Brian the cat spent months being overlooked at the Pennsylvania SPCA as he waited to find his fur-ever home. Just as the orange tabby's hopes of adoption seemed to be failing, Brian became an unexpected social media star.
On Wednesday morning, the PSPCA shared posts about Brian — referring to him as "sad" and saying that the "light in his eye" was dimming each day — on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). The posts soon went viral, gaining millions of views and thousands of shares across platforms. By that afternoon, Brian was in a kitty carrier leaving the Philly shelter with his new family.
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"People love a heartfelt story like that," Sarah Brown, the PSPCA's social media coordinator, said of Brian. "Everybody … wants to help all these innocent animals. So I think seeing (Brian), you could see in the photo that he just looks defeated. And he captured people right away."
Brian arrived at the PSPCA in October after the organization said its animal law enforcement team rescued a "victim of routine neglect." When he arrived at the shelter, Brian was underweight and covered in fleas, according to Brown. He also had a heart murmur, asthma, respiratory infection and entropion, a medical condition in which the eyelids are curling inward.
"Sometimes when we have animals that have complicated medical histories, it can be a little daunting to potential adopters," Brown said. "But you're hoping that once people got in the door, we can tell them, 'Hey, it's not that bad.' Brian's still a great cat, you just need somebody to look past all of that."
Brian spent some time being treated in the hospital before he was placed on the adoption floor, where he went largely unnoticed by adopters. As the months rolled by, volunteers noticed a decline in the cat's morale.
There's no other way to put it – Brian is sad.
It's been 5 months since he has been looking for a forever home and with every day that passes, we can see the light in his eye dim little by little.
We know his people are out there somewhere. We hope they find him today. pic.twitter.com/e22Vy1uOWi— Pennsylvania SPCA (@PSPCA) March 13, 2024
"One of our cat volunteers approached me last week and she was like, 'Brian is just not himself anymore,'" Brown said. "So I started hanging out with him. It was so sad. He was hanging out behind his litter box in the corner of his kennel. He used to love food; now he wouldn't even come out for treats or anything. I was like, I have to post this cat. We need to get him out of here. He can't be here a day longer."
Brown said the PSPCA's social media team often tries to highlight the adoptable animals that "need a little more help" or that have been in the shelter for a while. For example, every week the shelter shares images of Smokey, the dog that has been at the shelter the longest. When it came to Brian, Brown wanted to get the despairing kitty's face in front of the shelter's robust online following in hopes of finding his family.
So she took to Facebook just after 10:30 a.m. Wednesday posting a photo of the cat staring solemnly up at the camera with an earnest caption that read:
"There's no other way to put it – Brian is sad. It's been 5 months since he has been looking for a forever home and with every day that passes, we can see the light in his eye dim little by little. But, we made a promise to Brian the day he entered our shelter that we would stick by him, no matter how long it takes, and we will always be the guiding light when he needs it. Today, we hope to shine the light on Brian and we hope it reaches his person. We know they are out there somewhere."
The post has gained over 2,000 comments and 10,000 shares since it was posted. Brown also shared a similar post to X, where it has since been viewed 3 million times and received pleading responses like, "can someone adopt him i’m getting upset."
As the post gained traction, the PSPCA received an influx of inquiries about Brian on social media and via email. Brian's new family showed up around 4 p.m. Wednesday, after messaging with the PSPCA team on Facebook to express their interest in adopting him. After a quick medical consultation, Brian was on his way to his new home.
"It worked out so well for him," Brown said. "We hope that he continues to do well, and we hope we get updates so we can post them and everybody can keep following his story."
"Happiness is a journey, not a destination."
Thanks to the outpour of support he received yesterday, Brian's journey to happiness is just beginning… in his new forever home. ❤
To everyone who shared or inquired about Brian, we thank you. pic.twitter.com/iE6UrxEHAd— Pennsylvania SPCA (@PSPCA) March 14, 2024
The shelter has already updated Brian's fans on his new beginning.
"Thanks to the outpour of support he received yesterday, Brian's journey to happiness is just beginning … in his new forever home," the PSPCA wrote on X and Facebook. "To everyone who shared or inquired about Brian, we thank you."
With Brian adopted, Brown said the PSPCA still has plenty of other "sad" dogs and cats that have been at the shelter for extended periods of time.
"Adoptions are just low across the whole nation," Brown said. "So we're frequently seeing animals that are having longer lengths of stay. Luckily, we've been so fortunate to have a really good following and support on social media to help showcase some of these animals."
Now through Sunday, the PSPCA is offering reduced adoption fees of $40 on all adult animals through a partnership with the North Shore Animal League America. The shelter is also looking for volunteers and fosters to take in animals in the short- or long-term.
