When Bertha arrived at the shelter, she weighed nearly 30 pounds and could barely move. Every step looked painful. She struggled to groom herself, and her fur stayed messy because her body felt like a cage.
Even getting into the litter box was too hard, so she would sit there quietly with sad eyes, like she had already given up.
She wasn’t lazy. She was hurting. She was tired. She looked embarrassed, like she knew she wasn’t “normal” anymore. She didn’t ask for attention.
She only wanted to disappear into a corner where no one would look at her.
Some cats cry out. Bertha didn’t. She just waited. And that was the most heartbreaking part.