Overseas Soldier Becomes Forever Human to Stray Black Kitten

Posted in Cat Stories - On: October 3, 2022 - Author:  Jan Travell
Posted in Cat Stories 
Last Updated: May 1, 2023  
Author:  Jan Travell

When a soldier named Justin was stationed overseas in Romania he came across a little black kitten that caught his attention.

This sweet kitty appeared from out of the bushes and began to follow Justin everywhere he went.

black kitten in tree

Each day the little black kitten would wait for Justin to appear.

It would seem he had already decided that this man would be his forever human, so Justin named him Salem.

salem and justin

He loved taking a nap on Justin’s lap, and if his lap wasn’t available, Salem would snuggle down into his combat helmet.

asleep in helmet

The helmet was probably the closest thing this little black kitten could consider a bed.

cat in helmet 2

Jason knew there was a huge problem with strays in Romania.

"They are everywhere," he said. "And this little guy just took a liking to me."

salem on lap

It didn’t take long for this little black kitten to creep his way into Justin’s heart.

cat in helmet

When it was time to return to the US, Justin realized that he couldn’t leave little Salem behind but it wouldn’t be possible to immediately take his new buddy with him.

So he set up a GoFundMe page to help with the cost of transporting Salem back to America.

black kitten

It only took four days for Justin to raise $4,000 - there were people out there that really wanted to help.

This amount easily covered the cost for the little black kitten to be vaccinated and flown across country borders.

black kitten on lap

It was time for Justin to return home and thankfully he met a volunteer from a local animal shelter and she agreed to help get Salem to the US.

Just two months after Justin and Salem found each other, this little kitty traveled thousands of miles to his forever home in the El Paso, Texas.

black kitten asleep

There he was welcomed by his new human mom and his future feline companion, Cheddar.

He was ready to start his new life in a loving family.

black kitten in bag

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About the author

Jan Travell is a lifelong cat owner and a feline expert. She's been the Cats and Kittens lead editor from the start. She lives in rural France with her two rescue cats, Tigerlily and Mr.Gee. Her senior kitty, Ducati, passed over the rainbow bridge recently at the ripe old age of 22.

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