Anyone who has seen the animated Disney movie, “Oliver & Company” has a soft spot for little orange stray kitty cats desperate for a home. Living on the streets isn’t easy for anyone, including cats, who are doing their best to survive. This story is about the will to survive, but also the sacrificial love of a special feline named Dongsuk who lives in Korea.
When Dongsuk was found, she wouldn’t accept food unless it was given to her in a plastic bag. The reason was a mystery to her caregiver until one day, she figured it out, and was overwhelmed.
Prepare to get a little emotional about how big of a heart this homeless, scruffy little cat has.
1. Dongsuk’s Rescuer
A friendly neighborhood Korean woman with a big heart for animals made it her mission to feed the stray cats in her community. Working at a local animal shelter, she knew a lot about the needs of strays, and always had extra cat food she could take home from the shelter. Feeding these strays was part of her routine, but a new cat on the block was leaving her puzzled.
Usually strays haven’t eaten in days and tend to gobble up food at first sight. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get the sweet, orange cat to eat any food. She began to get concerned.
2. Refusing the Food
Dongsuk’s rescuer was trying everyday to get her new furry friend to eat. It had been a couple of days, and although Dongsuk looked skinny and hungry, she didn’t nibble a single bite. The strange thing was that she kept coming back and seemed very interested in the food.
The Korean woman had never seen anything like it before and she was beginning to worry about her feline friend. She asked for advice at the animal shelter and began to get some ideas. She decided to get a little creative to see if she could entice little Dongsuk to finally eat.
3. A Cat Food Buffet Was Offered
After receiving some tips at the shelter, Dongsuk’s caregiver decided to try out some new cat food, figuring that Dongsuk must be a picky eater. She tried a few different dried cat foods, and a can of wet cat food to see if she could entice Dongsuk to at least take a few bites.
Dongsuk showed up with all the other strays, waiting for their food bowls. Although she sniffed and sniffed excitedly, Dongsuk refused to take a single bite.
The animal-loving Korean woman was disappointed and concerned. Then, she got a new idea that she planned to try out the next day.
4. Cat Food in a Doggie Bag
Dongsuk had her rescuer completely puzzled on how to help this homeless cat eat. At this point, Dongsuk was at risk of starvation, and she had to think fast. The clock was ticking.
Then, she had an unconventional idea. What if the food is not the problem, but the container? Maybe Dongsuk would rather take her food to-go, instead of eating in front of the other strays?
It was worth a try. Dongsuk’s rescuer gave her a little plastic bag with cat food inside. Dongsuk’s reaction to the newly wrapped food was surprising to say the least, and added a new element of mystery to this orange feline’s whereabouts.
5. Dongsuk Had a Secret
To the caregiver’s pleasant surprise, Dongsuk quickly snatched up the to-go bag of food and made a run for it. Her caregiver was relieved and overjoyed that the orange kitty finally accepted food. She couldn’t wait to share the news with her friends over at the animal shelter.
Dongsuk came everyday to collect her doggie bag of cat food. She’d take the bag in her mouth and quickly scamper off to an unknown location.
Her friends at the shelter marveled at the behavior of this sweet, but strange kitty cat. They decided to see Dongsuk first hand at the home of Dongsuk’s caregiver. They all began to wonder if Dongsuk had a secret.
6. Where Was Dongsuk Going?
Dongsuk’s caretaker and her co-workers at the animal shelter became extremely curious about Dongsuk’s strange behavior and whereabouts. There had to be more to the story.
First of all, it had been over a week that Dongsuk is happily taking her take-out style cat food bags, and weeks since she has known her friendly caretaker. It would seem by now that Dongsuk would feel comfortable and safe enough to eat her food out of a bowl. But she still refuses to eat in front of her caretaker.
They decided to devise a plan to figure out where Dongsuk was going with her food.
7. The Investigation
The curiosity to figure out Dongsuk’s strange behavior motivated the animal shelter workers to devise a plan. They decided to very carefully follow the little orange feline to see exactly where she’s going with her food.
The only problem is that Dongsuk is a sweet, but very nervous cat who easily frightens. If she knows she’s being followed, she’ll certainly run off and possibly never return for her food again. Since it took so long for Dongsuk to accept any food, the last thing they want is to scare her off completely. Not wanting to break Dongsuk’s trust, her caretaker was determined that they keep their distance and remain undetected.
8. Following Dongsuk Through the City
The team didn’t expect this. Dongsuk was taking quite a journey through the city with her little food bag in tow. Through alleyways, on rooftops, all the way to an old, run-down building. They couldn’t believe the determination of this cat to make such a journey to and from this building everyday to collect food.
With such determination, there had to be a good reason for it. What could be driving Dongsuk to do this? The only way they will find out is to follow her inside the building. They slowly entered the building, careful for Dongsuk not to see them.
9. Still Puzzled at What She’s Doing
When Dongsuk entered the old building, she found a spot to sit down with her food bag right beside her. Then, she did something unexpected. She simply sat there next to the food and didn’t eat a bite of it.
