When two adoring cat lovers, Bethy Campbell and her husband, Casey Pettitt, recently found Muffin the rescue cat online, their hearts instantly melted.
The orange bundle of cuddles staring back at them through the computer screen seemed to check off every single box on their "dream cat" list.
However, as this couple continued scrolling further down the page, those same hearts soon started sinking into their stomachs.
Little Muffin was living at Iowa-based rescue, Agape Fosters, and they were in Spokane, WA — 3,500 miles away round-trip.
These two animal lovers diligently weighed their options, corresponding back and forth with the rescue's owner, Diann Helmers. As time passed, though, their shared admiration for little Muffin only grew.
As Campbell told LittleThings, "We felt such an unshakable connection that we were willing to make the trip to get him."
After a thorough background check and repeated confirmation that these folks were indeed willing to make the long journey to pick little Muffin up, Agape Fosters approved their adoption.
Completely elated, Campbell and Pettitt hopped right in their car and journeyed four long days toward their family's newest addition.
Keep scrolling to learn more about this beautiful cat's heartwarming adoption.
[H/T: The Dodo]
Recently, Iowa-based animal rescue Agape Fosters posted photos of little orange tabby rescue, Muffin, online, expecting to spark local adoption interest.
And just as expected, sweet Muffin did steal two hearts. However, those hearts happened to live 3,500 miles away round-trip.
Bethy Campbell and her husband, Casey Pettitt of Spokane, WA, saw little Muffin's photo online and immediately fell in love.
"We’ve been looking for a couple of years, off and on," Campbell told LittleThings. "Our jobs are lighter in the summers, so we wanted to get another fur baby when we had extra time to devote to getting our new kitty acclimated to our family.
"We looked at local shelters, and when we didn’t find a match, we continually expanded our search to include online pet adoption sites."
Campbell told LittleThings, "We found Muffin on petfinder.com. He was the young, large, short-haired, orange tabby we’d been looking for!
"He’s declawed and friendly with other cats, which was particularly important to us since we already have two very docile ragdoll kitties and we wanted to keep everyone safe and happy. Pictures of his adorable face and the description of him as a 'cuddly teddy bear' immediately drew us in. But most of all, it was a feeling; we knew this cat was special.
"That’s not to say, however, that the decision was a quick one. We contacted his rescue at Agape Fosters and the owner, Diann [Helmers], was wonderful. She took the time to answer questions and send pictures.
"When we realized Muffin was in Iowa, and there wasn’t an easy way to get him, we decided we couldn’t do it. Still, we kept returning to his pictures and considering ways to make it possible.
"After much deliberation, the decision was made when Muffin himself sent us an email to check in!"
Muffin was going to join their growing family.
So, these two animal lovers filled out an adoption application, got approved, and hopped in the car for their four-day road trip to Iowa.
Campbell told LittleThings, "We were nervous at first. We enjoy being a 'crazy cat couple,' but we knew what we were doing was beyond unusual, and we were worried about devoting too much to potentially unrealistic expectations. People told us it was ridiculous. Was this too much? Had we let our obsession with cats go too far?
"Thankfully, our concerns were unfounded. Although the drive was long, it ended up being a fun adventure that we’ll remember fondly. We got to spend time enjoying each other’s company and seeing part of the country. We were so excited to bring Muffin home."
When they arrived at Helmers' home four days later, little Muffin was ready and waiting to meet his devoted new parents.
Campbell said, "We were so nervous and excited! It was wonderful to finally see him and know he was definitely the right cat for us. He warmed up to us immediately.
"He purred, gave reassuring nuzzles, and let us hug and hold him — pretty remarkable since he’s still a cat, after all. They don’t do anything unless they really want to. It was almost as if he had been waiting for us as much as we were for him."
Helmers told LittleThings, "We have had fosters go to Canada, Mexico, Texas, Washington, and New York. We recently had a small dog go to Connecticut."
She explained that that particular new owner "came and picked him up as well. We don't ship pets unless the owner is on the plane, too.
"We are a smaller but mighty rescue, one of the first and longest running rescues in Iowa."
And while Agape Fosters is familiar with these long distance adoptions, Campbell and Pettitt's situation still proved itself unique.
Helmers told the Dodo, "They literally drove to get the cat. That's all they did. They didn't have any relatives. They weren't visiting anyone else."
These proud new pet parents continued bonding with their little cutie on the road home.
Campbell told the Dodo of their stay at one hotel along their route, "In the hotel last night, he came up to us, watched television with us and lay in the bed. He's just a love bug."
She told LittleThings that now, "Muffin is doing extremely well. He’s very laid-back, and got used to his surroundings right away. Muffin is always close by; he naps with us and follows us from room to room.
"We were diligent about introducing him slowly to our other cats, Ramsey and Sagan. It took a couple of days for all three cats to get used to each other, but everyone's getting along well now."
Muffin's adoption is a beautiful reminder that distance need not squander the will of true love.
"We take a couple of lessons from this experience," Campbell told LittleThings. "The first is that love is powerful, and everyone is entitled to his or her own devotions.
"Cats aren’t 'just cats' and this wasn’t 'just some rescue' to us. Cats are one of our life loves, and we consider them family. Others may not understand, just like we may not connect with their interests, but we all can relate to the shared dedication that springs from love.
"Not all decisions in life need to be logically justified; if you have the time and resources to do some good while having fun doing it, then go for it. Don't be afraid of being weird. You might just find exactly what you’ve been looking for."
This wonderful couple drove halfway across the country to adopt their new, precious kitty, and are loving every minute of pet parenthood.
What do you think of this adorable cat's rescue? Have you ever traveled a far distance to adopt a new pet? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.
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