Helping a cat feel absolutely Adored

Despite her name, Adored may not have always felt that way. Born into a home overcrowded with other cats, she was just one of many and didn’t have much human interaction. It was easy to disappear among her many extended family members.

So when she and those many family members landed at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, she was, understandably, a bit overwhelmed. New space — more space — and new people milling about, seeing her, talking to her. She didn’t know what to make of it all, and she was scared. When she could, she’d bury herself in cuddle puddles of her feline friends and family. And when she couldn’t, she’d hide and swat and make her mind known to any human who came too close.

What Adored needed was time, space, and plenty of slow-and-steady TLC. Luckily, the Sanctuary has those things in spades.

As caregivers worked quietly in Adored’s space, cleaning and feeding and offering a fine rotation of toys, the cautious kitty watched and learned. The soft voices weren’t so bad after a while, and they did bring all the things she loved. Plus, several of her friends seemed to think these giant, two-legged creatures were alright. Something about scratching all those hard-to-reach places? And treats?

Yeah, those things sounded pretty good.

[How to Help Shy Cats]

Slowly, Adored worked up her courage, bolstered by her confident companions and soothed by the gentle approach of these … humans. And that first time she held still to let one pet her, something changed.

That was really nice!

With her golden eyes opened to the possibility of friendship with the once-so-scary humans, Adored started coming around. A nice scratch here, a couple of treats there, and a run around with a wand toy — there were so many other friends she could make of the less-furry variety.

Now when Adored sees a person, instead of running to hide, her purr motor revs up and she becomes a professional biscuit-maker, working her paws back and forth like she’s got something to prove. And maybe she does.

Adored is ready to prove just how much she matches her name now. The only thing left to do is find her an adoptive home where she’ll be — you guessed it — adored.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for a way to show your adoration, you can sponsor this sweet little lady.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill by 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.