BEIJING: A pet shop owner from southwestern China discovered an abandoned cat with a note and cash, uncovering an elderly person’s final, loving gesture for their pet.
On March 7, the woman surnamed Sun, who runs a pet shop in Chuxiong, Yunnan province, found a grey pet carrier outside her shop.
Hearing a kitten meowing, she opened it to find a tabby cat surrounded by cat food.
“I was furious, thinking an irresponsible owner had abandoned it,” Sun said.
But as she looked closer, she found a crumpled pink note and some cash beneath the animal.
The note revealed that its original owner was a “lonely elderly person from out of town,” though their gender and age remained unspecified.
The letter explained that the owner was scheduled for surgery the next day and could no longer care for the cat. No details were provided about the person’s health condition.
It went on to describe the cat, named Laibao, meaning “arriving treasure” in Chinese, as four years old, neutered, affectionate and well-behaved.
The letter continued: “I beg a kind person to adopt it and I am deeply grateful. The cash is a small token of my appreciation.”
The bundle of cash, mostly small notes, was neatly tied together.
Inside the pet carrier, Sun also found two clean cat bowls. Laibao sat quietly curled up in the corner, plump, with clean and neat fur.
Sun said that after reading the note, her eyes immediately filled with tears.
She took Laibao back home for a health check, which confirmed that the cat was in good health.
At Sun’s home, Laibao often stared vacantly, lay quietly on the floor and sometimes nuzzled her arm.
Despite checking surveillance cameras, which missed location of the pet carrier, and visiting multiple local hospitals, Sun has yet to find any leads on Laibao’s original owner.
She displayed a picture of Laibao outside her store with the caption: “Laibao is being well cared for, eating well and sleeping soundly. Please rest assured. If your surgery goes well, you can visit Laibao anytime after you recover.”
The search for the elderly owner continues and Sun promised to return Laibao once the owner is found.
The story has garnered over 8 million views on mainland social media.
One online user said: “Laibao looks really sad in the pictures. For this elderly person, Laibao was everything. Yet, at the brink of life and death, they had no choice but to entrust their beloved pet to someone else.”
Another wrote: “I cried for a long time. I am waiting for Sun’s good news and I am confident the elderly person will recover well.”
A third said: “The elderly person may be going to another city for major surgery, possibly in a provincial capital. I am willing to help search for them. We can involve the police.”
China has entered an era of widespread pet ownership. Official statistics show that last year, urban areas were home to 126 million dogs and cats. - South China Morning Post
