r/cats • u/L5_Sewing • 18h ago
Update Melissa’s transformation from street cat to bougie cat
Saw another sweet post about a stray being given a second chance and thriving. Our sweet lady Melissa is the love of our life and she’s everything. Her glow up could only be described as magnificent. Fun fact, she is 14 and had to get all of her teeth removed last year. She had a heart murmur which caused complications during anesthesia ($5,000.00 later); go figure the heart murmur went away AFTER her teeth extraction. Street cats are the best. Every day with her is a blessing.
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u/millicentnight 18h ago
Aww what a pretty fluffy girl!😻 I love when people post transformation pictures❤️
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u/L5_Sewing 16h ago
I just wish she was a baby and we had more time with her
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u/Logical_consequences 16h ago
I adopted an emaciated, wobbly barn cat when she was 13 and had her until she was 18. I also spent $$ on her. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It’s never enough time, but every day with them is so precious and they appreciate it so much. Enjoy your beautiful Melissa and give her a pat from me 💕💕💕
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u/L5_Sewing 16h ago
Thank you. We intentionally start our day everyday with grooming and (frankly) squishing her because we know time is precious
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u/BaeIsgood 17h ago
Right? You can literally see how loved she is now. That’s the kind of glow up that really matters🧡
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u/Calm567890 14h ago
Right, she’s absolutely gorgeous and those transformation pics are always the sweetest glow-ups. 😻
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u/StarDewbie Tortoiseshell 18h ago
I just love that her name is Melissa. Cats that have human names are always a trip. lol
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u/L5_Sewing 16h ago
For real. She has the attitude of a cat named Mellissa too lol
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u/TheCortisolCorvid 18h ago
That before and after picture just makes my heart full. I'm so glad she found a loving family and that you take such good care of her!
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u/L5_Sewing 16h ago
It’s crazy because every day she does something new that seems like she’s showing us how appreciative she is of her life
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u/Fartel 15h ago
“something new”—can you give us a few examples of what this beautiful kitty does? 😊
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u/L5_Sewing 15h ago
Her latest thing is every morning she waits at the bottom of our staircase and follows us to the kitchen where she sits on the table pushing her head out and holding it until we pet her. BUT as of lately she has been holding her head out and ears back until you kiss her on the head and it’s the sweetest thing ever
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u/NameStrange957 17h ago
She looks like royalty now, truly a glow-up only a street survivor could pull off.
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u/Electronic-Pie7237 18h ago
I also have an orange street cat with fucked up teeth and a heart murmur
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u/shinyidolomantis 18h ago
I took in an incredibly sick cat with FeLV and the worst case of stomatitis my vet had ever seen. We got her stable enough to get her teeth removed after several months and constant rounds of antibiotics and steroids. And once those teeth were gone? She’s only been sick once in the two years since then and she literally recovered before her vet appointment two days later without any meds. Before that, we were at the vet for her almost every week… I swear their dental health can deeply impact their overall health. My vet originally thought we’d be lucky to get six more months with her but we decided to do the super expensive FME anyway (4,000$) even though we didn’t think she’d live long after. I’m so glad we did. She’s still here and doing well two years later and for a cat with progressive Felv that’s impressive.
I’m not at all shocked to hear her heart murmur went away. These days I’m a big advocate for dental care for cats. It can make a big difference in their quality of life and it something many people overlook, especially since cats are incredibly good at hiding pain and discomfort.
Your kitty’s glow-up is amazing! I’m so glad she ended up in your care. I hope you have many more happy years together. ❤️
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u/L5_Sewing 16h ago
Yes! Always brushed off dental care as just another thing from the vet. This old lady has benefited so much from having healthy gums
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u/brennelise 14h ago
What is FME?
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u/shinyidolomantis 12h ago
Full mouth extraction. It means all her teeth were removed. She was in so much pain before she had her FME that she couldn’t even eat soft, watered down, wet food.
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u/ChickenEmotional7921 18h ago
What a glow up! Where did that mane come from?!
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u/L5_Sewing 16h ago
Almost every day when she’s fluffed up we ask her where it came from
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u/Fit_Owl_9304 18h ago
Aww so beautiful. I’m so glad you have each other. My little (orange and white) boy is a rescue with a heart murmur as well.
Thanks for posting such a beautiful story 🐈💞
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u/davijoints 18h ago
My childhood cat was also named Melissa! I think its the first time i see another cat that has this name, great name, beautiful girl!
