A shelter feared Precious the cat wouldn’t survive — but a man was waiting “patiently” for her to get better.

Now, the man is starting a new chapter as the cat’s owner, according to the Lenoir County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in North Carolina.

“Stories like these melt our hearts and reassure us that there are good people in this world,” the shelter wrote Jan. 3 in a Facebook post. “We wish Precious and her new dad a long life filled with love.”

Precious was adopted after she had a “very rough start” to her stay at the shelter.

“She came in with a severe infection and there were times when we weren’t sure she would come out on the other side, despite how hard we were fighting for her,” the shelter wrote. “While she was being treated, this man fell in love with her, and waited patiently for almost a month for her to recover so that he could adopt her.”

Facebook users couldn’t get enough of the post, which included a photo of someone holding the feline. The content generated hundreds of reactions, and several people congratulated the pet and her new owner.

Lenoir County SPCA in its post didn’t reveal a more specific adoption timeline or say how Precious ended up at the shelter. The animal organization didn’t immediately share additional information with McClatchy News on Jan. 4.

The shelter is in Kinston, roughly 70 miles southeast of Raleigh.

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