A cat rescued in a near-death state back in 2022 recently landed a modelling gig with Target, and his foster parent couldn’t be prouder. The feline, now named Hercules, received a second chance at life after he was discovered in a heartbreaking state by volunteers from a Minnesota-based rescue.
Hercules the cat serves as a Target model 2 years after rescue
Two years ago, Hercules the cat’s future was anything but promising. In June 2022, he, together with about 46 other felines, were found crowded in an SUV vehicle in “sweltering heat” at a rest spot in Minnesota’s Chisago County. According to KARE News, the cats lived in the SUV with their homeless owner.
Agents with the Animal Humane Society, in collaboration with the Chisago County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota State Patrol, responded to the scene after receiving reports of the felines cramped up inside the unsanitary vehicle.
CBS News revealed that as authorities teamed up to rescue the cats, Hercules ran away. Then, one month later, Tuff Start Rescue volunteers found him in a horrible state.
Hercules was motionless and had a maggot infestation that had eaten through his cheek tissue. To add to that, his scruffy fur was soaked in urine and he had suffered a severe jaw fracture. This marked the start of Hercules’s long road to recovery. The feline underwent multiple surgeries and, with the help of Dr. Nicole Perreault, began getting better.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of his jaw injury, Hercules’s tongue hangs out a lot. Jill LeBrun, a friend of Dr. Perreault, offered to foster Hercules. One time, LeBrun came across an animal talent agency that was in search of cats with unusual faces to act as models for Target.
“I sent them a picture of Hercules and they wanted him for the photo shoot and then he did great,” LeBrun shared.
Interestingly, the agency was so smitten with Hercules that they booked him for another shoot. Now, the once homeless, critically-injured feline is making a name for himself in the modelling world. Undoubtedly, Hercules’ rise to fame is nothing short of a miracle.
