June is National “Adopt a Shelter Cat” Month, and we are elated to post that it was a huge success this year: two of our longest residents found their homes this June!
First up: Roz, who went home 604 days after we rescued her!
Excluding Chiquita, our beloved lobby cat who has made Second Chance her forever home, Roz had been second in line for the title of Longest Resident here at the Adoption Center. (Our longest resident, Robin, is still waiting to meet her purrfect match.) That all changed this June: at long last, Roz was adopted.
Now almost 7, Roz entered our program in October of 2016 after her owner was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. She came to us with her older feline sister, Mia Claire, who was nothing but a big furball of love and affection. Roz…wasn’t like Mia Claire. While Mia Claire successfully integrated into a cageless community room, Roz made it clear to all that she wanted to be the queen of her castle. She and the other kitties didn’t get along and it was best for everyone to give Roz her own space, so we set her up in a private room. This new room was quite spacious for a single kitty, but it was lonely. After Mia Claire was adopted, Roz remained behind.
Roz was a diva with an attitude to match. For quite some time, volunteers and visitors found notes on Roz’s door warning them to take precautions upon entering. Still, twice daily at minimum, Roz needed to be fed and have her water refreshed and her litter box scooped. Our Operations Coordinator, Jess, frequently took on the responsibility of caring for Roz…and then something began happening. With Jess, Roz turned into…a lap cat?! Could it be? Was Roz willing to let her guard down? Jess began planning: when she moved into a new home, she would adopt Roz.
That fateful day came June 9. Jess brought Roz to their new house and since then has shown us plenty of photographic evidence that Roz loves living there! From snuggles on the couch to watching wildlife out the window, Roz is no longer lonely. She’s seemingly involved in everything her new humans do, “helping” them set up their new home together.
And then: Boogie, who went home 527 days after we rescued him!
While Roz had been second in line for Longest Resident here at the Adoption Center, behind Robin (who’s still hoping to find a home soon), third in line, having been rescued 77 days after Robin, was Boogie. But not anymore: just shy of 18 months since his rescue, Boogie has found his forever home, too!
For most, the holidays are a happy time. Reuniting with friends and family, giving and receiving gifts, and experiencing the magic of a white winter can melt the stress away, or at least convince us that traveling, shopping, and hosting were well worth our while to create the joy we felt. For Boogie, though, the 2016 holiday season was one of loss. After his owner died, we accepted this boy into our program between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. He would ring in 2017 in a strange new place.
Boogie was a sweet old man, but an old man nevertheless. He was 11 years old, and he wasn’t the healthiest of 11-year-old cats, either. Boogie had an overactive thyroid that needed to be managed through a special diet and daily medication. At Second Chance, we are fortunate to have a loyal support network that helps us to supply specific food for a special-needs cat (that’s YOU!), and our cat care volunteers are trained in the art of pilling cats.
What really made Boogie difficult to adopt was that he–like Roz–did not want to mingle with the other cats here, and he wouldn’t tolerate a home with a dog, either. Unhappy in a cageless community room, Boogie moved into one of our condos for single cats. Our condos are on wheels so that cats can be moved around easily, so Boogie spent some time in front of a window, watching the wildlife, and in a central lobby area so he could get a little more attention, but ultimately, even a condo parked in the best location can’t compare to having a home of your own.
Boogie waited patiently, and this June, he was adopted by two Second Chance volunteers. And–judging by this photo, in which Boogie is peacefully napping on not one, but two pieces of furniture simultaneously–he has certainly been rewarded for his patience!
