A cat rescued from an abusive household has learned to trust again since finding her forever home, as her owner's boyfriend has helped her see just how loving men can be.
Juno was rescued by Rosie Hardy, 34, in November 2022 from Dove Holes Cat Sanctuary in the United Kingdom when she was thought to be around 6 months old. At the time, Hardy was going through a breakup and her previous cat, named Tuna, had sadly passed away, so she needed something (or someone) to give her hope again.
When Hardy, of Devon, England, walked into the shelter and saw Juno, she told Newsweek that she felt "immediately connected to her." Juno was born with a genetic abnormality that caused her ears to fold over, making it look like she didn't have any ears at all.
But her imperfections made her perfect in Hardy's eyes.
"My ex didn't like my fondness for cats and was quite critical of my appearance throughout our relationship. When I saw Juno, her appearance and lack of ears was a bit of a shock at first, but I didn't want to have to change my looks for anyone, and nor should Juno," Hardy said.
"I picked her up, and she fell asleep in my arms, and from that moment, I couldn't walk away from the rescue without her."
The shelter told Hardy that Juno was previously owned by a woman "living with a violent partner," and it clearly affected the cat in many ways. She was surrendered with her feline sister three months before Hardy rescued her.
Juno appeared very fearful of the world around her, and even the slightest noise would leave her "immensely fearful." Even after finding her forever home, any unexpected sound would leave Juno terrified, as Hardy said that the sound of letters being posted through the door would make her "hide under the bed all day."
But as it turned out, Juno's forever family would expand again because just a month after being rescued, Hardy met her boyfriend, Ashley Cox, 33. Since Juno gets so nervous around new people, Hardy was worried about how she would react to Cox. She actually had nothing to worry about because they instantly bonded.
"I've fostered cats before and know it's a long, steady process to get them to open up. So, I was very surprised to see her open up to Ash at all," Hardy said.
"Scottish Folds can become very attached to a person, and I think Ash accepted that it was going to be me. But occasionally, they let more than one person into their inner circle, and Ash has made the grade. She prefers to hang out and cuddle with him during the day, sitting on his lap while he works, and she'll cuddle me at night."
Hardy loves seeing her boyfriend be so gentle with Juno. The duo are completely besotted with one another. As a wedding photographer, Hardy sometimes travels for work, and Juno is happy to stay home with her new best friend.
"The look of love is pretty evident between them," Hardy added.
She often captures the adorable moments between Juno and Cox, and she even shared a sweet clip on TikTok (@georgiarosehardy) showing how tender and loving he is with her.
The video melted many hearts online, generating more than 159,600 views and over 22,300 likes on TikTok in just a matter of days.
"Ash hasn't only taught Juno how to trust men again, he's also shown me how to trust them, too. He's always let her be her own self and let me be mine. I think seeing Juno fall in love with him has made me fall deeper in love with him, too," Hardy told Newsweek.
"It was just one sweet moment of many that I chose to film. Seeing the online reaction has been validating and affirming that I've chosen the right partner and also that I've given Juno a wonderful safe home to live the rest of her years in."
Since going viral on TikTok, the video has generated more than 480 comments from adoring social media users.
One comment reads: "Look at her looking up at him. Animals know the good ones. You've got a keeper there. Treasure each other."
Another TikToker wrote: "Nothing more beautiful than when an animal looks at someone with love/trust like that."
"Greenest of green flags," one commenter said.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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