15 Before & After Adoption Photos Prove Love Can Transform A Cat

Adopting a cat can truly change their life. Some cats just need a little love (and possibly medical care) before they can live their best life.

Kaitlyn Cawley

Updated November 10, 2022 • Published June 04, 2021

Share to

15 Before & After Adoption Photos Prove Love Can Transform A Cat

Adopting my cat absolutely changed my life — and it changed his life too. He was a few years old, a slightly dull gray, and weirdly open to a stranger's pets. I was hoping for an occasional snuggle buddy, what I got was an obsessed best friend. And after years of love and good food, Paul looks like a completely different cat. That's what love does; it transforms!

I know I'm not alone, which is why I scoured the good old pages of the subreddit /BeforeNAfterAdoption to demonstrate how much a warm, loving home can turn around a kitty's life. Check out these 15 cats before and after adoption.

1. Kira

before and after adoption - cat 1

"Kira was founded almost dead of starvation in a farm with cows. She was healthy in one week and we kept her. Summer 2018."

Credit: u/saludete

2. Phoenix

before and after adoption - cat 2

"Phoenix was rescued from the streets and was covered in hot tar. Little over a month later, he looks amazing, he loves humans and is ready to enter a loving home 🥰"

Credit: u/arvindred1

3. Midnight

before and after adoption - cat 3

"The pictures were taken about two weeks apart. She went to the vet every two weeks for treatments so I decided to document it that way. She has become such a loving and sweet girl!"

Credit: u/chickinkyiv

4. Jake

before and after adoption - cat 4

"One year ago, Jake was found underneath a car, alone and half frozen. He was 4 weeks old and his mom was gone. Now he's the biggest kitty with the most personality that I've ever met."

Credit: u/[deleted]

5. Sonny

before and after adoption - cat 5

"2 years ago today I walked into a Petsmart and met a cat named Sonny who no one would adopt because he was 13 years old, covered in fleas, underweight, and had a mouth full of rotten teeth that had to be removed. He came home with me that night and it was the best decision I’ve ever made."

Credit: u/verrattishmurda

6. Moss

cat adoption - 6

"This is Moss. She ran in front of my car on the highway one month ago. Lots of love, care and play later, she has stolen our hearts."

Credit: u/boilerine

7. Snowball

cat adoption - 7

"After about a year and a half after showing up on our porch, Snowball has improved immeasurably. She’s my perfect angel."

Credit: u/webchanne

8. Stacy

cat adoption - 8

"Found this little lady crying in a parking lot with fleas and a badly broken leg. Here she is 3 months and 2 surgeries later."

Credit: u/skele_jeans

9. Cousteau

cat adoption - 9

"Our sweet Cousteau! From a scrawny street kitty in New Orleans to a prince living in Paris ♥️"

Credit: u/sn0wb0und

10. Drippy

cat adoption - 10

"Thankfully, nothing was majorly wrong with her! She is one in a litter of outdoor kittens who were malnourished when I found them, to the point that they couldn't even meow, and she had an upper respiratory infection when I took her in. I got her through a round of antibiotics and regular face/eye cleanings, and now she's right as rain."

Credit: u/theknittywit

11. BenBen

cat adoption - 11

"This is BenBen. Before/After death row."

Credit: u/benbencatcat

12. Roadrunner

cat adoption - 12

"We think he got stuck in a car engine or was hit by a car. :-( He was brought to the shelter like that. The wounds looked like burns - either road burn or from an engine was the vet’s guess."

Credit: u/sydhasmybike

13. Ciri

cat adoption - 13

"Two months ago a box full of severely malnourished kittens was left at the vets, unfortunately only one of them was still alive but she was only just hanging on. With a ton of hard work and love, little Ciri is now a perfectly healthy kitten who loves to play and explore."

Credit: u/reece_93

14. Harry

cat adoption - 14

"From feral to friend (Harry’s story). Last January, we received word that there a was a feral cat found with a terrible head wound. He was on death’s doorstep. We took him in to recover and 8 months later he won’t leave our side."

Credit: u/higgsthecat

15. Gus Gus

cat adoption - 15

"We picked him and his two sisters up from our local animal control. He didn’t originally come into the shelter that way but after being there a few weeks I guess being in a room with a bunch of other cats he got an extremely bad case of conjunctivitis along with an upper respiratory infection. Unfortunately he also had a little brother who did not make it:("

Credit: u/allthecatzzz

Talk to a vet now — it's free!

Text, call, or video chat with a vet within minutes.

Talk To A Vet Now