A Homeless Cat Would Only Take Food In Bags, Volunteers Follow The Cat To Learn Why
Living on the streets as a homeless cat isn't easy. Every meal is a victory and every day staying alive is a blessing. For one cat in Korea, the struggle was even harder. When volunteers offered her free meals daily, she rejected them, leaving everyone baffled. Why would this cat refuse a free meal? Then, when they figured out this feral feline would only take food wrapped in bags, an even greater mystery unraveled. The discovery behind this kitten's odd behavior turned into a heartwarming tale of survival that not even Hollywood could dream up.
One Cat Separated From The Pack
Making a difference in the lives of animals can be a heartbreaking chore. That was true for one unnamed Korean woman who made it her job to feed all the feral cats in her neighborhood. As a volunteer at a local shelter, she had access to food, and she decided to put it to great use.
For five years this volunteer would hand out food in bowls to every homeless cat who would accept her offer. For the most part, all of the cats happily took the free meal. One cat, however, stood out from the rest for one crazy reason.
Dongsuk Refused To Eat
The cat, which was named Dongsuk, would show up every day for food with the rest of the cats, but would never take any. Instead, the furry feline would turn away, choosing to find a way to survive by other means.
Still, Dongsuk showed up every day, proving she wasn't averse to getting a free meal. She just didn't like the food she was being given. Or, as the volunteer began to think, maybe it was about the way the food was being presented in the first place. Was there a reason Dongsuk refused to eat from bowls?
First The Volunteer Changed Her Menu
The Vounteer's first instinct when she discovered Dongsuk refused to eat was to switch the kind of food she was giving the cat. Cats tend to be very picky about their diets, even refusing good food when it's not the type they prefer.
To test if Dongsuk was this kind of cat, the volunteer tried several types of dry food. Dongsuk refused every brand and every variety. Then she tried wet food in a can. Dongsuk remained stubborn, forcing the volunteer to go back to the drawing board.
Maybe Food In Bags Will Do?
Desperate to solve the mystery of why Dongsuk wouldn't eat, the volunteer began to think out of the box. Like we said, if Dongsuk didn't want the food, she wouldn't show up to feeding time everyday. It was up to her new friend to learn how to feed Dongsuk so she wouldn't starve.
One day, the volunteer wrapped Dongsuk's food in a bag, thinking that the cat might just be a shy eater. The trick worked! Dongsuk grabbed the bag of food and ran off somewhere unseen.
Curiosity Created A New Mystery About Dongsuk
The volunteer was ecstatic that Dongsuk was finally taking the food. Every day she would make sure there was a special bag of cat food ready for the felines. And every day, Dongsuk would come to visit, take the bag of food, and run off.
This odd behavior, however, only made the volunteer more curious about where Dongsuk was going with her bag of food. She already thought it was odd the cat would only accept food in a bag, and now she needed to know why.
Why Would Dongsuk Only Eat Food From A Bag?
First of all, the volunteer didn't understand why Dongsuk wanted to eat her food from a bag. Wouldn't a bowl be easier? Did Dongsuk really prefer living her life the hard way? If so, then why? There were so many questions the volunteer needed to be answered!
She also knew there had to be an answer. Taking advice from her friends, the volunteer gave into her curiosity and began to come up with a plan to unravel this new mystery. She never expected to the truth to be so heartwarming.
Where Did Dongsuk Take Her Food?
Cats have some strange behaviors, but the way Dongsuk acted worried her volunteer. One of the biggest questions she needed answered was this; where was Dongsuk taking the bag of food? Originally, she assumed Dongsuk preferred to eat in private. But why? Most of the cats ate in front of her without hesitation.
Perhaps Dongsuk didn't trust humans and found just enough courage to show up every day for food and scurry off. Perhaps there was another, more important reason.
Time To Play Detective
One day, to solve the mystery that Dongsuk had created, the volunteer banded together with a few of her friends to follow the cat. The mission wouldn't be easy. They would have to keep their distance to keep the skittish kitty from running.
If they were caught, it could be disastrous. It took so long to earn Dongsuk's trust in the first place, what would happen if they broke it? How would they know if Dongsuk was still eating and alive? The food they provided was Dongsuk's main source of food, and they were determined to keep it that way.
Dongsuk Took The Team On An Adventure
Keeping their distance, the team followed Dongsuk on her journey with her bag of food. The further away from the neighborhood Dongsuk took them, the more baffled they became. Something was urging Dongsuk to make this incredible journey everyday, and they were close to finding out why.
Finally, Dongsuk arrived, with the team in tow, at the entryway of an abandoned building. The scene couldn't have felt more like the start of a scary movie. Luckily, there were no horrors found inside the building!
