Tucker the Sad-Faced Cat Is Adopted

Tucker the cat may look extraordinarily sad, but she has reason to celebrate.

ByABC News
September 2, 2014, 8:16 AM
Tucker, the cat whose medical problems lead to a perpetually droopy face, has been adopted.
Tucker, the cat whose medical problems lead to a perpetually droopy face, has been adopted.
Courtesy PurfectPals.org

— -- Tucker the cat may look extraordinarily sad, but she has reason to celebrate: She's found her forever home.

A genetic abnormality left the domestic shorthair cat with perpetually droopy eyes and a sad expression.

When Tucker's story was first reported on Examiner.com last month it went viral. The feline's woebegone expression tugged at heartstrings and she was dubbed the world's saddest cat.

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Adoption offers came pouring in from all over the world, Connie Gabelein, executive direct of Purrfect Pals, the nonprofit cat shelter that has cared for Tucker for a year, told ABC News in a Monday interview.

"We see a lot of cats here but she just melted the hearts of everybody. Oh, from day one," said.

Tucker was 10 months old when she came to the Arlington, Wash., shelter. Among her medical issues is a paw deformity because of missing bones in her front legs. She has an overbite and her eyes run. Her claws are set at unusual angles, and if she gets too rowdy her bones can pop out of their joints, Gabelein said.

The more difficult issue is that her skin bruises and tears very easily, so Tucker has to be dressed to remain protected.

Any potential adopter had to fully understand the situation and be able to properly care for Tucker, Gabelein said. There is no definitive diagnosis for the cat's medical condition.

On Saturday, Tucker went home with Katie Fox, a veterinary assistant from Issaquah, Wash.

"We adore every cat that comes through but she definitely stole everyone's hear here," Gabelein said of Tucker. "On the day that she was adopted I felt so bad for the adopter, because every single person at the shelter had to come in and say goodbye and hug her and -- she's such a sweet little cat."

Fox told ABC News that Tucker has adjusted to her new home -- and her feline housemate, Poe -- without any trouble. In fact, Fox said, the two animals are now friends.

Poe, too, has symptoms similar to Tucker's; Fox said her friends joke that Poe and Tucker are long-lost siblings.

Despite Tucker's sad appearance, she's anything but, Fox noted.

"She plays with toys, she chases me and my husband ... she purrs and she cuddles, she does have genetic abnormalities, but she feels good, she is not in any pain at all, she's a very happy cat. She might look sad but she's very happy," Fox said.

Gabelein of Purrfect Pals said she hopes Tucker's popularity brings attention to the plight of shelter cats everywhere, especially those with special needs.

"We have a lot of cats here who are over the age of 10 and don't necessarily show well, they're shy, they're depressed, so it's -- yeah, the cute kittens always go first," she said. "Definitely. But there are a lot of kitties in shelters all over the world that really need homes."

As for those who can't get enough of Tucker? Stay tuned. She'll soon be getting her own Facebook page.