Helen and her partner are two amazing  cat lovers, who spend their free time helping feral  cats around their neighborhood.

The amazing duo even made a little shed for the feral cat colony in their backyard, where they could sleep and relax safely.

Recently they noticed a newcomer roaming around their neighborhood who instantly made them fall in love with him. As Helen said in her video:

“He had a lot of cuts on him, but he really stood out to us because he had these massive cheeks.”

His adorable and chunky appearance aside, Ricky had a lot of issues. 

Years of living on the harsh streets and fending for himself turned him into a nervous and scared cat. Once Helen tried to approach him, he immediately hissed at her.

However, this didn’t scare Helen off. Looking at all the cuts and injuries on poor Ricky, she decided to tame him. 

The compassionate couple started regularly feeding Ricky, hoping one day he would let them come closer. As Helen also mentioned:

“We knew it was gonna be a bit hard because he’s very hissy.”

One night Ricky spotted Helen going inside the shed where she feeds the colony of feral cats, so the sweet giant decided to take a look for himself.

He immediately made himself at home and even helped himself with some food! Helen made sure to spend every spare minute close to Ricky, hoping her presence would calm his nervous and hissy behavior.

Sadly, one day Ricky returned from his adventures with way too many cuts and injuries on his nose, ears, and paws. This is when the couple decided to trap him and bring him to the emergency vet.

Since the poor boy was extremely tired from his fight, trapping him in a carrier was easier than they anticipated.

A short vet visit later, his wounds were treated, but Ricky needed a safe place to recover. Helen made a special place for him in their garage, where she fed and cuddled him whenever he allowed!

It was almost like Ricky understood that Helen was there to take care of him, and little by little he turned into a cuddle bug. He even found the courage to step inside their house! As Helen shared:

“We’ll never forget the first time he came into our house. It was just like he was so grateful. He thought, ‘I’ve got a safe space, I can relax now.’.”

Helen brought him back to the vet and got him microchipped and neutered, and from that day on, Ricky never stepped out of the house!

The sweet gentle giant found his forever home and kind people who gladly took the role as his forever humans! As his mom also mentioned:

“I think he’s probably the most affectionate cat we have now. Which is crazy to think what he was like a little over a year and a half ago. He just needed a bit of time, a bit of patience, and just someone to love him.”

What Helen did for Ricky, warmed my heart up on so many levels. She showed just how important it is to care for stray  cats and that they deserve our unconditional love.

Make sure to follow Helen over on Instagram so you don’t miss out on Ricky and his adorable massive cheeks!