A soldier named Justin was serving abroad in Romania when he encountered a small black kitten with a white patch on his chest.
«I picked up this kitten weeks ago and he followed me to the barracks where we live, on a semi-abandoned basis,» he said in a story.
The kitten instantly became attached to his new favorite human. He loves lounging in the soldier’s helmet, the closest thing to a bed he’s ever had.
«There is a huge problem with stray dogs in this country. They’re everywhere. This little guy just took a liking to me,» Justin said in the story.
He also cowerly curls up on his human’s lap at the end of a long day. For a soldier so far from his roots, Salem gives him a little taste of home.
And Justin isn’t the only soldier on the base enjoying the company of a new four-legged friend. «This is not your typical cat, it has a lot of personality and brings joy to all the soldiers who live here,» he wrote on GoFundMe.
The page was created to raise money so that Salem could go home with Justin and live with him and his wife.
«It’s a hard life and winter is coming soon. Fleas and other aggressive stray animals threaten his well-being,» he explained on the page. «All the remaining money from his medicine and his flight to the United States will be donated to animal rescue charities.»
Justin told the editorial staff that in just a few days, Salem’s GoFundMe page raised over $4,000! This covers more than the cost of vaccinating the kitten and airlifting it across the country’s borders.
In the meantime, «Salem was happy to stay with many other kittens at the city clinic. The rest of the money after the flight will be donated to local organizations, and anyone else interested in helping the cause here in Romania can donate to Oana’s Homeless Street Paws,» Justin told us.
«Oana is the woman who welcomed Salem and took care of everything. I owe him everything. In addition, she finds abused or homeless kittens and cats every week. She even brought a group the same day we took Salem to her,» he said.
