Earlier this year in the United Arab Emirates, someone found an orange cat walking alone outside a shopping mall. A local cat rescuer saw him and was able to get the cat to trust her. She took him somewhere safe.
The rescuer named the cat Merlino. She promised to find him a good home where he would be loved forever. But this wasn't the only kindness this stray cat would receive.
To make sure Merlino got healthy, he started going to Modern Vet, an animal hospital in Dubai. The staff there quickly fell in love with him.
"He's a sweet cat," said someone who works at the clinic. "When he stayed here, he was friendly and always wanted pets or wanted to play."
The clinic staff gave Merlino a toy to keep him happy while they worked. It quickly became his favorite toy. But one day, after playing hard with it, something bad happened—his toy ripped.
Luckily, the staff knew exactly what to do. The clinic worker said they did "emergency surgery" on the stuffed toy:
"Our nurse Kate sewed it back together. We even put a little medical outfit on Merlino. He wanted to watch the whole thing too."
Soon, Merlino and his fixed toy were playing together again. But Merlino's life was about to change in a big way.
Not long after the toy got fixed, Merlino's rescuer found him a forever home with a family in Italy.
Even though Merlino now lives far away from the clinic and is happy in his new home, the staff still thinks about him. They remember how they helped fix his favorite toy.
"It makes us so happy to see him with his new family," the clinic worker said. "He looks really happy."