Man reunited with lost cat at adoption shelter after going to buy new pet

A man left heartbroken after losing his cat “erupted with joy” when he went to adopt a new cat – and instead found his old one.

A man who went to adopt a new cat to help get him over the pain of losing his old one has instead been reunited with the cat he lost.

“Theron came into our shelter today looking for a cat to heal his heart after his kitty, Cutie Pie, disappeared about a week ago,” the Bangor Humane Society in the US state of Maine posted on Facebook.

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Theron was reunited with Cutie Pie the cat after showing a long history of photos on his phone.

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While Theron looked through the animal shelter’s kennels, one in particular brought him to a stop.

“He stopped to examine one of our friends a little more closely and when the cat turned to face him, Theron erupted with joy,” the shelter said.

The lost cat was indeed his own, as Theron proved with his phone’s camera roll, full of pictures of Cutie Pie and him.

“This reunion was the real deal … this is the good stuff,” the shelter said.

“We want to reunite as many animals as possible with their owners, and it’s an honour to keep them safe until that can happen.”

A shelter employee reported they had “honestly never seen a cat so eager to be in a cat carrier” as Cutie Pie went “back” to his forever home.