We've spent the last 36 hours fielding calls from newspapers, websites and TV stations from across the country about Toby the cat.
We first shared Toby's story in March on Facebook to promote the 2018 Dog Walk and Woofstock event, May 6th. His post received a lot of response, but it wasn't until he was adopted that his story really took off on social media and has now been seen in New Zealand, Italy, Canada, South America and around the globe.
The SPCA of Wake County took Toby in from a local county animal shelter at the end of February 2018. He was not immediately up for adoption as he needed to be neutered and had an upper respiratory infection. We were told from the shelter that originally took him in that his family surrendered him and requested that he be euthanized. They had tried to re-home him to another family, but he ended up back at their house, apparently a 12-mile journey. When he showed back up, they took him to the shelter. The SPCA regularly works with that shelter to take in animals and we were happy to give Toby a second chance.
(We did learn this morning, April 19th, from a volunteer that Toby had originally showed up as a stray to the family's home and wasn't getting along with their cats.)
Initially, the seven-year-old FIV positive kitty wasn't very excited about sharing a room with other cats, but he quickly became a volunteer favorite. It took a few weeks of waiting, but he was adopted Friday the 13th in April!
Toby's new mom, Michele, says her sister in New Hampshire saw a post by Beth Stern (Howard Stern's wife and an animal rescue advocate) on Instagram about Toby. Michele says her sister called her and that she had no hesitation that Toby was meant to be hers. Toby now has two feline siblings and two human siblings.
Toby's family has started "Team Toby" for this year's Dog Walk and hopes to raise $5,000 to help other animals like Toby through the SPCA.
Here is a list of a few of the websites and news stations that have featured Toby's story:
Huffington Post: http://people.com/pets/abandoned-cat-walked-miles-owners-rejected-new-family/
People.Com: http://people.com/pets/abandoned-cat-walked-miles-owners-rejected-new-family/
WNCN: http://www.cbs17.com/news/local
Mother Nature Network: https://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/toby-cat-walked-12-miles-get-back-family-didnt-want-him
The Today Show: https://www.today.com/pets/cat-walked-12-miles-get-family-who-tried-euthanize-him-t127410?cid=sm_npd_td_fb_ma
The Dodo : https://www.thedodo.com/close-to-home/abandoned-cat-misses-family-north-carolina
Love Meow: http://www.lovemeow.com/cat-walked-miles-finds-home-2560767030.html
The Daily Mail: : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5625665/Family-asks-cat-euthanized-walked-12-miles-return-them.html
News and Observer: http://www.newsobserver.com/latest-news/article209013834.html
One Green Planet: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/cats-walked-miles-get-home-returned-to-be-put-down/
WMUR – New Hampshire: http://www.wmur.com/article/cat-who-walked-12-miles-back-home-only-to-be-rejected-again-finds-new-family/19848687