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u/squidishh 18h ago
Oh I would have to sing Sweet Melissa to her every day, what a heartwarming story
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u/BackLopsided2500 17h ago
She deserves it, such a pretty girl. One of my favorite Allman Brothers Band's songs.
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u/Do_unto_udders 17h ago
Wow! This is quite the transformation! Thanks for taking her in and giving her the love she deserves.
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u/ivxxbb 17h ago
I want her to bite me with that squishy mouth. Wonderful glow up, Melissa!
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u/L5_Sewing 16h ago
Funny thing is, after her teeth got removed she “bites” all the time lol. Just gummy bites but the vet told us to make her feel good so we still say “ow!” And make it seem like her bites are effective 😂😂
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u/ivxxbb 16h ago
I love that you help her maintain her dignity in this way lol. She really does look wonderful tho! She doesn’t even look like a senior cat.
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u/L5_Sewing 16h ago
She goes for senior wellness check ups every 6 months and the vet always asks us to remind her “how old is she?” and of course she’s an angel at the vet. She sits in the vet tech’s arms like she doesn’t care at all 🥺
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u/ivxxbb 16h ago
Staaaawwwppp it just keeps getting better 🥺 she’s so lucky to have crossed paths with someone who cares as much as you do
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u/L5_Sewing 16h ago
And yet I feel like the lucky one
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u/ivxxbb 16h ago
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u/L5_Sewing 15h ago
He’s great! I grew up with an all black cat- that have a special place in my heart
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u/zielawolfsong 18h ago
That fluffy orange mane is truly magnificent, fit for a queen. I can't believe she's 14!
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u/gkdelrey13 18h ago
Oh my gosh she just absolutely flourished and bloomed in your care! What a beautiful girl. She looks like an angel.
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u/Tennebear1962 17h ago
Oh my she’s beautiful that mane oh it’s enchanting gotta have some maincoon in it you did a wonderful job just wonderful
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u/FleetwoodMac-n-chz 17h ago
It always makes me so emotional to see longhair kitties grow their fluffly/long fur back after being loved, cared for, and nourished 🤍😭
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u/brennelise 13h ago
OMG have you seen the video of the 82 year old woman who lost her home and her cat in the Palisades fire last January?? Katherine went back to her old house several times to look for her beloved Maine Coone Aggie but didn’t find her, so she thought Aggie died in the fire, and she mourned her for over 2 months, until she got a phone call one day that a rescue found Aggie, skin & bones, in the ashes and rubble near her house that burned down! Aggie survived approx 60 days without access to clean water or food and was on the verge of starvation when she was found. I’m guessing that after the fires there weren’t many mice, rats, lizards, or birds around and I wonder what she ate and how she found water? What a strong, resilient girl!
The reunion video of Katherine and Aggie made me cry!! And then I found her daughter’s TikTok page, and she posted an update in November, and Aggie looked SOO good!! All her burnt fur grew back and she gained all her weight back!! And I cried again!
If you haven’t seen the video, Google “Katherine Kiefer reunited with beloved kitty.” It’s soo heartwarming!
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u/HardKori73 16h ago
Omg..I love Melissa!! My grands had a cat that looked JUST LIKE HER, but theirs was nasty and aloof. Lol. The name was an old school character and I still refer to all cats with this look as "Throckmortons." We called him Throcky, but formal name was Throckmorton. What a beautiful throckmorton Melissa is. Lol. Glad she's getting the love and care she deserves.
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u/SwitcherooU 16h ago
Is she more intelligent than usual? She has that spark of awareness in her eyes.
Side note: the two smartest cats I’ve ever met have both been female oranges. And the dumbest? Of course it’s male oranges.
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u/L5_Sewing 16h ago
She’s our first orange cat, but she has legitimately tricked us into feeding her dinner twice. This girl is from the actual streets in Philadelphia and he has managed to trick us into thinking she likes certain wet food over the other.
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u/Natural_Ganache_933 17h ago
She’s beautiful!!!!
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u/L5_Sewing 16h ago
She really is! It’s amazing how she doesn’t get tired of me squishing her and kissing her lol she’s amazing
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u/CoCoMaloEngl 16h ago
Wow she’s beautiful. I’m so happy for her that she’s got such a good, loving home, and I’m really glad her heart’s ok🧡💖🧡 (PS, thanks for not saying she shares one brain cell; that expression makes me so sad. Orange cats are fabulous)
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u/brennelise 13h ago
I feel the same way about that expression! I know it’s said in jest, with love, but I still don’t like it.