Dongsuk Still Wouldn't Eat
Dongsuk took the team inside the building, where she put the bag of food down and began to pace. Don't worry, the cat wasn't summoning anything scary. In fact, she seemed scared herself. The way she was walking back and forth nervously, the team knew she wasn't comfortable.
It's possible Dongsuk didn't want to eat in front of the team. At this point, the cat had to know that the group of people were following her. They believed she might have been showing that she was ready for them to leave.
A New Twist
Still waiting, Dongsuk began meowing. At this point the team realized she was waiting for something. In a few seconds they found out a what. Out of nowhere a little ginger kitten appeared and ran right up to Dongsuk, who put down the bag of food.
Dongsuk was a mom! Every day she made sure not only to provide for herself but for her young kitten as well. This is why she would only take food wrapped in a bag. It was the only way she could ensure her baby would be fed.
Dongsuk Finally Ate Something!
The volunteer and her friends continued to watch the selfless acts of this feline mother unfold. After Dongsuk put the bag of food down, she stepped away, letting her daughter eat first. The kitten ripped into the bag and fed til it was full.
Finally, after her daughter was happy, Dongsuk enjoyed her meal. The team was brought to tears as they watched this real life story of heroism and survival unfold right before their eyes. Of course, the story didn't end there.
The Journey To Rescue Began
Having witnessed everything Dongsuk was willing to go through to make sure her daughter was fed, the volunteer and her team knew they needed to do something as well. First, they checked the neighborhood to see if anyone knew Dongsuk, and had been looking for their lost cat.
No one claimed ownership of the feral cat, confirming she was on her own and had been on her own for a long time. Sadly, there were some people in the neighborhood who were familiar with Dongsuk, and they had a heartbreaking story to share.
Dongsuk's Suffered A Tragedy
As the team went around the neighborhood and interviewed people, they learned that Dongsuk had suffered a major tragedy in her past. According to someone they spoke with, the mother cat had originally given birth to five healthy kittens.
Life hadn't been fair to Dongsuk, and as she fought to keep her litter alive, she lost four of them. Now her daughter was her entire world. She had one baby left and was determined, no matter what, to keep her alive and watch her grow up into an adult cat. Now she just needed a happy ending.
Dongsuk Got Her First Blanket
The team knew they wanted to find a way to rescue Dongsuk and her kitten, but they also knew they needed to form a stronger bond of trust. To do this, they returned to the location Dongsuk led them to and gave her a blanket.
The blanket was the first step in building a trusting relationship between cat and human. It was used to show that these people weren't the enemy. Still, Dongsuk and her daughter weren't going to give away their trust in a day.
Everyday Made A Difference
After giving Donhsuk and her daughter the gift of warmth, the team of volunteers returned to the building every day to allow the cats to feel normal around humans. According to one of them, Dongsuk came on board pretty quickly.
Dongsuk's daughter was less willing to make friends with her human saviors. Remember, she was not able to build a previous relationship with them. Dongsuk had used them as a trusted food source, but her daughter had no idea. She just ate the food after it was brought to her.
Trust Comes To Those Who Wait
The team was used to needing patience, and knew that with the cats fed everyday they could be patient waiting for Dongsuk's daughter to warm up to them. They knew the cats were fed, they just wanted to make sure were safe.
Eventually, the tiny kitten became comfortable with the humans. Even if she didn't like them very much, she seemed to understand that they were there to help and not hurt her. With the trust of both cats, the volunteers knew that the next step was going to be moving them to a new home.
The Real Rescue Mission Began
One of the big reasons the team was willing to take so long to earn the trust of Dongsuk and her daughter was the rescue mission. In order to move these cats to a new home, they needed to use scary tools and nets.
The cats were still feral, so it wouldn't have been safe to pick them up and move them. As much as the volunteers may have wanted too, they still needed to be safe. Looking at the net above, you can imagine what would have happened hadn't they built trust with the animals first.
Dongsuk And Her First House
Before Dongsuk and her daughter were adopted, they were taken to a shelter where they were given their own mini house. As you can see, it was way more luxurious than their last home. They even began eating their food and drinking their water out of bowls!
Life was looking up for the cats from the streets. Now she just needed to find a forever home. It was also clear that it was important to keep the two felines together.
The Moral Of The Story
The story of Dongsuk and her daughter is one of the most inspirational rescue stories we've heard. The resilience it took for this cat to put her kitten's welfare ahead of her own is incredibly touching. Especially after having gone through the tragedy the poor thing went through with four other kittens.
This is a story of motherly love and the power of doing good. The volunteer and her team went above and beyond their duties to save the day as well. They set out to feed the cats and ended up giving two cats in need new leases on life.
