Chapo, the friendly orange tabby, was struggling on the streets of Philadelphia near a worksite. There, a kind man was feeding and keeping an eye on him. But one day, he started having breathing difficulty, and the man and his wife knew he needed help fast!
A man feeds Chapo near a worksite in Philadelphia. Images and media via Facebook/The Black Thornberry
Initially, a local animal shelter took Chapo in through TNR (trap, neuter, return). Like most shelters, they were overcrowded, returning him outdoors shortly after. But once back on the streets, he continued breathing heavily. Then, he stopped eating. Once again, the couple reached out for help, this time reaching a Philly rescue, The Black Thornberry.
“Special thanks to the family who takes care of him daily and noticed something wrong after he was released. The best gift was being able to help him,
” the rescue shared.
Chapo Had Pneumonia
Although the rescue was also at full cat capacity, founder Nina Love made room for Chapo and rushed him to an emergency vet. Then, she fostered him to health with specialized equipment.
“We gotcha Chapo
,” Love said.
An X-ray confirmed Chapo had life-threatening pneumonia and required multiple medications and an oxygen tent treatment.
Thanks to Love, the veterinarians, fellow rescuers, and supporters, he got everything he needed just in time. You can see he was the friendliest cat ever and was so thankful to his foster mom.
A Charmed Life at a Cat Café
After foster care with Nina, Chapo’s charmed life continued when Cats in Bloom cat café in Bloomsburg agreed to take the four-year-old kitty. Ameowzingly, the determined foster mom/rescuer traveled three hours in a storm to get him to his destination safely. There, the tabby quickly won over everyone at the café with his charms.
“Dangerous. Angry. Rough and tumble. Unfriendly. You’d expect all of these words to be true of a cat named Chapo. What our boy is in reality couldn’t be further from those descriptors. The only thing that matches is sweet Chapo’s rough start in life as an outdoor cat on the streets of Philly,” the café shared.
He soon claimed a pink wall box as his favorite spot to “survey the lay of the land.”
“He always comes out for pets, and absolutely loves head and chin scritches. Chapo is such a laid-back cat who hasn’t let his rough start in life taint his outlook,” they said.
Chapo hangs out at the Cats in Bloom Cat Café
After graduating to the ‘Gen Pop,’ he even met a girlfriend named Fruitcake, who was later adopted.
