When a few students stumbled upon a stray cat, he was in terrible shape — suffering from severe scabies, ear mites, and fungal infections. But after a full year of love and proper medical care, his matted mess turned into a pristine, snow-white coat. The biggest shock of all? Once he finally healed, his rescuers discovered the cat, whom they named Yuzu, had striking blue eyes hiding beneath all that grime.
Yuzu’s story is far from an exception. Countless animals saved from rough streets and overcrowded shelters go from scared and scruffy to happy and fluffy once they find a loving home.
To show you just how powerful a second chance can be, Bored Panda has rounded up some of the most dramatic before-and-after transformations of pets.
They’re definitive proof of why you should adopt, and not shop.
#61 When We Met Her In The Shelter My Daughter Immediately Started Whispering In Her Ear “Your Okay, We’ll Take You Home And Keep You Safe, We Love You Already”
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27points
#62 Before And After Cat Adoption, Fed Him For 4 Months Outside Then Captured Him. Most Likely Left Behind In My Apartment Complex By Previous Owners. He's Awesome
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27points
#63 Found Homeless In 120 Deg Heat, Gave Birth To 5 Kittens Within 2 Hours Of Us Taking Her In...and Now She's Our Princess!
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27points
#64 My Foster Went From Just 3lbs With Multiple Infections Being Syringe Fed To Over 7lbs In Just A Month!
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27points
#66 I Found Her 4years Ago, Covered In Blisters, No Hair And Starved...who Knew She'd Be The Love Of My Life. She's The Greatest
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27points
#67 Found This Little Lady Crying In A Parking Lot With Fleas And A Badly Broken Leg. Here She Is 3 Months And 2 Surgeries Later
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27points
#68 A Kitten Showed Up On My Doorstep In July, A Week After My 17 Year Old Tabby Passed Away. Teddy's A Big Fluffy Boy Now!!
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27points
#69 The Shelter Said He Was A Chihuahua. It Turns Out That We'd Adopted The Skeleton Of An American Staffordshire Terrier! Meet Hal, Our Resident Couch Potato
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27points
#70 Bear With Severe Mange Found Wandering In A California Neighborhood Gets Medical Help And A New Home
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27points
#71 Can’t Believe This Ding Dong Was In The Shelter For Over 6 Months! We’ve Had Him For Almost 2 Years Now And Cannot Imagine Life Without Him
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27points
#72 In October, I Adopted A 15-Year-Old, Blind Dog Named Pearl
I went to a senior rescue & I planned on adopting a 10 or 11 year old dog, but they knew they had a sucker, so they paired me with the oldest, most special needs dog, & I found a soulmate!
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26points
#73 Melvin: Found In A Trash Heap In June 2012
He spent his first night in his forever home sleeping on me. Six years later, it’s still his favorite place to be
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26points
#75 One Year Ago, Jake Was Found Underneath A Car, Alone And Half Frozen. He Was 4 Weeks Old And His Mom Was Gone. Now He's The Biggest Kitty With The Most Personality That I've Ever Met
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26points
#76 From Eating Paper In The Middle Of An Intersection To The Most Handsome Dog I've Ever Met: Meet Pierce
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26points
#77 Adopted Him 5 Months Ago. Never Expected This Fluffy Transformation, But It's Glorious
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26points
#78 No One Wanted To Adopt Him Because Of His Cropped Ears And "Scary" Looking Face
He Had Stopped Eating At The Pound And Was Severely Underweight. Now Bronco Is Healthy, Always Smiling, And Loved By Everyone He Meets
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26points
#80 2 Weeks Before When He Was Picked Up By Animal Control After Having A Horrible Owner, And A Whole Year Later As My Best Friend
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26points
