heartwarming

Sometimes, having a big heart and trying to help really makes a difference in some creatures' lives. That's what we've learned from this story of two baby squirrel gliders, both of whom were rescued days apart by citizens just like any of us. The male was found at the base of some tree, but the female was found inside of a cat's mouth. Now, the two of them are together, and they seem to have fallen in love. 

We know animals are pure and all things they do are pretty heckin' wholesome, so it's always amazing to hear stories about the pure and wholesome humans who go out of there way to help an animal. 

It's people like these that make us glad to be human. Sometimes, goodness outweighs the bad, and stories like this make it so. 

To all the amazing kind-hearted animal lovers out there -- thank you. 

Cats, cats, and cats. Nothing but cats and that's how we like it! Each week, we love to collect the best cat pics and stories online and present them here. 

Each cat picture, or video, tells a different story and has a different set of emotions behind it. That's what makes this gathering a medley of a variety of things, number one being adorableness (which, granted, all cats naturally have), the second is the much-needed balance of humor, and the last being anything that tugs on the heartstrings (good or bad).

In this case, we have both. We have heartwarming stories of glow-ups and transformations. Yet, we also have heartbreaking moments of mourning and loss. We wanted to take a moment and send love to those who had recently had a pet cross the rainbow bridge. Your pet may be gone physically, but never emotionally, and never, ever forgotten. 

We're not crying -- you're crying! 

This is beyond heartwarming! Imagine growing up, feeling/looking different than others, and the moment you go to an adoption center to find your new best friend - they look like you. 

That's exactly what happened when sweet 2-year-old Bentley meet his new puppy. Bentley had already had surgeries for the cleft lip and it isn't even noticeable today. Yet, he came across a puppy that reminded him of himself, and they instantly fell in love with each other. 

The Jackson County Animal Shelter, Michigan, shared this beautiful moment between Bentley and his new puppy on their Facebook, which went viral and racked up 33k shares. 

We wish this perfect pair all the best and many years of love and joy ahead of them! 

A huge shout out to our lovely and caring 'I Can Has Cheezburger' users! All of your hearts are so big, we're incredibly proud to have you as one of our users. 

If you missed it, this week we asked our Facebook users to share a recent photo of their pet and describe how they came to be in their life. The heartwarming stories we received were overwhelming! Everyone's pet is so adorable and everyone's story is heartwarming -- it made it extremely difficult to select only a few. 

We love you all! Thank you for sharing these photos and stories with us! And if you missed out on the fun, follow us on Facebook to be included in the next challenge and have a chance to be featured on our site. 

A terrifying story with a happy ending. Three years ago, a six week old Bengal tiger cub was rescued from a wildlife trafficking attempt at a San Diego area border crossing. Today, the fully grown tiger, Moka, is living happily with another rescued tiger named Nola.

Moka was discovered in the floorboard of a sports car driven by an 18-year-old man who was attempting to smuggle the tiger from Tijuana through the U.S.-Mexico border. As reported by the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy and Border Report, the passenger under whose legs the cub was hidden had at first said that it was "just a cat." The driver, Luis Valencia, when questioned, claimed that he had bought the tiger in Tijuana after seeing someone walking it on a leash and wanted to keep it as a pet. Later, of course, it was discovered that both statements were false, and Luis was sentenced to six months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges.

The cub was taken to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and had a surgery that saved his life. At the time, his weight was less than that of the average house cat - just 6 pounds. His name, Moka, means "chance" in Bengali and was given to him as a way of commemorating the story of his discovery. There, he got to meet Rakan, "a Sumartan tiger cub whose mother was unable to care for him," and together they grew up, played, wrestled, and pounced, becoming stronger and happier.

After a few months of care, still only a few months old, Moka was moved into an animal sanctuary called Lions, Tigers & Bears east of San Diego where he met Nola from Louisiana - another now fully grown tiger who was rescued as a cub.

The founder and director of Lions, Tigers & bears, Bobbi Brink, told Border Report that "[Moka and Nola] were both the same age, so they made great roommates, now they're best of friends," as well as that "[h]e's kind of shy but Nola is his strength. She'll be the first one to go out and check out something then slowly but surely he'll be right behind her," and no ending could make us happier.

Take a look at pictures of Moka from three years ago, over the first three months at the safari (with Rakan!) and today below.

A heartbreaking tale with a happy ending. Sunshine Dog Rescue, a Non-Profit Organization located in Phoenix, Arizona, rescued a beautiful Australian Shepherd Mix named Georgia. 

Georgia was found living at a gas station near the border to Mexico. Georgia was pregnant, but sadly, none of her puppies made it. All her pups were born prematurely. 

Founder of the Sunshine Dog Rescue, Anita Osa, knew Georgia was heartbroken at the loss of losing all her babies. Osa told ABC15, "I've never had a mom dog lose a whole litter before. The best way I could describe it was she was frantic. It was so sad, she was looking for those babies. She tore up the toddler mattress we had her on, trying to find her babies." 