What could she be doing? Was she waiting for something? Or did something frighten her? For these animal shelter workers, this scenario couldn’t be stranger or more perplexing.
Just when the team thought maybe they should head home, Dongsuk let out a meow. And then another. It was as if she was communicating with someone, and the team was just about to find out who.
10. Dongsuk Is a Mama
Dongsuk let out a meow, and the team saw another little orange cat scamper past them to the food bag. Then, it hit them: Dongsuk is a mama!
They realized that everyday, Dongsuk performed a labor of love for her kitten to provide her with a healthy meal. Tears filled the caregiver’s eyes as she realized that’s why Dongsuk would only accept food in a plastic bag, so that she could deliver the food to her daughter. Her love ran so deep that she wouldn’t take a single bite before knowing that her kitten was taken care of first.
11. Sharing a Meal Together
The team of animal shelter workers experienced a heartwarming moment as they watched Dongsuk and her kitten share a meal together. Dongsuk watched as her baby eat until she was content, then she took a turn to finally eat as well. The bond between the two was a beautiful sight to see.
The team was learning something new about cats that they never knew before. That cats too could love in such a sacrificial way. Human mothers aren’t the only animals to love so selflessly.
See what the team would find out next about Dongsuk and her kitten.
12. A Tragic Past
After the team witnessed such a beautiful moment, they decided to ask some of the neighbors in this new part of town if they had ever seen Dongsuk or knew anything about the cat. They weren’t prepared to hear such a sad story about Dongsuk’s past.
One woman from the neighborhood said she was familiar with the cat and claimed that she actually gave birth to a litter of five kittens. Unfortunately, four of the kittens didn’t make it and died when they were still very small. Her daughter was her one surviving kitten and she was going to do everything in her power to keep her healthy and strong.
13. Moved to Help
After learning about Dongsuk’s tragic past, they realized how resilient and determined Dongsuk is. The team from the animal shelter felt moved to help Dongsuk and her kitten have a better life. Never in their lives or careers had they witnessed such a special cat or knew it was possible for a cat to go beyond instincts and love so sacrificially.
But getting Dongsuk and her baby off the streets would have to be done delicately, one step at a time. The first step would be earning their trust, that they were there to help and not to harm them.
They had an idea how to do that.
14. The Gift of Warmth
To earn the trust of the two cats, and show them that they are there to help, the team came back the next day and gifted Dongsuk and her kitten a warm blanket. The kitties immediately cuddled up onto it. They were grateful to no longer have to sleep on hard concrete.
Another thing the team did was spend time with the cats. They kept their distance, but stayed close enough to build a relationship. They knew they needed to be consistent for a little while longer until the cats no longer feared them and no longer saw them as a threat. Dongsuk was a protective mother, and it would take time to earn her trust.
15. A Special Bond
The team showed up daily the rest of the week to check on the cats and spend some time with them. They of course brought food and water to the cats, and Dongsuk was happy to not have to travel such a long journey to collect her food anymore. The cats even ate their food out of a bowl instead of plastic bags!
Because Dongsuk knew her caretaker for weeks now, it didn’t take long for her to trust her human helpers. The kitten, on the other hand, was still a bit skittish. But as they consistently came, both cats came to form a bond with the team from the animal shelter.
They knew it was time for the next step.
16. Planning Their Rescue
After earning Dongsuk and her kitten’s trust, the team knew they were ready for the next step: their rescue. But to help them have a better life with the hope of adoption, they first needed to do something scary – capture them and transport them to the shelter.
Luckily, they are professionals who have done this many times before. Their capture was relatively simple and didn’t take long.
The team had something very special prepared for the most special cats they had ever come into contact with. They couldn’t wait to show Dongsuk and her daughter their new little home.
17. Their First Little Home
A kitty house fit for a king. Dongsuk and her kitten immediately took to their new luxury home and were very comfortable there. They spent lots of time sleeping and cuddling on top of a warm, soft blanket inside, most likely recovering from their difficult past and life on the streets.
The team witnessed a transformation. Dongsuk became friendlier and less fearful. Once a very nervous and protective cat, they saw Dongsuk relax for the first time. It was a dream come true for this strong, resilient feline.
Now for the task of finding them an adoptive family. But there would be no separating these two. The animal shelter will only accept an adoption that keeps the mother and daughter together.
18. Their Adoption
Dongsuk and her daughter were happy, safe, and healthy at the animal shelter. But they needed a home. One of the staff at the animal shelter decided to share Dongsuk’s story through the photos and videos they took, uploading them as a video on YouTube. The video went viral with over three million hits.
It didn’t take long after the video was posted for Dongsuk and her kitten to get adopted together. This story has a true fairy tale ending, with mother and daughter living together in their forever home.
As Dongsuk has shown us, the sacrificial love of a mother is not limited to humans; and as the animal shelter workers have taught us, a little kindness goes a long way.
