When rescuers in Bali stumbled across a frail little cat last year, they were met with a sight that would stop anyone in their tracks.
The poor animal was painfully skinny, his bones almost visible under his dull coat. But that wasn’t the worst part.
His entire body was coated in sticky, black glue, most likely from a large mousetrap. He could barely move.
The staff member from Street Paws, a local animal rescue, didn’t hesitate.
She scooped him up carefully, ignoring the mess clinging to his fur, and rushed him straight to a vet.
The team named him Timothy.
At the clinic, veterinarians spent hours gently working on him. Piece by piece, they scrubbed away the hardened glue that had trapped him in his own fur.
It wasn’t just about cleaning him up.
Timothy was starving and dehydrated, his little body so weak he could hardly lift his head.
Alongside their delicate cleaning, the vets gave him fluids, nutritious food, and, most importantly, the reassurance that he was finally safe.
One rescuer, Eli, visited Timothy every single day.
She watched his recovery closely, cheering him on as he slowly regained his strength.
At first, Timothy did little more than rest quietly in the corner, too drained to show much personality. But gradually, his spark started to return.
Once Timothy was strong enough, he left the hospital and moved into a foster home.
His original rescuer, Mayang, offered to take him in and give him the safe space he needed to heal.
Surrounded by Mayang’s other rescue cats, Timothy began to discover what it meant to live in comfort.
“He gained weight, and his fur started growing,” Eli shared in a video for The Dodo.
And it wasn’t just a little improvement. Within weeks, Timothy’s transformation was remarkable.
His once patchy coat turned thick and glossy, revealing a beautiful mix of grey and white fur. His eyes, which had once looked tired and sad, now shone with curiosity and life.
For the rescuers who had seen him at his lowest point, the change was nothing short of magical.
“He turned out to be even more beautiful than what we expected,” Eli said.
But Timothy’s story didn’t end there.
As his personality blossomed, something else happened too.
Mayang, the woman who had taken him in as a temporary foster, found herself falling for him more every day.
What started as simply caring for a cat in need slowly became a bond that she couldn’t imagine breaking.
In the animal rescue world, they call it a “foster fail” when someone fosters an animal but ends up keeping them forever.
That was exactly what happened here.
Mayang officially adopted Timothy, making sure he would never have to face life on the streets again.
Today, Timothy is unrecognisable from the fragile cat who was once covered in glue and barely clinging to life.
He spends his days lounging with his cat siblings, enjoying the kind of safety and love that every animal deserves.
His fluffy coat makes him look every bit the pampered house cat, but his journey tells the story of resilience, compassion, and second chances.
“He’s just so happy,” Eli said, and looking at him now, it’s easy to see why.
Timothy’s rescue is a reminder that even in the most heartbreaking circumstances, a little care and kindness can completely change a life.
From a sticky trap to a loving home, this once-forgotten street cat is now a shining example of what love can do.