A cat named Toby did something amazing in February 2018. His owners gave him to another family, but the 7-year-old Maine coon mix did not want to stay there. He walked 12 miles all the way back to his old home because he missed his family. When he finally got there, his owners did not want him back. The family took Toby to an animal shelter in Wake County, North Carolina. Then they asked the shelter workers to kill him. The shelter did not want to do this because Toby looked like a normal healthy cat. So they called the SPCA of Wake County and asked if they could help find Toby a new home. What should have been a heartwarming reunion turned into something terrible for Toby. After walking 12 miles to get back home, the family he loved wanted him dead. The SPCA said yes right away when the shelter asked for help. They posted on Facebook saying the shelter called them about Toby and they were happy to take him in. This whole thing just does not make sense Tara Lynn works at the SPCA of Wake County and she could not understand why anyone would do this. She told TODAY that it was really hard for her to understand why someone would ask for their pet to be killed. The shelter told the SPCA that Toby did not get along well with the other cats in the house. Toby also had something called feline immunodeficiency virus, which might be another reason the family wanted him gone. Lynn said this virus works like HIV does in people. It makes the immune system weaker so cats can get sick easier. But she also said that cats with this virus can still live good and long lives if they get the right care. Toby was not going to die from having this virus. Sadly, cats have been treated badly by people for a long time, but Toby was going to get a better chance. When Toby got to the SPCA, he had a cold and needed surgery. The workers found out that Toby was actually a stray cat who showed up at the family’s house years ago. Even though things were hard at first, the people who worked at the shelter really liked Toby and he became one of their favorites. Toby stayed at the SPCA for 45 days before someone adopted him. On April 13, 2018, a woman named Michele Puckett and her two kids took him home to Raleigh. Puckett heard about Toby from her sister who lives in New Hampshire. Her sister saw the story on Instagram when Beth Stern, who helps animals, shared it. People can love their cats so much and Puckett wanted to give Toby that kind of love. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Emeka N (@emeka152) His new family loved him from day one. They made him his own Instagram page where they posted pictures and videos of him living his new life. More than 16,000 people followed the page. Lynn said that Puckett told her it felt like Toby had been with them forever. The cat who walked so far just to find love finally got a family who loved him back.