cheeks? He loves cuddling up in arms, it seems to make him feel secure…. Please come rescue our big loveable boy!”
After the tweet sharing his profile went viral, Fishtopher’s luck changed fast. The tweet amassed more than 169,000 likes and more than 21,000 retweets. Many pet owners commented on their own happy adoption tales.
On Saturday, Laura Folts, 22, and her partner, Tanner Callahan, 24, adopted him, NBC reported. The couple said they drove two hours from Baltimore to Blackwood, New Jersey, to meet him before taking him home.
In a Facebook post over the weekend, the shelter wrote, “FISHTOPHER HAS LEFT THE BUILDING.”
The shelter also said his adoption came after it received “hundreds of inquiries.”
Folts tweeted the details of her journey home with her new pet and created Twitter and Instagram accounts for him.
“i want to use this new audience to help other fishtophers and give people fun cat photos of him chilling at home (which is what the internet was made for),” a Sunday tweet from Fishtopher’s account reads.
The post drew excitement and thanks.
“Thank you for helping shelter pets!! Fishtopher fan club,” Twitter user JulieCastle replied.
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Fishtophers’ new mom also retweeted a number of posts about other cats in need of homes from her new pet’s account.
In the meantime, Homeward Bound Pet Adoption Center is asking people to adopt, not shop.
“We’re super happy for him,” the shelter said in its Facebook post Saturday. “But if you were interested in him, have no fear. We have hundreds of other kitties who are just as wonderful and are wishing that people would come and stand in line for them,”
For the record, Fishtopher appears to be settling in just fine at his new home.
“ohh big stretch,” a recent Instagram posts reads as the fluffball lies on his back, his face curled into a white pillow covered with multi-colored hearts and all four paws reaching for the sky.
Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
