Woman on Vacation Feeds Stray Cat, Then Pays Over $1,000 To Bring Her Home
A story about a stray cat who has found a forever home has gone viral on TikTok.
With over 359,000 views, Zia, the white and ginger cat, has stolen the hearts of the internet. Newsweek spoke to her new owner Jessica Addis, 25, who first met the feline in September last year while on vacation in Kos, Greece.
The student paramedic started feeding the homeless cat daily during her week in the sun and it wasn't long until the pair became attached.
Addis told Newsweek: "Zia was always alone, in the same specific spot in the day. She lived under a small palm tree on the holiday resort and in the evening ventured around the resort to try and find food.
"She eventually found out where our room was and would wake us up at 6:30 a.m. every morning meowing at our door."
On January 19, Addis shared a slideshow of photos (@jessss1998) from her trip that show the pair together and Zia making herself at home in the room.
The text added to the photos points out that Addis "fell in love" with the cat and felt heartbroken when she fed her for the final time before jetting home back to Herefordshire, U.K.
"I gave her the last of the cat biscuits and food and a last fuss, before I left," she said. "It broke my heart to leave her not knowing what would happen to her."
"The hotel was closing for the season at the end of October, so knew she then wouldn't have the tourists to feed her.
"I knew straight away I needed to get her back to the U.K. I told my partner as we were on the bus to the airport that I was going to get Zia home. As soon as I got home, I started sorting everything to get her back to me," she told Newsweek.
Addis reached out to a Greek rescue shelter who caught the cat and brought her to the vets. Addis forked out £800 ($1,020) on vaccines, a microchip, passport, flights and pet insurance. Now, three months on Zia is living her best life.
"She is happy, content and has a belly full of food!" Addis wrote.
"Zia loves treats, playing with her bird feather catcher and having endless naps snuggled up with her blanket.
"Although she still thinks she's stray, as she always wants food! She now has a loving home for the rest of her life," told Addis.
The happy ending has melted the hearts of the internet and the viral clip has amassed over 30,000 likes and more than 810 comments.
"Greek cats struggle during winter on the islands. Thank you for saving her," one user said.
Another wrote: "This had absolutely made my day! Thank you so much for all you have done and continue to do for this beautiful baby."
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 life@newsweek.com and they could appear on our site.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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