Last June, Shyaniz and her team of rescuers with Bubupawpaw, a foster home group for cats based in Indonesia, found a black-and-white kitten who desperately needed help. The poor little guy was homeless, with patches of fur and inflamed skin that made
him extremely uncomfortable.
“When we first found him, his body was covered in a fungal skin infection, which is actually how he got [his] name,” Shyaniz told The Dodo.
Shyaniz lovingly named the kitten Fungi and promised to help take care of him. She took him to the vet, where he received his first of many skin treatments to help clear the infection. And then she took him home to rest and recover for a while.
As the days progressed, Fungi’s skin started to improve. But the timid boy remained just as nervous and closed off as before, typically opting to hide in his litter box instead of socializing with the rest of the family.
“Fungi is a very shy and timid kitten, especially around strangers …” Shyaniz said.
There was no way of knowing what Fungi had gone through before being found, but Shyaniz could tell from his condition and personality that he’d never felt loved or safe. The rescuer was devastated for him, but she knew that with a lot of TLC and predictable routines, she could help him come out of his shell.
After a few months of medical treatment, Fungi was finally well enough to be adopted. So, Shyaniz took him to the Indonesia International Pet Expo in hopes that he’d meet his perfect match.
The event was crowded, which felt intimidating to Fungi at first. And sadly, his reclusive nature caused many people to overlook him.
“During the event, he spent most of his time hiding inside the litter box, so not many potential adopters showed interest in him,” Shyaniz said. “We felt sad seeing other kittens get adopted while Fungi was still waiting for his family.”
And then a woman named Angelica stopped by. Out of the many cats to meet at the event, her attention went straight to Fungi.
“[S]he was drawn to Fungi right away,” Shyaniz said. “[She] immediately fell in love with him.”
Angelica could tell Fungi was special just from looking at him. But it wasn’t until she held him that she realized just how sweet he really was.
To everyone’s surprise, Fungi allowed Angelica to carry him like a baby, and he soon settled into her arms. The shy boy wrapped his paws around her wrist and closed his eyes, as if he’d been there before.
“When she held him, he seemed to feel comfortable with her almost immediately, even though he’s usually so scared of people,” Shyaniz said.
You can watch that moment here:
Fungi’s affection won Angelica over, and she instantly decided to adopt him. She promptly submitted her application and completed Bubupawpaw’s screening process with fingers crossed that Fungi would be hers forever.
“Once everything was approved, Fungi finally found his forever family!” Shyaniz said.
You can see him with his new family here:
Fungi, now named Flowey, is currently living his best life with his doting parents and a cat sibling whom he’s already bonded with. He’s come a long way from the small, itchy kitten he was when rescued back in June. And now that he has a loving family and a warm home, Shyaniz is confident that his life will only get better from here.
“It makes us so happy to see how far he’s come from the frightened little kitten who used to hide in his litter box,” Shyaniz said.
