Special Adoption – Smokey & AnneMarie
We never give up, but some cats are considered to be “long timers” and we do everything we can to keep them as happy as possible. This entry is about two cats we thought might be “long timers” … boy were we wrong!
Smokey – shy, all grey boy who was nothing like his outgoing brothers (Patchy & Swirly).
AnneMarie – super shy, medium hair torbie, saved from a local shelter where she would have deteriorated (or worse).
A foster home worked super hard to socialize Smokey, and after many weeks he was a different cat! AnneMarie found comfort and strength from other cats – she did best when she could cuddle up with a low-key kitty. We took a risk and put them together in the big cage at Petsmart. Stroke of genius! Smokey did so much better than he has ever done in the past … and AnneMarie took her cues from him.
And then, we struck gold in the form of one of the most patient and understanding adopters we’ve ever met. I had spent quite a bit of time showing this potential adopter a lot of our kitties in the adoption centers and even in different foster homes. She took it all in and I could tell she was weighing the pros and cons of each kitty – wanting to give them all an equal evaluation.
But when she met Smokey and AnneMarie, things just ‘clicked’. Smokey was his usual aloof-self … at first. And AnneMarie played her typical “shy-cat” cards. But the adopter won, and both cats decided she was worthy of their attentions. Oh kitties!
AnneMarie has been renamed Freya … and the following text & pictures are from the adopter:
I wasn’t sure whether Smokey would get territorial when Freya started to come out of her shell, because for the first week or two, he was definitely getting a bit more attention (because he wasn’t hiding under the couch all day). But I’ve never seen one get jealous of the other.
Although, if Freya looks away, Smokey will steal her treats–but Freya doesn’t seem to mind when she realizes what he’s done, and Smokey won’t do it unless he sees she’s definitely not looking.
One day, Freya came over and sat down next to me on the couch so that I could pet her. Smokey had been napping nearby, but he got up, came over, put a firm paw on her, and began washing her face and head while I petted her. She was in HEAVEN. (If only I could have taken a picture of that!)
It seemed like, after the 3rd week, Freya turned a corner and realized, “This is my home. For real. This is my little family.” She started spending more time on the couch instead of under it, following me from room to room, greeting me first thing in the morning, and not running away the minute I walked into a room–or, if she did, she quickly came back. And she started to PLAY. Like I said, it’s always the quiet ones…
The night I brought them home, I think Smokey was so excited he couldn’t sleep–he seemed to know he had finally gotten a home! He climbed up on the bed with me and tried and tried to settle down, but he just had to keep coming over and head-butting me and purring and meowing to tell me how happy he was. I couldn’t help but laugh, it was so cute! Everyone always laughs at how sweet and friendly Smokey is.
She’s slowly turning into a lap cat… likes to hop up on the couch and see what I’m reading (little does she know, an Ipad can be a book OR a camera) 🙂
So great to see her becoming more and more friendly and outgoing!
Two shy kitties find each other and then the adopter of their dreams!
All things are possible until they are proved impossible and even the impossible may only be so, as of now.
~Pearl S. Buck