Osa quickly went to work and asked for help on Facebook. Osa was looking for any orphaned baby animals that were in need of a lactating mother. Osa ended up with three kittens who just so happened to fit that bill. 

Of course, with any interspecies integration, you have to worry about whether or not each animal would accept the other. Thankfully, Georgia and the kittens instantly bonded. Osa claims the moment Georgia sniffed the kittens, she calmed down significantly.

They do nurse on her. She cleans them and everything but the bond is strong. It's really something to see, she protects those kittens just as if they were her babies," Osa added. 

While we are heartbroken for the loss of Georgia's litter, we are grateful she found a family of her own with others who needed her. 

Check out the adorable videos of Georgia and her baby kittens below. 

Story via ABC15

In times like these, it's easy to lose sight of all the good things happening around us. 

That is why we have gathered some big and small stories that happened recently and could actually inspire you and give you some hope.

These are truly positive news from around the world to make us all so much more optimistic.

We sure need that right now.  

Friday has arrived and that means it's time to feature the newly adopted faces of the week! We've got quite a few seniors that have been adopted this past week and would like to wholeheartedly thank all those who have given these seniors a chance of a loving, comfortable, home!

You guys are heroes. And, of course, thank you to all those who adopt, adopted, or will adopt in the future. We love you all.

For those of you who are thinking about getting a pet, just remember; adopt, don't shop. And don't miss out on the previously adopted faces!

If you recently adopted a pet, shoot us an email to be featured in next week's list! 

It's finally here! Friday vibes and nothing is as sweet as seeing the newly adopted faces of the week! The perfect treat in honor of the weekend! -- And this week, we've got a whole lot of newly adopted kittens! 

We wholeheartedly thank those who have adopted, providing animals with a loving, comfortable, and warm home. There's literally nothing better. And a special shoutout to those who adopt seniors, we adore you. 

For those of you who are thinking about getting a pet, just remember; adopt, don't shop. And don't miss out on the mega adopted faces we featured last week!

If you recently adopted a pet, shoot us an email to be featured in next week's list! 

Introducing a creative and fascinating comic, 'The Last Human,' by the talented Zack.

The premise for this interesting, yet oddly wholesome, comic is explained on WebToons, "She's the galaxy's worst nightmare: a Human. Fortunately, she's the last one. Now her adoptive (alien) mother is realizing that raising a young Human is no easy task."

And if comics aren't your thing, you can read the first chapter of 'The Last Human' online, and the full novel is available on Amazon.

It's the little things that help to lift our spirits and set the most wonderful examples to us all.

Take Ethan Dearman, who works as a security guard at British supermarket "Morrisons", for example.

The big-hearted man took pity on a golden retriever who had been tied in a pole outside while his owner went shopping. As the rain came down, Ethan opened his big umbrella and offered the wet pooch some shelter. 

His selfless act was caught on camera and went viral, attracting more than 140,000 reactions from people praising the security guard for his kind actions.

Morrisons retweeted the picture on to their own social media and added: "It's going to be a wet week so we've issued nine thousand Morrisons umbrellas to keep our customers – and their dogs – dry. It's good to see that it is already happening in our Giffnock store."

The security guard replied: "I didn't think I'd go viral on twitter like this. I knew I was making people smile but this is something else entirely, lol." Many asked why the dog was tied up in the rain in the first place to which Ethan explained: "It wasn't raining when he was tied there and since I can't move another's dog I thought using an umbrella would be a good compromise."

We need more people like Ethan in our world.  

Ready to smile? Because we've got a huge haul of adopted faces this week! 

Due to our lack of adopted faces last week -- we had two weeks to catch up on and my goodness, there are a lot of beauties that found their forever home! 

We wholeheartedly thank those who have adopted, providing animals with a loving, comfortable, and warm home. There's literally nothing better. 

For those of you who are thinking about getting a pet, just remember; adopt, don't shop. 

If you recently adopted a pet, shoot us an email to be featured in next week's list! 

We don't need our pets to tell us they love us, they show it in so many ways...you just have to notice them. 

Here are a few ways our beloved pets show us how much they love us:

1. Just how happy they are to see us. Always. I don't know about you, but every time I enter the room where my cat is currently residing -- he gets so excited! When if it's only been 5 minutes since our last encounter. Our pets are so ecstatic just to be near us! Think about that!

2. Those eyes. Who needs words when you have those deep, super-duper loving eyes staring into your soul? That says more than enough. 

3. The little gentle touches, or quirks, they do. For example, your cat may run up to you and stop right before reaching you and suddenly turn to the left or right, but doing so right in front of you. They want you to make that extra step and love them back. And we 100% do, every time. 

Our pets adore us and we adore them. We figure it's a good moment to go give them a big hug and kiss. 

Happy Father's Day to all the amazing dads out there! And if you're a father of a pet -- Happy Father's Day to you, too! 

Here's a special shout out to all those tough-exterior dads who didn't want a pet... but it turns out, having one opened up that jelly center of theirs and now they can't imagine life without those fur faces. Happy Father's Day to all the pet dad's in the world!