Meet Mikey and Bobby, a beautiful bonded pair of brother cats in Durham, NC looking for a forever family after an unfortunate event that left them feeling anxious and unwanted.
The brothers were originally rescued as orphaned newborns by Independent Animal Rescue.
They were then adopted by a woman who had them for 2 years along with 2 other cats.
Things took a turn for the worse towards the end of 2022 when Bobby and Mikey’s owner made a shameful decision that left Mikey and Bobby without a home…
A Series of Unfortunate Events
The woman moved in with her significant other who demanded that the cat mom of 4 could only have 2 cats.
The woman complied, choosing her significant other over her cats and surrendering Mikey and Bobby.
“I don’t have all the details, but it appears that their previous owner let them down,” said Josh Wharton, Bobby and Mikey’s current foster. “Pets are family. When you adopt a pet, you commit to taking care of them.”
The woman reached out to Joan from Independent Animal Rescue, the same rescue Bobby and Mikey came from, and arranged their next steps.
Anxious & Afraid
Given that everything happened on such short notice and there were no available foster homes, Joan had no choice but temporarily to place them in the kennels at the Petco adoption center.
She hoped that in the meantime, Bobby and Mikey would get some attention from potential adopters.
The bonded brothers were confused and anxious as they left their home of 2 years and entered the tiny Petco kennels full of unfamiliar scents and sounds.
Despite how traumatized they were by all the sudden changes, they took comfort in having each other.
Broken Promises
Time passed, and though many people stopped to admire them, no one wanted to adopt them.
Joan and the previous owner agreed that if Bobby and Mikey were not adopted during their temporary time at Petco, their previous owner would foster them until they found an adopter.
However, the previous owner went back on her word.
She refused to honor the agreement to foster the two cats she’d tossed aside on a moment’s notice.
Joan was disappointed, but her priority was getting Bobby and Mikey somewhere they’d feel comfortable.
Back to Square One
The rescue was still short on fosters, so Joan arranged for Bobby and Mikey to be temporarily fostered by her friend.
Sadly, Joan’s friend suffered from health complications that left her hospitalized shortly after taking in Bobby and Mikey, leaving the brothers back at square one.
Being fosterless yet again, the bonded pair went back to Petco where they curled up together and gazed at curious customers with hopeful eyes.
However, Bobby and Mikey’s luck was about to change!
Foster Dad Saves The Day
One of Independent Animal Rescue’s newest fosters, Josh Wharton, was ready to welcome the brothers into his home.
After only a couple days at Petco, Bobby and Mikey were off to get settled in their new foster home!
“It didn’t take long for them to make themselves at home,” said Josh. “They were sitting on my lap grooming each other within the first couple hours.”
Once they felt safe and secure with Josh, their unique personalities started to shine through.
Their different personalities complement each other beautifully, making them the perfect team.
The Ultimate Duo
Mikey is bold and adventurous while Bobby is a bit more shy and cautious.
Before Josh met Mikey and Bobby, Joan had referred to Mikey as “Bobby’s protector”.
Josh found this to be true as he observed Bobby take cues from his outgoing brother.
“It’s as if Bobby watches Mikey do something and thinks ‘okay well if Mikey thinks it’s safe to sit here or play there, I guess I can do the same,’” said Josh.
Josh also realized that Bobby is just as helpful to Mikey by helping him calm down and relax.
“They protect each other in their own special way,” said Josh. “It’s a great balance.”
Bobby is very sweet and affectionate, but he is also very serious and methodical.
“Bobby likes to keep things neat,” said Josh. “He even cleans up after his brother.”
Bobby is careful not to get loose litter on the ground.
Mikey, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to mind kicking some litter out of the box.
“Bobby will use his paws to move loose litter that his brother kicked out into a neat pile near the litter box entrance as if he’s sweeping it up!” said Josh.
When the two aren’t wrestling or zooming around the house, they’re napping under the coffee table on a pile of blankets or snuggling in bed with their foster dad.
“Bobby is a morning snuggler whereas Mikey is a bed time snuggler,” said Josh.
When it’s time for Josh to work on his computer, Bobby and Mikey are ready to offer moral support by napping on his lap or supervising from a close distance.
“They’re a couple goofballs,” said Josh. “They’re going to make someone special very happy one day.”
Looking for A Forever Family
Bobby and Mikey are ready to find a special family they can call their own.
Their previous owner let them down by choosing her significant other over them.
This time, they need someone who will stand up for them and love them unconditionally.
According to their adoption listings, they do well with young children, dogs, and other cats.
Most importantly, they must be adopted together as they’ve been together since they were bottle babies and continue to rely on each other for comfort and support.
“I’m committed to fostering them until they find the right home,” said Josh. “I’d be heartbroken if they were separated.”
According to Josh, the ideal adopter would be someone who enjoys spending quality time with their cats but doesn’t necessarily need a shadow.
“Bobby and Mikey are affectionate lap cats, but they’re also comfortable entertaining themselves,” said Josh.
Are you interested in adopting this beautiful bonded pair?
Check out Mikey’s listing and Bobby’s listing on Independent Animal Rescue’s website.
Please share this story to help Mikey and Bobby find a forever family!
About Our Heroes
Josh Wharton is a new cat foster for Independent Animal Rescue and one of the only fosters who does not have pets of his own.
“As much as I’d love having a pet of my own, I know I can help more animals by fostering,” said Josh.
Due to the limited budget of the rescue Josh fosters for, he is responsible for providing food and supplies for his foster cats independently.
If you’d like to donate food, litter, or other supplies to Mikey and Bobby while they wait to be adopted, click here to directly donate an item from Josh’s Amazon wishlist.
Independent Animal Rescue is a volunteer-based non-profit organization in North Carolina that works to reduce the suffering of unwanted animals through adoption, spay/neuter, TNR, and community education programs.
Click here if you’d like to make a donation or learn more about their rescue.
Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram to see more of their amazing rescue work!
**UPDATE**
As of October 2023, Bobby and Mikey have been officially adopted and are thriving in their new home! We’d like to thank Josh for fostering them as long as it took to find the perfect forever family who wanted to adopt them as a bonded pair. We’d also like to thank our readers who donated supplies and shared their story!
MG
Wednesday 2nd of August 2023
She's gonna look stupid when the guy leaves and she's lost her "loyal" friends!!
sandra
Tuesday 23rd of May 2023
trade two cats for one man? definitely not a trade up.. wouldn't trade on cat for two men!
D.Czujko
Tuesday 23rd of May 2023
He would be OUT! If he has no compassion for the cats, then he will not have compassion for you. He is NOT worth it!
Kate
Monday 22nd of May 2023
She must be a very insecure woman to listen to this excuse of a partner. No caring person would make someone give up her cats for his own selfish purposes. She chose wrong, She should have dumped the man and kept the cats. At least she would know they were with her until the no longer could be. This piece of dreck that she chose could leave her at any time and he would have no qualms doing it.
Nancy
Monday 22nd of May 2023
If some guy told me I'd have to get rid of any of my cats, I would tell him to get lost! My cats are my kids, and we are a package deal!