Everyone treats this street cat like trash – until a man lifts him up and sees what he's worth

Cats are wonderful, loving and beautiful animals. But sadly, they aren’t always treated the way they deserve.

There are millions of stray cats in the world. They live on the streets and are often the targets of terrible behaviour from humans and other cats.

Barnaby was one such cat who nobody cared about. His worn face and chewed-up ear testify to a hard life.

But this story has a twist that Barnaby never could have imagined.

This is Barnaby. He is 15 years old and was found living on the streets in New Jersey.

His lovely face immediately made the staff at Voorhees Animal Orphanage melt. How could anyone treat this sweet little cat badly?

The organisation that rescued him knew that this cat would be a truly loyal friend to anyone who would be willing to adopt an older cat.

But finding a home for a cat his age is no easy task.

The charity put up a picture of Barnaby on Facebook page and asked for help finding him a new home.

This was how veterinarian Ed Sheehan and his wife Clare first saw Barnaby. They understood that he would need a lot of care because he was both old and sick – so what could be better than living with a vet?

It was a done deal, and Barnaby was soon on his way home with the couple.

A few days later, he followed his new owner to the clinic to get a check up and some medicine. Everybody at the clinic fell in love with him at first sight!

Barnaby was fussed over constantly at the clinic and soon walked around as if he owned the place. And whenever his owner had a spare minute he was more than happy to play and cuddle with his new friend.

And that wasn’t all! Barnaby’s health kept getting better and better. He gained weight and his fur got thicker and glossier.

Now Barnaby is safe and happy and will live out the rest of his days surrounded by people who love him. I hope all the street cats out there will get the same happy ending that this cute little guy got!