Champas first arrived at the Animal Welfare League in Kemps Creek, Australia in December 2015. With his beautiful white fur and big green eyes, the staff thought the five-year-old cat would quickly find a forever home. But Champas ended up being very shy—he would hide in the shadows whenever any potential adopters walked by.
Because Champas was so shy, many adopters overlooked him. Weeks and then months passed, and no one put in an application for him.
When Champas had been at the shelter for more than a year, the staff realized they had to do something to help bring him out of his shell. And so, they decided to make him their feline receptionist!
Champas loved his new job. He liked spending time with the staff, and he slowly warmed up to all the adopters coming into the shelter.
In February 2017, Animal Welfare League decided to ramp up their campaign to find Champas a forever home. Since it was close to Valentine’s Day, they decided to create a classic ‘dating profile’ for Champas.
Animal Welfare League posted a photo of Champas on their Facebook page with an adorable sign. The sign said:
“I’m a single, white male looking for love. I like romantic naps on your paperwork, long sniffs of your petty cash, and curling up on your stuff.”
The adorable photo quickly went viral. Animal Welfare League then shared more information about Champas on their Facebook page.
“Champas is the name and I am looking for a mature, loving family to spend my days with. I am bit of an attention seeker, am quite lively and overly-excitable and love to purr for your attention.
I am a special guy with some special needs, so please speak to our friendly shelter staff about me: I do have some food allergies and need to remain on a special diet for life, and because of my pale, fabulous coat, I do need to be kept as an indoor cat and need sun protection if I have sun exposure or I will get sunburnt.”
The campaign worked: soon after the photo of Champas went viral, the perfect person came to adopt the cat.
The adopter, Nathan, actually heard about Champas from a relative in Amsterdam—Champas had truly become a worldwide celebrity!
“To everyone who is wondering what happened to Champas, the long-term resident of Kemps Creek – he came home with me today, and after biting my hand, went straight to sleep,” Nathan told BuzzFeed News.
Champas was in the Animal Welfare League shelter for 436 long days, but in the end, he found the perfect forever home. We’re so glad Champas’ story has such a wonderful happy ending!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
