A one-eyed cat named Willy (yes, One-Eyed Willy) stayed in the North Shore Animal League America for 1,461 days before he was adopted. The long wait was due to the cat's condition after he encountered a car accident.

The young black and white cat was brought to Animal League America's Lewyt Medical Center after he suffered multiple traumatic injuries after being hit by a car. he had several facial fractures, loss of one eye, permanent loss of vision in the other and neurological defects, The Dodo reported. Veterinarians expected Willy to recover after a few months, but it took years before he finally became eligible for adoption.

"I first met Willy when my office was moved above the pet store. It was close to two years after he came in and he was still recovering and learning how to cope with his disabilities. Clearly he wasn't ready for the adoption floor, so he would lounge around in an office with two other cats that needed some extra TLC," said National Community Outreach Manager Christina Lovari, who was working as the manager of Spay USA during that time. "He had a lot of mobility issues that eventually improved after extensive physical therapy, but he also needed to learn how to interact with people and other animals again. It took a lot of time and patience for him to get to the point he's at today, but once his personality started to come out and he started to adjust, it was so rewarding."

When Willy was ready for adoption, Tom Zukowski and his wife Lori saw Willy's photos online and decided to give him a home. The couple just lost their beloved cat Max. Despite not being ready to accept a new cat yet, they knew they were the right family for Willy.

"My wife's always had an affinity for cats and when I saw how great it felt to give Max a home with everything he needed to live the rest of his life to the fullest, I was totally on board with doing the same for Willy," said Tom, who has helped raise more than $13,000 to help animals. "He's such a loveable cat and it was really an emotional day when we took him home. Many of the people who work over there who have gotten to know him over the years were in tears saying goodbye to him. How could you not love an animal that's been through so much and persevered?"