Cat Surrendered To Shelter After 4 Years With Family 'Does Not Understand'

Rehoming a pet is a heart-breaking thing to have to do, surrounded by judgment and stigma. A change in financial circumstances, illness or injury, or a mismatch between animal and owner can all be reasons for giving up a pet.

One such sad pet is Bear the cat, who was surrendered to the Chesapeake Feline Association in North East, Maryland, after being with his family for four years since he was a kitten.

"Imagine how confused you'd be if you lived with your family since you were a kitten," explains the video. "Bear lived with his family since he was a kitten, but after four years of living together the other cats in the house started to become violent with Bear. Bear became very scared and was constantly hiding, so he came back to us at a whooping 24 pounds! Bear is VERY sweet, but does not understand why he's here. We'd like to find him a new home as soon as possible."

In the video, Bear, a larger gray and white cat, can be seen in a small cage, visibly distressed, clawing at the blanket and staring at the ceiling.

"Bear is used to sleeping in bed with his mom and doesn't understand that he won't be able to do that again," reads the text. "Bear is very sweet, loves people and is fine with other cats. 'Mom, I think you left me here on accident, but that's okay I'll wait.'"

In a happy update, the shelter revealed in the comments that Bear was quickly adopted.

Newsweek has reached out to Chesapeake Feline Association via email for comment.

Roughly 3.2 million companion cats enter shelters across the U.S. each year, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and approximately 530,000 of those are euthanized.

Realizing that you can no longer keep your cat and making the decision to rehome it is a difficult one. Behavioral issues is a common reason people rehome pets, but there are steps that can be taken before putting them in a shelter.

"Some cats might have a challenging personality and you might find yourself struggling to live with their behavior," write Purina on its website. "Maybe they're predatory, aggressive or destructive. In these cases, it's worth considering a contacting a behaviorist who specializes in cats."

"Sometimes these behavioral issues can be the result of an illness or stress, or are due to a lack of enrichment or outlets for their natural hard-wired behaviors. Either way, they can help you improve or even completely solve the problem, and you'll be able to enhance the coexistence between the cat and the family," Purina said.

"Sorry your humans failed you Bear, I could never give up my cats, I would work with them to get along with other pets," commented one user on TikTok. "I feel I'm on the same boat. Two of my four cats don't like each other and I don't know what to do now. It's been going on for four years," shared another user.

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