Left to fend for himself at just 8 months old because of his unique deformity, Bruce’s heartwarming journey began when he instantly connected with his caring foster mother.
A stunning, fluffy tuxie with enormous white whiskers, Carl, wandered into an old shed in Indiana, looking for anything to eat. It was January and below freezing in a rural area. The cat was dirty and sick at the time and desperately needed help.
As it turned out, breaking into the trash sealed his fate because it prompted the man living there to set a live trap. Everything changed after that because the man who caught Carl has a daughter who cares for Henry, a rescued Siamese from Kentucky known for “Henry’s Thoughts.”
She took the pretty cat home and right away, you could see that Carl was a handsome meowdel. Below, you can see some of the first pictures of him shared on Facebook, with his glowing golden eyes popping against his contrasting fur.
After getting Carl’s “party peanuts” removed and vet care, his new foster mom, Alyssa Keeling, at first considered finding him a new home. However, he seems to have had other plans and maybe was meant for this home all along.
Images and media via Facebook/Henry’s Thoughts
Carls Thoughts
Henry is well-known in the cat community for sharing his wise, quirky, and hilarious thoughts on all sorts of topics. But now, it was Carl’s turn. Turns out, he had many things to teach everyone, like celebrating your silly side. Or not wasting energy worrying so much. Or opening the door to love when it comes knocking.
Carl giving a silly tongue blep
Right away, the beautiful kitty was comfortable with Keeling. And, he easily warmed up to new people, too, despite his rough background.
“Carl reminds me to allow good things in, and to release my idea of what ‘should’ be and accept the love and goodness that’s right here for me right now. That’s my hope for you too. Open yourself to good things. It may be uncomfortable, but it will be so worth it!” Henry’s Thoughts shared.
Going with the Flow of Big Changes
Carl was going with the flow of rapid changes and doing great, learning to trust his new foster family. His true nature emerged. He became a loving, snuggly fellow who charms all the humans.
“Carl is the poster child of going with the flow of change! His major change of struggling in a cold shed outside to living in a warm house with love and cuddles was ultimately a wonderful thing – but it was scary at first! When Carl first came inside, he kept his eyes on the door, longing for the outside, the shed, the only definition he had of ‘safety.’ But with every cuddle and food offering, he learned to trust us more and more. Soon, he opened himself up completely and showed us the giant snuggle bear he is! Needless to say, life is looking pretty great for Carl now, all because he learned to work with change rather than run from it,” Alyssa shared on Henry’s Thoughts.
Carl Returned to Revisit the Old Shed
Six months after leaving that old shed, the now-content house cat returned on a visit with Mom. Instantly, he remembered his old haunts. Although his life was so hard when he had to hide in the shed from the cold, he reacted to it fondly.
Once again, here was an insightful moment seen from a cat’s point of view (see video below).
Carl sits inside with the old shed in the background
“Carl was found in my parents’ old shed over 6 months ago. It’s crazy how much his life (and ours) has changed since then. This weekend, we visited my parents, and we got to see the farm from Carl’s point of view!” Keeling wrote.
Carl revisits the old shed where he was found in January
“He knew exactly where he was, and you can see how he runs towards the shed! To me, it was a sweet reminder to appreciate the good parts of the past while embracing the present❤️😸,” Keeling shared.
Video via Instagram/henrysthoughts
Flash forward to August, and this kitty has found that life is better than he ever could have imagined! And, he’s teaching people valuable things about life with Henry, Otis, and friends.
“Farm life was hard. I got used to ‘just getting by.’ But then some humans found me and showed me that life could be better than I ever could have imagined,” Carl shared.
For more, you can follow Henry’s Thoughts on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
