Animal lovers have celebrated as a cat has finally found his forever home after a long journey through abandonment and shelter life.
Senior cat Archie was long in the care of Bucks County SPCA in Pennsylvania, with followers of the shelter’s social media pages getting to know his sweet personality along with “complicated health history.”
Now, Archie has a loving home all of his own—which is a major step for a cat who was unceremoniously abandoned outside a vet’s office almost a year ago.
In December 2024, Archie was found in a cat carrier outside a local veterinary office, without any microchip or collar—and without any note explaining why his previous owners were giving him up, or whether he had any medical issues that staff needed to know about.
Cindy Kelly, director of communications and development at Bucks County SPCA, told Newsweek that Archie, now estimated to be 12 years old, was around 11 when he was found abandoned.
“He was sick with an upper respiratory infection, an ear infection, and he looked very unthrifty,” she recalled. “He had some crystals and blood in his urine, so he was started on a prescription urinary diet. He was already missing most of his teeth, and those that remained were diseased or damaged.”
He spent the next nine months in foster care and being cared for by dedicated staff members, going in and out of the clinic for repeated treatments for infections that kept coming back, and finally underwent dental surgery to remove several bad teeth.
But despite it all, Archie remained friendly, “charmed everyone he met,” Kelly said. “Despite his senior status and health challenges, he could be as playful as a kitten with a wand toy.”
And one of the people Archie charmed was regular volunteer, Janet. A post to the Bucks County SPCA Facebook page on September 17 said Janet “got to know and love Archie”—and has now “decided to make the relationship permanent.”
In the joyous Facebook post, which has racked up hundreds of likes, shelter staff said they had “some seriously good news to share,” and that Archie had spent the first night in his warm, safe forever home.
They shared a statement from Archie’s new owner, Janet, who said that as soon as Archie arrived in their home, “he walked right out and started exploring. He and my husband have hit it off and Archie sits in his lap and slept behind his knees last night. So far so good.”
Facebook users were delighted by the news, one commenter writing that they were “so glad this sweet boy found his fur-ever home,” and another praising the “wonderful news.”
“My heart is so happy. Finally, he has a home,” another said, as one put it: “Such a handsome boy. Happy to see he is now in his forever home. Thank you to the adopters.”
Kelly told Newsweek that Archie “had a lot of chips stacked against him” when it came to being adopted, from his older age and medical history to needing an expensive prescription diet.
“In short, everyone was rooting for lovable Archie and eager to see him indulged in the comforts every senior cat deserves. We were thrilled to share his adoption story with our followers so they could celebrate with us,” she said.
In celebrating a happy ending for Archie in the Facebook post, staff also sent a message to whoever abandoned the cat, hoping they would see it.
“We know you loved this cat because you left him where he would be found and get help,” they wrote. “You can take comfort knowing that he is alive and well and has a home where he is safe and loved.”
They understood, they wrote, that some people face “unimaginable choices” to make about their pets when times are hard, but urged them “not to abandon a pet.”
Reaching out to friends or family to see if they can temporarily house the pet, asking the shelter for help finding pet food pantries, or calling their free pet behavior helpline if behavior is the issue, can all help a struggling pet owner.