When Kathy Hoover started hearing strange noises coming from inside her new home, she first thought it was just another quirk of the old house that she would get used to.
Moved into a very old historic house and I’m still getting used to all the groans and creaks that come from the area,” Hoover wrote in a Facebook post.
But when the sound became louder and more constant, Hoover decided to investigate.
“I kept hearing a strange shuffling sound that I couldn’t identify, and I was starting to get scared,” Hoover continued, “and then I turned a corner and saw this.
At first, Hoover saw only sealed moving boxes lined up along the walls of her living room. Then she looked closely at one of the boxes, noticed it wasn’t sealed, and was shocked to see a full-length orange cat looking at her.
Hoover took the cat in her arms and placed it in a safe enclosed space – away from her two pet cats, Artemis and Apollo, and began communicating with neighbors in search of the orange cat’s family.
“It didn’t take long to find out what happened,” Hoover wrote. “His previous owner was elderly and had passed away, and his family didn’t want to take the cat, so they dumped him in the woods in the backyard and left.”
“The plucky cat lived in a wooden shed behind the house for more than a year until the new tenants moved in. When one day he saw them bringing in cardboard boxes, he decided to jump into one of them and join them.
“I decided to take him in,” Hoover continued. “It was the right thing to do, because it had been his home longer than mine. He kind of came with the house.” It didn’t take long for the orange kitten to settle into his new home, and it didn’t take long for Hoover to find the perfect name for him.
“I ended up naming him Murda, after the orange cat from the video game ‘Tramp,'” Hoover told The Dodo. “But as a nickname, I call him Murray or Murray Murray Mittens!” At first, Murray had a hard time accepting affection from his new family.
“He was very defensive when you would suddenly pet him,” Hoover says. “He’s used to fighting to survive, so I can’t blame him.”
But once Murray realized he was safe, he became very affectionate. For now, Murray is soaking up all the love from his new parents and enjoying the safety and comfort that comes with finding a home.