Three months ago, CPT Oswaldo Restrepo, a US Army officer, heard meowing coming from the ceiling in his office. After it went on for a while, he realized that a cat must have been trapped inside.
He was able to locate the rough whereabouts of the kitty and went to get help.
"I had someone come in to remove the vent, and a tiny kitten tumbled out. She was very dirty, scared and extremely shy," Restrepo, who is stationed in Korea, told Love Meow.
The kitten was thought to be a stray and somehow snuck into the building and found her way in the ceiling, unable to get out. She was shaking in fear after the ordeal.
Restrepo, a cat guy, who has a soft spot for animals in need, immediately offered to take her. As he placed the kitten in a large box for transport, he saw those beady eyes looking at him, terrified. He tried to comfort the kitten while taking her home.
He decided to name her Nabi, which means butterfly in Korean.
"When I brought Nabi home, the first thing I did was give her a bath because she was very dirty. After drying her off, I wrapped her up in a blanket and laid her on my chest," he told Love Meow.
A few minutes later, he heard a few tiny purrs coming from the kitten, and the purrs kept growing louder and louder until she drifted off to a nap in his arms. "She was finally relaxing, and went right to sleep."
Restrepo has a 2-year-old cat named Maru, who was very curious about the little newcomer. He came to the room to investigate as his human was cleaning up the kitten, and kept wanting to sniff her and be near her after the bath.
Maru showed Nabi the food station and even shared a meal with her.
"Nabi instantly cozied up to Maru, who took her under his wing. The kitten found so much comfort in that, and would even suckle from the male cat," he said.
"They immediately bonded. I would see the two napping together all the time."
Maru makes sure that his kitten is never alone, watching over her every step of the way.
He shows her the ropes around the house, teaches her how to be a cat, and is always there for her when she needs a cuddle.
"Maru has benefited a lot as well from having the kitten around," Restrepo told Love Meow.
"They spend all their time together. They really are best friends."
As Nabi grew bigger, their bond only got stronger.
"She loves to cuddle. Any time I lay down, Nabi will jump into my bed right away," Restrepo said.
"She is a very playful kitten, and very sweet."
The little ceiling cat has really blossomed.
Nabi went from a terrified little kitten to now a happy, confident, affectionate kitty who is eager for attention and love.
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