Even though it can be rare, nothing is quite as strong and unique as the love between two bonded cats, and a cat owner from Ohio got to witness her own furbaby bonding with a stray that she found in the park and ended up adopting.

Darlene Dawson told Newsweek that about two months ago, she found the abandoned kitty at the pickleball court at Burton Park. After trying to find his owner by featuring him on the “Nextdoor” app, nobody claimed him, so she stepped up and decided to take him in.

The cat, now called Burt, quickly adapted to his new home, his new owners, and even to his new owners’ cat, another rescue called Waa.

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Cats are territorial creatures, so it’s not uncommon for them to hiss at other cats who invade their territory. However, when socialized properly, cats can become very close to each other, becoming what cat experts describe as bonded cats.

Bonded cats are cats in a household or colony that have decided to stay together, relying heavily on each other for resource sharing, sleeping and playing together, and sometimes even hunting together, according to Vet Organics.

The pet supplement company’s website explains: “When a cat returns home from a long hunt, bonded cats will often greet each other with a head butt and will greet each other affectionately, nose to nose.”

One thing that separates bonded cats from other cats is the fact that they don’t hiss at each other when they want to be in the same place; instead, they share the space, napping on the same cushion or bed. On the other hand, cats who hiss at each other or refuse to share their space are probably not bonded.

If you have more than two cats in your household, you’re probably wondering whether they’re all bonded together or not, and the answer is maybe. In a household, all cats may be bonded, or only a pair might bond, or they may not bond at all.

“This can be especially true of a mother cat who remains in the same household with her kittens. Or when two cats have shared a home and bonded, but a new third cat is introduced, the third cat may find its place on the pecking order, but may never bond with the other two cats. He or she will simply be a cat who lives with an established, bonded cat family,” the website states.

Each year 6.3 million pets are surrendered to U.S. shelters, which is an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, the 24Pet ‘Shelter Watch Report’ found.