I'm so sorry to hear that Sooty was returned to the shelter because he was sick. When I adopted Storm from a shelter, he was also sick and I spent about $200 on him to get him back in shape. This allowed us to form a very strong bond. He's been a very healthy cat ever since. Unfortunately many cats at Shelters are sick or have other things wrong with them.

I sure hope that you're able to adopt Sooty or at least help him find a new forever home. Good luck.