A construction site worker was eating his lunch when a stray cat randomly walked up to him asking for a bite of his food … and the casual encounter changed his life forever.

In a viral TikTok post shared on Wednesday under the username @thesubstance_, the orange kitty can be seen eating the poster’s ham and fries from his lunch, while he films the cat for his wife, who immediately instructs him to take her home.

The U.K. poster, who initially thought the feline was a male, says in the clip: “My husband was having lunch on his construction site when this baby came to ask for food. He was clearly starving. So I said ‘bring him home.’

“He looks like a little bobcat and has the cutest face. We will have to take him to the vets as he is missing back teeth and is extremely malnourished. But he is craving human contact and love.”

She also says in the caption: “Finding a stray cat and wanting him to have a better life because all animals deserve to be loved and taken care of!!!!! I will die on this hill.”

After taking the kitty to the veterinarian, they discovered that it was in fact, a female and that she had no microchip, was flea-ridden, and severely malnourished. So they committed to giving her the best rest of her life, and named her Lucky.

Life for stray cats can be though, fighting for their survival every day with no home or human to cuddle. While indoor cats can live into their early twenties, stray cats have a much shorter life span.

Georgia-based veterinarian Dr. Jess Kirk, says in a Vet Explains Pets article that the average life span of a stray cat is around two to five years.

Living outdoor with nobody caring for them, these cats face multiple major challenges. They can’t access veterinarian care to get a health check up; they are constantly exposed to the elements; and they often struggle to find food and water.

Bigger predators are also a major threat. But perhaps what endangers them the most is traffic. It is estimated that around 5.4 million cats (strays or not) are hit by cars every year in the U.S, and 97 percent of them succumb to their injuries.

While Lucky managed to find herself a family, many of these cats never get to experience love. In America alone, there are currently between 60 and 100 million stray and feral cats, completely left to their fate.

The video quickly went viral on social media and it has so far received over 259,000 views and 39,300 likes on the platform.

One user, Ashleigh Dean, commented: “You’re amazing people for helping him. But can we all pay attention to the fact your husband had a packed lunch but clearly went to maccies.”

Sharlene said: “Rumor has it that cats pick their human.”

Hafsa added: “He was dumped. Stray cats aren’t that friendly. Thanks for taking him.”

Newsweek reached out to @thesubstance_ for comment via TikTok comments. We could not verify the details of the case.

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