Terrified Feral Cat's Jaw-Dropping One-Year Transformation Is So Beautiful to See

The key to so many animals is patience. Time and time again it pays off. When one feral cat arrived in David Michael Loop's care he was in rough shape. Worse, the orange cat couldn't tolerate being touched by humans. He was just too scared. But with consistent work and care the cat has turned a corner. And the before and after is so inspiring.

Loop shared footage of the feral cat when he first found him. Buddy was vicious! He wanted nothing to do with the humans who were trying to help.

Loop couldn't even get close to Buddy in the first clip. The orange cat hissed and grabbed for him every time the man tried to get near. But he needed help. He was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot with a pellet gun and he had a "bad case of mange."

Related: Cat Welcomes Home Family's New Orange Kitten Like It's Her Own

Cut to a more recent video — Buddy is a completely different cat. His fur has grown in, he was docile and calm. He didn't even mind it when Loop touched him — he even ate from his hand! Talk about one of the best glow ups ever.

People in the comments section were emotional. "I will never understand the hatred people have for cats. God bless the souls that helped this angel," wrote one person. "Poor baby. Trusting humans is so hard," someone else added. "It’s the best feeling winning over a feral cat's heart," added another commenter. "He is so improved, thank you so much for helping this sweet baby. It hurts me so much to see how much they suffer," wrote one person.

How to Help a Feral Cat

With so many feral cat on the streets it can be hard to do nothing when you see one . But what is the right thing to do? The best way to help is through your local trap-neuter-return (TNR) program. Many organizations offer the program, which humanely neuters strays and then releases them back into the community.

While it might be well-intentioned to want to take a stray or feral cat in, it might not be for the best. These cats may not ever acclimate to humans and if you are inexperienced working with cats it can be tricky. Things that you can do are spay and neuter your own cats, so that they won't increase the cat population. You can also volunteer with organizations that practice TNR and spread information about the program to the community.

Feral cats need so much love, just like domesticated animals. They just need to be given a chance.

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