After losing her beloved cat in 2023, a woman didn’t think she’d be able to get another pet anytime soon. That was until she met Jax, a stray kitten with a broken tail who was about to be released onto the streets, and she knew it was meant to be.

Lacy Fortier, 46, was still mourning the loss of her previous cat, Hugo, who died several months ago. The idea of getting another cat seemed unthinkable, but when she saw a picture of an “angry-looking kitty” at a nearby shelter in Orange County, California, she knew she had to meet him.

Fortier told Newsweek that Jax didn’t make the best first impression at the shelter, as he had to be carried in by the scruff of his neck, “growling and scared.” Staffers warned Fortier that he had a very bad temperament and that if he wasn’t adopted that week in April, he would be released back onto the streets.

It was a now or never decision, but Fortier couldn’t bear the thought of this tiny kitten fending for himself on the street.

“The staff warned us that he was a feral kitten with a broken tail and his ear was clipped, [marking] him as a stray,” Fortier said.

“They let us know they had to remove Jax from the shelter as he was too mean to both humans and other animals, and my heart sank. I couldn’t imagine him being so small and scared being back in the streets. I started to think: Is this a sign or should I just turn around?”

Despite what Fortier and her husband were told about Jax, he showed no signs of bad behavior toward them. In just a matter of minutes, he was curled up in their arms and showing how sweet he could be.

Nonetheless, adopting a former stray was a big decision, so Fortier wanted to sleep on it before returning to the shelter the next day.