### Overlooked Cat Finds Home Thanks to Viral TikTok Video
All hope seemed lost for Monte, a 3-year-old tuxedo cat, when he didn’t receive a single application during an adoption event at a San Diego cat-themed gift shop.
But then, the power of social media worked its magic.
Smittens Rescue, a non-profit cat rescue, shared a TikTok video of Monte crying out for someone, anyone, to give him a home. The video tugged at the heartstrings of viewers, and soon Monte’s adopter found him and applied to bring him home forever.
“Algorithm, please bring me to the page of his new owner. Monte deserves a good home,” one viewer commented.
Another asked: “Nooo, how can anyone ignore this baby!! He’s literally crying out to be adopted!”
A third person pointed out: “He’s so well-behaved and he knows how to walk on a leash. I been trying to train my cats to walk on a leash for years and they don’t like it.”
Although Monte has his happy ending, Smittens Rescue said there are, unfortunately, plenty more cats waiting for forever homes, just like him. Not every cat is highlighted or goes viral on social media, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a loving home.
Each year, 6.3 million pets enter U.S. shelters, an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared to January 2022, the 24Pet “Shelter Watch Report” found.
About 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.
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