The Third Time’s The Charm for Tazo the Cat
Meet Tazo, the beautiful, five-year-old black and white cat who, after being adopted and returned twice, found her forever home just a couple of months ago.
What is Tazo’s story? Why did it take her three tries to find her forever home? Which loving human gave this sweet adult cat a third chance?
It all started in 2012 when Karma Cat + Zen Dog took in a very pregnant cat, Meredith, from a local shelter. On February 5, 2012, shortly after being taken in, Meredith gave birth to five kittens: Chai, Frappe, Java, Mocha and of course, sweet Miss Tazo.
Soon after, Tazo and Frappe were adopted together as kittens … but they were returned several months later.
Frappe was quickly adopted again but Tazo remained with Karma Cat + Zen Dog for a few months. Finally, she was adopted by a family with a special needs child in November 2012. This home proved to be loving and happy, but in the summer of 2016 the family’s child came down with cat allergies and the family decided they could unfortunately no longer keep Tazo.
So, again Tazo spent a few months in a Karma Cat + Zen Dog foster home, until finally her lucky day arrived. At last, a loving human was ready to take her home. That loving human and Karma Cat + Zen Dog volunteer, Laura Cutrona, was ready to adopt again after losing her beloved cat, Casper, to illness.
“I adopted Casper as an adult as well, and I knew that I wanted to adopt another adult,” Laura said. “I grew up with kittens, and while they’re very cute, they can be a lot of work. With an adult cat, you already know their history, disposition and personality. I knew an adult cat was for me.”
And apparently, Tazo knew Laura was for her, too.
“I saw Tazo, she saw me and there was this connection,” Laura said. “I knew right then that this was the cat for me.”
That was that, and on December 29, 2016, Laura and her sister, Sarah Cutrona, officially welcomed Tazo in their home – not that she needed much welcoming.
“Tazo adjusted almost immediately,” Laura said. “Within minutes she was digging into the basket of cat toys and since then she’s opened up more and more.” Tazo now knows her meal times by heart, loves to be pet and most of all, loves perching by windows.
As Tazo enjoys the love and happiness that comes with her new forever home, Laura and Sarah have one critical piece of advice to those who wish to adopt an adult pet.
“Reach out to your local rescue organization and ask about their adult animals,” Laura said. “A lot of times, you may not see adults because they’re in foster homes. But that doesn’t mean they’re not out there waiting for a forever home, just like all the cute kittens and puppies you see.”
As Tazo happily lies on the Cutronas’ fleece-covered chair and gazes out the window, Laura says just one last thing…
“Adult cats are the best I’ve ever had.”
Reading this story brought tears to my eyes. Happy tears – as I had the opportunity to foster her. Like many other cats, Tazo did not like going to adoption hours, so it was difficult for potential adopters to really get to see how wonderful she is. When you are looking to adopt, work with the organization on the type of cat you are looking for. The organization understands each cat in their care based on the feedback of the foster parents. The goal is to get the right animal into the right forever home. They can guide you on recommendations on who to meet, and hopefully you both have that connection we are all looking for.
This is truly helpful, thanks.