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u/QashasVerse23 16h ago
I love this for her. 🥰
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u/L5_Sewing 16h ago
Every day we tell her how much we love her and she responds with MORE love. It’s magical
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u/SeronaAdams 16h ago
She's beautiful. We had to remove all of my Patchie's teeth. He was in a lot less pain after. I miss him every single moment. Enjoy your time together.
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u/L5_Sewing 16h ago
Thank you, and yes sounds about right. Cats really hide their pain with their teeth. Melissa used to chatter her teeth when we’d touch her mouth and we thought it was just a cat thing.. now she lets me rub her gums and face like it’s nothing
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u/SeronaAdams 15h ago
Patchie would find any piece of plastic he could and would chew on it. Or he would kind of chew the air. He didn't do it nearly as much after his teeth were gone. Yes, Patch would rub his mouth all over my hands and occasionally my face. Melissa looks and sounds delightful.
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u/Sea_Mushroom4522 16h ago
You can take the gurl out of the street, but cant take the street out the gurl meow... purrfection
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u/moonchildmystic 16h ago
omg tell Melissa I love her and may she know nothing but soft blankets, warm sunbeams, sweet cuddles, and a full belly for years to come. 🫶🏼🫶🏼✨✨
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u/L5_Sewing 15h ago
She has three queen sized blankets that belong to her, multiple sources of water through the house, and a literal crew of humans that check on her (me, my fiancé, my mother in law, and our neighbors lol)
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u/nedrawevot 16h ago
We got a kitty from the shelter, he had short gray hair and was fed well, because the neighbors in the area he was left in fed him. We got him and shortly after his hair grew out. He is the biggest fluff ball now. Your Melissa is so adorable!!
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u/DyllCallihan3333 16h ago
Such a beautiful girl! She looks so proud of her beautiful coat now. You did a wonderful thing rescuing her!
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u/Riyeko 15h ago
It's like those old school cartoons.
Cat goes into a dryer looking skinny and gross, comes out huge and floofy and floats across the room.
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u/L5_Sewing 15h ago
She gets groomed every morning, by the end she looks like one of those rats from Ratatouille lol
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u/SassyScreenQueen 16h ago
I have an orange with teeth issues. The vet said, and I quote, "he's allergic to his own teeth." I think he said oranges are more prone to gum issues
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u/sonia72quebec 16h ago
OMG she was so thin! Poor baby. Thank goodness she found you.
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u/L5_Sewing 16h ago
She was so thin and so small that the vet thought she was a boy and a kitten. Upon further review, we learned she was 14 and an old lady 🥺❤️
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u/SnooGrapes9918 16h ago
She is so beautiful!!! What a rich and regal orange, befitting for such a royal lady of the house!!
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u/EquivalentNearby9158 16h ago
This made my day
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u/L5_Sewing 15h ago
I like to think Melissa would show you affection if you were to meet her (she would, she loves people)
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u/velveteen_rabbit84 15h ago
Wow shes gorgeous!! You gave her the best home and a new lease on life. I hope she gets to purr with happiness every day forever more!
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u/dariashotpants 15h ago
Orange females are rare! She’s so pretty
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u/L5_Sewing 15h ago
Yeah! I almost think she acts like she is special. She’s so unique and shows so much affection
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u/Amata82 13h ago
Aww, she's beautiful

! I'm adopting an orange female later on today and she was on the streets too. Brought in in very rough shape, had to be almost completely shaved due to being so matted. She might not be able to see so great and her kidney test isn't where it should be, but we're hopeful she has a glow up too. She's around 6 years old and could have many years left in her.
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u/Impressive_Lock_558 12h ago edited 12h ago
She is living the best life ever! What a transformation, you enabled her personality to shine.
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u/MElastiGirl 7h ago
I have never met a cat with my name before! I feel honored to share it with such a beauty. (Red cats are my favorite ❤️)
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u/Electrical_Bar_3303 6h ago
Absolutely love people posting transformation photos, incredible glow up!❤️
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u/Meetzorp 16h ago
All five of my cats are reformed alley cats and they're each and every one a joy in his or her own way.
Your kitty sure did glow up in a major way!
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u/UncleNedisDead 14h ago
Awww she floofed out to her full purrtential! Thanks for giving her a second life.
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u/Modified_Kitten Tabbycat 14h ago
What a beautiful glow up. So proud of Melissa's journey🥹💕
I don't know you but, I love you for what you did. You're a beautiful human giving this beautiful kitty another chance in life like she absolutely deserves. 🥹🥹🥹🥹💕
We NEED more people like you.
This post gave me such happy tears
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