By Alyce CollinsShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberA couple who rescued a feral kitten weren’t sure how she would adjust to her new normal, but they never could have predicted just how perfectly she would settle into her forever home.
Casey Corley and her boyfriend, Brendan Tedaldi, were alerted by their neighbors to a strange sound coming from their car. It sounded like a cat meowing, and to their surprise, it was a stray kitten hidden away.
Corley, from Tampa, Florida, told Newsweek that they tried to catch the cat for 30 minutes before they finally succeeded. They named her Kali and vowed to take her inside to give her the care she so desperately needed.
“Kali was super skinny, had a busted open lip and was very scared,” Corley said. “We caught her in a box since she kept trying to scratch and bite. We made a little home for her in our bathroom with blankets and heating pads so she was warm and would get acclimated.”
...It certainly took a while for Kali to acclimate and settle into her new surroundings.
Corley noticed that Kali refused to eat the wet food that was placed in front of her, so they tried to feed her kitten formula instead. In turn, Tedaldi took to bottle feeding Kali to ensure she finally got nutrition.
It took around a week to earn Kali’s trust, and they were eventually able to stop wearing protective gloves around her.
“By the second week, she would still hiss at us when we entered the room, but as soon as she saw the bottle, she would coming running over,” Corley said.
When it seemed like Kali was ready, the couple gradually introduced her to their other pets. They have four dogs, named Beaux, Sawyer, Linux and Twix, as well as two cats named Tangerine and Mello. Both cats were previously feral before being saved, and Twix was adopted as a stray.
Kali hit it off instantly with the dogs, and all the pups loved their new sibling from the beginning. The cats weren’t so sure however, but she eventually won them over.
Corley told Newsweek: “All the dogs love Kali, whereas the cats took some time, but now everyone’s adjusted. They all play and cuddle together, and Kali is like one of the dogs.
“I’m so grateful and happy we found Kali. I’m not sure she would have survived if we didn’t take her in, and her spunk adds so much to our family.”
...Whenever Corley reflects on how far Kali has come, she is so glad she took a chance on this feral kitten. She regularly shares clips on TikTok (@casecorley) showing how much progress Kali has made since her rescue, and internet users can’t get enough.
A video showing the contrast between Kali when she first arrived compared to her now has gone viral with over 1.4 million views and 153,900 likes at the time of writing. The clip shows Kali lashing out at first, before showing her calmy laying with the dogs and snoozing beside her many siblings.
She’s certainly made a remarkable transformation, as Corley says Kali is the family member they “didn’t know we needed.”
Kali’s journey has delighted social media users, leading to an overwhelmingly positive reaction online. Corley hopes that Kali’s story may even inspire others to rescue an animal because they have so much love to give.
Corley said: “Everyone loves to see a feel-good redemption story, and I’m so glad Kali found her way to us because she makes our home much better. Saving an animal is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling things out there, they add so much love to your family.”
In just a matter of days, the viral TikTok video of Kali has amassed over 500 comments from adoring internet users.
One comment reads: “Isn't it funny how fast they unspice?”
Another TikTok user wrote: “Thank you for saving her, she was just a scared baby.”
While another person replied: “The fact the baby has the color combo of the dogs is the sweetest thing ever!”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to [email protected] and they could appear on our site.
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