Stacey Arrieta and her family arrived at the Lake County Animal Shelter in Tavares, Florida three years ago with the intention of adopting a kitten. They were waiting in the meeting room for volunteers to bring the kittens out when Arietta’s son, Ari, suddenly noticed a very frightened older cat hiding under one of the benches.

“He was covered in wounds and had a scowl that broke my heart,” Stacey wrote in a Facebook post. “He looked sad and scared. After a few moments he lay down at my son’s feet.”

The family found out the cat’s name was Big, and he accidentally ended up in the meeting room. Despite being scared, Big took an instant liking to Ari and began to snuggle up to him. He wasn’t the kitten they came to adopt, but it didn’t take Aria long to fall completely in love, writes The Dodo.

The volunteers finally brought the kittens that the family came to see, but Ari wouldn’t even look at them. He had already chosen the cat he wanted. “One of the volunteers came to bring Big back, not knowing how he ended up in this room in the first place. My son stopped him and insisted that he was the cat he wanted,” Stacey stated.

Ari looked at the cute little kittens and chose Big instead. He knew that this was the cat that was meant to be his best friend. The family officially adopted Big and brought him home. He was still very scared. They knew that Big would need some time to get used to his new home – but everyone was ready for it.

It took some time, but Big slowly began to explore his new home and meet his new family. He and Ari had a special bond from the beginning, and today they are closer than ever. Big loves his life and his family so much now, and I couldn’t be happier that he somehow snuck into the room where they were that day.