It was almost like their hearts completely closed the moment Lilly crossed the rainbow bridge. 

However, destiny always has something different planned for us and such was the case for this couple.

One day while they were on a walk close to their home, Mark heard what seemed to be crying from the woods. 

He looked at Julia and saw the same confused expression on her. He decided to follow the sound, only to discover something soul-crushing. 

A week-old kitten was dumped in the woods, with no mother in sight. They knew they had to take him home because all alone he stood no chance.

The poor thing was dehydrated and hungry, and he was no bigger than a phone. As Mark said in a video:

“It was unbelievable how small he was. He was smaller than your phone.”

The couple decided to foster the little one, but there was a catch. They still didn’t feel like welcoming a new animal into their home, especially a cat.

You see, Mark was what some people call a ‘dog person’ and he never thought much of cats as pets. Little did they know, this was all about to change…

Their initial plan was to foster the kitten until he was ready to be adopted. As Mark explained:

“In the beginning, there was no real emotion with him.”

Naming him Mat, they made sure the little one was fed every two hours. Slowly, Mat started growing and he soon became an energetic and playful kitten. 

This is when things changed in Mark’s heart, but he was not admitting it out loud. Mat stole his heart by just being a playful and adorable kitten.

He started playing with Lilly’s toys although they were twice his size. With his adorable and hyperactive personality, it was clear he was there to stay. 

However, Mark was not able to admit that Mat completely won over his heart. He kept asking Julia when would Mat leave for his new home. Until one day she told him:

I’m so grateful for their kind hearts and how they helped little Mat when he needed it the most. If it weren’t for Mark and Julia little Mat would have faced a fatal outcome.