At one time, nobody wanted BenBen the cat.
Dubbed the ‘saddest cat on the Internet’ due to his worried look and down-turned eyes, BenBen was just one day from being euthanized when he was rescued back in April.
He had been brought in to the Vancouver Animal Emergency and Referral Centre by a BC SPCA officer and needed immediate medical attention. He was suffering from puncture wounds, infected lacerations and a crushed spine. He could barely move and one of his ears was badly damaged.
The next morning, BenBen was transferred to the BC SPCA hospital to continue treatment and was there for about 10 days.
During his time at the BC SPCA, there was a number of people wanting to adopt BenBen, but due to his medical conditions and the need for constant care, none of the adoption attempts were successful.
He was deemed unadoptable and was scheduled to be put down May 1.
But that is when veterinarian technician Sandy Windover stepped in. She works at the Vancouver ER Animal Centre and had met BenBen before. She quickly messaged her partner, Adam, to see if she could bring BenBen home and he agreed.
WATCH: Sonia Sunger was joined by BenBen and his owners Sandy Windover and Adam Tutt on Global News Morning to talk about how they are using his fame to help other cats in need.
BenBen will always require pain medications due to crushing injuries to several locations along his spine and he also had to battle a bone infection but he has come a long way since this photo was taken.
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Windover says it’s been a wonderful journey with BenBen so far. When they first brought him home, he could barely take a couple of steps without needing a break or falling over but now he can run and jump and Windover says he will do anything for treats and toys.
“We had to line our place with yoga mats so he could walk without falling over,” said Windover.
Due to his unique look and his inspiring story, BenBen has become something of an Internet sensation. He has more than 38,000 followers on Instagram and more than 11,000 fans on Facebook.
He even has his own subreddit on Reddit.
“We had a feeling that he might get a little bit of attention but we didn’t expect this,” said Adam Tutt.
Sandy and Adam now want to use BenBen’s newly found fame to raise money for other animals in need.
“Unfortunately the BC SPCA don’t have a lot of funding to help strays that come through their building. So we thought we could help other cats just like BenBen,” said Windover.
The couple has set up a GoFundMe to raise money to help other animals and are already close to their $5,000 goal. All the money raised will go towards stray animals who require help.
Just like BenBen.
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