Rescue Cat Realizes It's 'Found Its Forever Home' in Heartwarming Video

A rescue cat has been captured on video enjoying a warm embrace with his new human companion in a clip that perfectly encapsulates the power and importance of giving pets of this kind a second chance at life.

The heartwarming footage was posted to TikTok under the handle alberts_tail, with animal lovers given a glimpse of what is, according to the video, Albert the cat enjoying his first cuddle together with his new owner.

The video can be viewed here:

An onscreen caption describes the scene as "the moment your rescue cat realised it had found its forever home."

On the video, Albert can be seen cuddling close to a woman, blissfully content in his new surroundings.

"You'll never forget your first day together," the text accompanying the video reads. With a visibly damaged ear and some other marks in his fur, it's clear from the clip that Albert had experienced difficulties in his life.

Perhaps that's why it proved such an emotional and popular watch to so many on TikTok, with the clip racking up over 4.8 million views in just a few short days.

While the power of Albert's warm embrace captivated cat lovers, many were still eager to learn more about his story.

His new owner decided to share more about how Albert came to be in her life in a follow-up video.

According to the clip, for two years, Albert hid away from humans, wary of even the slightest touch.

The video, which can be viewed here, shows a picture of Albert from those early days when his fur was patchy, his skin was raw and he could barely open his eyes.

His life changed for the better the moment he met his current human owner on March 3, 2021. On the video, she said Albert was in a bad state when she met him, riddled with open cuts and wounds and infested with fleas.

His skull was badly swollen and, even more alarming still, he was severely dehydrated and was having difficulty breathing.

When she took Albert to a vet, they found he was not microchipped and was therefore technically a stray. She was told that as a result she would have to surrender him.

A week passed before she was contacted by the vet again, and it wasn't good news. They were told there was a very good chance Albert would die as a result of his condition.

The veterinary clinic continued to provide him with the best possible care though and, after a few days he miraculously began to show signs of improvement.

It was still a long road to recovery. Albert underwent three months of treatment for his various ailments. Finally, on May 20, he was allowed to return to the woman that first took him in, all those months ago, as a stray.

Albert was no longer a stray though. Now he had a home and a place to continue his recovery in peace and warmth, with a loving family by his side.

As the video explains, when Albert was first found he was a "week from death" but now "he's thriving" and "living the best life in his forever home."

Newsweek has contacted the person behind the alberts_tail account for comment.

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, approximately 3.2 million cats enter U.S. animal shelters every year. However, just 2.1 million end up being adopted from there.

Unfortunately, not every cat is as lucky as Albert.

Some pets are though. Like Trudie, a cat who was left with one eye after being hit by a bus. After almost a year of recovery, she is now enjoying life in a new forever home.

It's a similar story for Ann, a one-eyed dog who went viral after a worker at an animal shelter captured her cute reaction to learning she had been adopted.