Connor Manning was driving home late one night, depressed after a breakup, when a little cat emerged. Manning could tell the cat had been on the streets for a while since she was extremely emaciated, filthy, and flea-ridden. Manning knelt to say hello, and the beautiful stray cat unexpectedly climbed into his lap and refused to go.
“After about five minutes, I started getting up to head home and she was SUPER scared,” Manning told The Dodo. “So I crouched down and she ran right over to me again. And we repeated this process for about four blocks until we were on my porch.”
The cat followed Manning all the way home, and came inside to explore the house for a bit …
… before deciding that she was too scared to stay inside and taking up home on Manning’s porch instead. Manning tracked the cat’s first few hours on Twitter, much to the joy of everyone who viewed the adorable messages.
Manning had planned to visit a friend and leave a bed and some water for the cat — subsequently named Socks — on the front porch in the hopes that she would remain.
When Manning returned home, Socks had vanished…
… but after about an hour, Manning heard a very soft noise coming from outside.
“I heard the tiniest meows from my door and she came back and I nearly died it was so cute,” Manning said.
Socks had been nervous at first, but it appeared that she had picked Manning as her human, and once inside the home again, she refused to leave — just as she had refused to leave Manning’s lap when they first met.
Socks seems overjoyed to have finally found a secure place to reside after spending six months on the streets. Socks looked more than happy to live with Manning for the remainder of her life, but Manning still had to cope with one minor difficulty.
Manning explained, “I’m terribly allergic to cats.” “When I was a kid, my family had to get rid of one because of it.” My throat started to close up on the way home from our first vet visit, so I opted to surrender her to someone else for my own safety.”
Manning began looking for another person to adopt Socks…
“I’m, like, super allergic to cats,” Manning said. “My family had to get rid of one when I was little because of it. Driving home from our first vet trip, my throat started to close up, so at that point for my own safety I decided I’d give her to someone else.”
Manning began to search for someone else to adopt Socks …
But Socks was having none of it. Manning knew that, despite the allergies, it would be tough to part with the highly affectionate cat once she had picked her home and was determined to stay.
Manning stated, “I was in love.” “I felt good after a few days of having allergy meds in my system!” So she had returned home!”
Socks was legally adopted by Manning, who resolved to do whatever it takes to keep her around.
Socks has been following Manning home for a little over two months, and the two couldn’t be happier with their new life together. Socks is now terrified anytime the door to her new house opens, maybe because she is fearful of returning to her previous existence on the streets — but fortunately for her, that will never happen.
“She’s a little sweetie, loves meeting new people and [is] full of energy,” Manning said. “Watching her go from a bone-thin lethargic baby covered in fleas into this little pounce machine has been so rewarding.”
