Manuel had made it his mission to turn his husband, Dennis, into a cat person. Manuel would send Dennis TikTok and Instagram videos of cats daily, and slowly but surely,  Dennis began to fall in love with felines.

“It got to the point that Dennis would send me videos and be like, ‘This is how our cats are going to be,’” said Manuel, who grew up with a variety of pets but found cats to be his favorite.

With his husband now on board with the idea of bringing home a kitty companion, the couple sat down and discussed what adopting a cat would entail and what they’d have to do to prepare.

“We recently got married and were building our home,” Manuel explained. “So, we moved into our apartment and started getting everything we’d need like litter boxes, toys, food –everything.”

Now officially ready to start their family, Manuel and Dennis began going to shelters to search for their purrfect match. The couple had a running joke about who they’d eventually bring into their family – ideally, one girl, the princess of the family whom they would name Charlotte, and one boy who was a little wild and loved to play whom they would name Dorian.

They visited a few local shelters before finding the ASPCA Adoption Center.

“We fell in love with the attention and kindness that the ASPCA gave us,” said Manuel. “All the people who helped us during the process were amazing.”

The couple were put in touch with Valeria Caceres-Gil, Senior Manager of Admissions and Placement at the Adoption Center, and explained what they were looking for – a male kitten, and if possible, one who is a grey tabby.

Soon after their initial chat with Valeria, Manuel and Dennis received a text from her with a photo of a tiny grey tabby kitten – exactly who they had been looking for.

But Valeria let them know that there was something they needed to know about this particular kitten, who would later be named Dorian. She explained to the couple that the roughly 12-week-old kitten had multiple fractures along his pelvis and hip and would need surgery, making his adoption a unique one.

In late January, Dorian was brought into the ASPCA Animal Hospital as a medically compromised stray. A Good Samaritan had found him and upon noting his severe injuries, brought him to the Hospital for immediate care.

“He was unable to walk, and when we took X-rays we found that he had multiple fractures of his pelvis and a fracture at the top of his hip joint as well,” explained Dr. J’mai Gayle, Director of Surgery at the ASPCA Animal Hospital. “To treat him, we allowed him time to rest and pain medication.”

Because of Dorian’s age and weight, he wasn’t eligible for surgery just yet. His recovery would require crate rest and monitoring until he got big enough to undergo the surgery he needed.

Hearing this story, Manuel and Dennis’s hearts broke and knew they wanted to help. They went to meet Dorian shortly after.

“As soon as I saw his photo I knew he was our cat,” said Dennis. “And then when we went to meet him, I was feeding him a Churu treat and he laid on his back and put his paws up and that, to me, was like, ‘I’m done! This is our cat we have to adopt him!’”

“Dorian was a very special adoption,” Valeria told us. “We had to keep in touch with his adopters because we needed to know his weight. Dorian couldn’t have his surgery until he reached a certain weight, so we kept in touch every two weeks until he was ready to come back for surgery.”

A Sigh of Relief

While waiting for Dorian to reach the proper weight for his procedure, Manuel and Dennis kept him on cage rest or in a playpen. He was allowed to have very limited, supervised playtime – which for a tiny, playful kitten, was no easy feat.

During this time, the couple also brought home another cat, Charlotte, the princess kitten they had been hoping for. With their two cats now at home, their family felt complete.

Dorian and Charlotte initially met each other through the playpen and immediately loved each other. When Dorian was finally allowed off cage rest, the two became the best of friends, with Charlotte – who is only two days older than Dorian – assuming the big sister role and showing little Dorian the ropes.

In late March, Dorian was finally ready to have his surgery. Manuel and Dennis took him back to the Animal Hospital for a pre-op appointment where Dr. Gayle was surprised by what she discovered.

“Because Dorian was such a young cat, he has amazing kitten healing powers,” explained Dr. Gayle. “He was running around the exam room, playing, and doing really, really well. He allowed me to extend both hips, they weren’t bothering him at all. So, we elected to not pursue surgery in his case.”

“We were so relieved,” recalled Dennis.

A Home Filled with Love

Now four months since his adoption and no longer on cage rest, Dorian is a normal kitten! He spends his days running and playing with his sister, snuggling with his parents and living his best kitten life.

"Charlotte and Dorian are in love with each other,” said Dennis. “We’ll come home, and they’ll be cuddling together. They’ll be running up and down the stairs chasing each other.”

“They even go to the bathroom together!” Manuel added.

And it’s not just Dorian who has grown since adoption, the sweet kitten has officially turned his dad, Dennis, into a cat person.

“My family is going to die when they hear that because I’ve always been such a dog person,” said Dennis. “But now I’m in love with Charlotte and Dorian. There’s something about having to earn a cat’s respect and love and it feels so amazing that they’ve chosen to love you.”

Manuel may have always been a cat person, but Dorian has still helped change his life for the better.

“Dorian has given me family. Of course, Dennis is my family, but Charlotte and Dorian, they’re our kids. They bring so much love and fun into our lives. They make us relax when we’re home and keep us company. Dorian has brought so much joy to my life.”

By adopting Dorian, Manuel and Dennis joined what we call The Rescue Effect. When you adopt an animal from a shelter, you create space for another animal to get the care they need. The Rescue Effect is the impact that ripples through the entire shelter system, changing the course of multiple animals’ lives. And who knows, you may also just be changing your own in the process!

You can join The Rescue Effect by adopting or fostering a furry friend of your own! Visit aspca.org/TheRescueEffect to learn more about how you make a lifesaving impact today.