Cat Alone in House for 8 Months After Owner Passes Away—Then Came a Miracle
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A cat who lived alone for eight months after his owner passed away finally found joy again with a new, forever family.
Kurt the orange cat wouldn't leave his owner's side. He quickly became the man's favorite cat out of the stray felines he rescued over the years. The two best friends would watch NASCAR together, and Kurt always sat on his shoulders, the cat's new owner, Courtnie Burke, told Newsweek via TikTok.
However, Kurt's life turned upside down when his owner passed. All the other cats fled when a real estate agent came to the house, but Kurt stayed put.
"Kurt was then left alone in the house, and his daughter, who lived in a different state because we are in New York, was trying to find someone who could take care of Kurt and adopt him and had no luck for eight months," Burke said.
Burke learned that during those eight months alone, the daughter hired someone to come in, leave food for Kurt and change his litter. But she never saw him. Burke said the caretaker only heard Kurt howling from another room.
Seeing a plea on Facebook about Kurt, Burke immediately knew she needed to step in to adopt him. He came to her with a horrible infection from being scared and sitting in the litter box, she said. He also stopped grooming himself and had cuts over his nose and face.
But despite being alone for all the time, Kurt immediately warmed up to Burke, her boyfriend and her cats. Burke shared in Monday's TikTok video under her account @courtniescats Kurt's story and how he's adjusted to a new family.
With patience and understanding, it did not take long for Kurt to trust his new humans. He especially took to Burke's boyfriend. He made himself comfortable in his home, even after they moved. All he cared about was receiving the love he's been missing since his owner passed.
Screenshots from a June 16 TikTok video of an orange cat adjusting to his new home after living alone for 8 months when his owner passed.
Screenshots from a June 16 TikTok video of an orange cat adjusting to his new home after living alone for 8 months when his owner passed.
@courtniescats/TikTok
Being part of Kurt's story and giving him a home for the rest of his days melted Burke's heart.
"...I didn't know the situation at first, and I had hoped that Kurt was loved by his previous owner, and when I searched up his obituary online, it was flooded with comments about how amazing James was to all of the strays in his area and how much he did for the cats and it made me so happy," she said.
Viewer Reactions
Touched by the miracle of Kurt being saved, the TikTok video reached over 479,700 views and 85,900 likes within two days of being posted.
"If there's an afterlife, I know his old owner probably felt so relieved when you adopted him," wrote one person.
Another added: "Alone for 8 months. That's so sad. Thank you for saving him and giving him the best furever home."
A third user said: "I can't even imagine what this poor guy went through during those 8 lonely months. Thank goodness he now has you as his forever family."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
39 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Moment 4-Year-Old Who Was Homeless Sees Where He Lives Now: 'Overwhelming'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A boy who lived in a homeless shelter for 14 months has seen his new home for the first time, leaving internet users in tears. Casey posted a clip on TikTok (@autumpoetry) of her 4-year-old's reaction as she opened the door. "I felt sad when he saw the living room and was hesitant to explore," the single mom told Newsweek. "I think he believed that the other rooms weren't ours since we lived out of one room for as long as he could remember." Split view of woman turning key in apartment lock and 4-year-old boy wearing green coat. Split view of woman turning key in apartment lock and 4-year-old boy wearing green coat. @autumpoetry Casey and Josiah had spent 14 months living at Clare House, a Lancaster, Pennsylvania–based shelter that serves single mothers and their children. Before entering Clare House, Casey, whose epilepsy prevents her from being able to drive, had been living with her father in a rural part of Pennsylvania. The "unpredictable" bus routes made it impossible to find steady work, so she turned to the city to seek better access to employment and long-term stability. Her first shelter placement was part of an education-focused program, but she wasn't permitted to work while staying there. Eventually, she was welcomed back to Clare House. "I had an amazing experience," Casey said. "We had Monday night meetings where we would learn life skills, such as meditation and cooking. They helped me stay on budget... set goals and reach them. But more than that they were a shoulder to cry on when things were overwhelming and tough." After getting on a waitlist for income-based housing, Casey waited six months before finally getting the call. The process was intense: background checks, income verification, credit checks, and rental history screenings. On October 15, 2024, Casey and Josiah moved into their new home. "I nearly cried," Casey said. "That night I flipped a box upside down and we ate our McDonalds meal on the box." An initial hesitant Josiah started to become more confident, exploring the apartment and eventually sleeping in his own room after months of adjusting. "[He] has become a very independent little guy," Casey told Newsweek. Casey's heartwarming clip has been viewed 3.4 million times and received thousands of comments, with many asking how they could help. "I'm balling at how he didn't want to leave your side," one user wrote. "His curiosity is so innocent and I know how proud you must feel momma," another commented. Since sharing her story, Casey told Newsweek that many people have been so generous as to buy toys for Josiah's upcoming fifth birthday. She also set up a GoFundMe page to help the pair find a "forever" home. "I am still in shock over all of this," she said. "It's overwhelming but in the best way." As Josiah prepares to start kindergarten in August, Casey is focused on paying off credit card debt—she expects to be debt-free by February. "I hope to slowly begin saving for a house in the city but money is very tight so that will take several year," she told Newsweek. "I hope to start selling my art to make more income so that I can save for a house... I used to love it."
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
The Chan-Zuckerbergs stopped funding social causes. 400 kids lost their school.
When Priscilla Chan opened a school for disadvantaged kids in 2016 with her husband, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, she took aim at some of America's thorniest challenges. 'A persistent academic achievement gap separates white children and children of color — and wealthier children and their lower-income peers,' the school's website said. 'A similarly large health gap mirrors these differences.'
New York Post
8 hours ago
- New York Post
Bears escape wildlife park enclosure and feast on week's worth of honey
In a scene that could have been from 'Winnie the Pooh,' two young bears who escaped from their enclosure at a zoo in England were eventually discovered in a food storage area chowing down on honey and other snacks. Mish and Lucy, two 5-year-old European brown bears, sneaked out of their enclosure at wildlife park Wildwood Devon in southwest England Monday afternoon and headed straight for a staff-only food storage area, according to Facebook posts from Wildwood Devon. Advertisement There, the duo feasted on a 'selection of snacks — including a week's worth of honey,' as noted in one of the social media posts. The two bears were not a threat to the public during their escape, but all park visitors were moved into a secure building as a safety precaution. Mish and Lucy were then monitored through surveillance footage and on the ground until they made their way back to their enclosure, Wildwood Devon wrote. 'Here's footage of Lucy caught red-handed, looking very pleased with herself after filling up in the food store, and both bears passed out afterward,' the wildlife park said on Facebook. Advertisement Wildwood Devon said the incident, which prompted a police response, was the result of an 'operational error.' The wildlife park is now conducting a full internal investigation to determine how the bears escaped to prevent a similar incident from happening again. 3 Two bears escaped from their enclosure in England and ate a 'week's worth of honey.' FOX News 3 The food was in a 'staff only' area of the zoo. FOX News 'While the structural integrity of the bear enclosure remains uncompromised, we take any operational lapse extremely seriously,' Wildwood Devon wrote. 'We remain fully committed to the highest standards of animal care, visitor safety and transparency.' Advertisement Wildwood Devon, located on 40 acres of woodland and gardens in Devon, England, is home to a range of animals, including foxes, wolves, red squirrels and bears. 3 Mish and Lucy are both 5 years old. FOX News In 2023, an Andean bear escaped from his enclosure at the St. Louis Zoo twice in one month. In one of his escapes, the bear managed to break out by tearing apart clips holding stainless steel mesh to the frame of the enclosure's door. Wildwood Devon and Devon and Cornwall Police did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
