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.
@georgiarosehardy He also did the same to me! ♥️🥲
“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.