Thursday, January 27, 2011

Cat 707



Yesterday our adoption coordinator was on the phone with Animal Welfare League when she learned that at that very moment Cat 707 was being adopted. This kitty had been at the shelter for three of our volunteer trips. It turns out 707 was about eight-ten years old. He had been adopted from AWL over six years ago ... but returned in November, we don't know why. What we do know is that a ten-year-old "regular" cat sitting in a city shelter doesn't have a great shot at being adopted. But then he met Briana, who had come on the volunteer day last weekend. She fell in love.

She went back to see if 707 was still there, and there he was, and there he is no longer, because now he's in Briana's home. She declined to name him Boeing (my suggestion) because obviously his true name is Nigel. Briana says "Nigel LOVES scratches, headbutts and snuggling."

I love this story. I feel so grateful for everybody opening their homes to foster and adopt animals. Right now the city (and surrounding areas) are experiencing a real crisis, however, with evictions and foreclosures, and people surrendering or abandoning their animals. And kitten season isn't even here yet! Every shelter is overflowing with animals. If you have been thinking you could foster or adopt, or add another pet to your home, now is the time.

7 comments:

Sarah said...

I love this especially because Briana was willing to take a chance on a truly older kitty. Even a 3-4 year old has a much better shot at adoption than 8-10. Nigel looks like a total love, and she is my hero for the day!

Ruth said...

Wow - Nigel already looks like he has been with Briana since forever. An older cat can still have a very long life, and so bring lots of continuing joy to the adopter's life.

Anonymous said...

This is really heartwarming. Thank you Briana for giving an older cat a home. As I'm sure you've discovered, they still have alot of love to give!

Craig A. Cunningham said...

Now...if we can just get him to play nice with the other two boys...Nigel seems somewhat aggressive toward the more submissive of the two. Brie has a pretty ugly scratch from breaking up an unfortunate spat last night.

James Mitchell said...

Craig - a towel is a good thing to have handy. Being willing to keep them mostly separated for a while won't hurt either. My top cat has some history of aggression, so I plan to take two weeks to a month before a new cat is out with the rest of the group all of the time.

bundeleh said...

check out our "introducing cats" FAQ

http://hydeparkcatsfaq.blogspot.com/2010/07/introducing-new-cat_27.html

techeduk8r said...

Thanks, Bundeleh! We're taking it easy. I've been fortunate enough to easily introduce new cats quickly in the past. I know Nigel will need some time, but he trusts me...LOVES being with me, but isn't so sure of the other cats. Trying to get them to smell each other through the door and doing room swaps. We're just taking it one day at a time. Keep you posted.