An elderly man has warmed the hearts of the internet as, on the day of his wife’s funeral, he headed straight to his local pet store to adopt a homeless cat for company.
Gary Pitel, 90, had been married to his wife Joan, 86, for 59 years before she passed away recently.
The pair never went anywhere without each other, family members said, and at a luncheon after Joan’s funeral, on June 1, Gary told relatives he would like to get a cat as soon as possible to combat loneliness.
He and family members headed straight to their local PetSmart near Bridgeton, New Jersey, where Gary immediately set his eye on a white cat called Evita.
Gary’s granddaughter, Madison, 23, recorded Gary’s search, which she pieced together clips of and shared on social media.
Family members tried not to get Gary’s hopes up, as there was an application process he needed to go through that they were worried he might not be approved for.
But, the following day, Gary’s application was approved, and he was able to adopt Evita, who, for a short time, he renamed “Joansie”, his wife’s nickname.
Eventually, Gary settled on Eva, and the two have since built an inseparable friendship, Madison said.
Eva, 2, now follows Gary around his house and sleeps on the end of his bed every night.
Madison, from New Hope, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, said: “He wanted a distraction from something so tragic to him.
“She has helped tremendously, she follows him around the house, and they go everywhere together.
“She sleeps at the end of his bed every night with him and has been really well behaved.
“I was shocked by the feedback that TikTok generated.
RELATED: Cat Owner Goes Viral After Sharing Hilariously Fascinating CCTV Footage of His Pet’s Nightly Routine
“I had thousands of people telling me that they’re sorry for my loss.
“There were people sharing their own stories of their recent grandparent’s passing.
“There were people interested in sending him letters, being his penpal, wanting to hear his life stories, and wanting to send him and Eva gifts and presents and food.
“I was overwhelmed and comforted by the response and it made me really happy to hear other’s stories and their condolences.
“I know my mom mom [Joan] would be pleased and my pop pop [Gary] would feel so much gratitude knowing how many people understand and relate to his current position without his wife.”
Story via T&T Creative Media
