2 cats, 1 epic road trip, and a family full of love

The wide-open road, a full tank of gas, and the dream of bringing home a cat to join the family were the items on Matthew Swanson’s agenda one Friday afternoon. It was a scene straight out of a movie.

Matthew’s daughter had been on a three-week campaign to prove her responsibility and ability to care for a cat. She was so determined that she needed no reminders to complete her chores. Her efforts worked. So Matthew, his daughter, and his sons piled into the car and made the 250-mile trek from Las Vegas to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah.

Best Friends supports shelters in reaching no-kill by collaborating with our shelter partners to take in and place their pets in new homes. And at the Sanctuary, two unsuspecting cats were about to find out they had plans for that Friday evening — and every Friday after.

“Truvy was super sweet and loved to run around and play — a big explorer who had a lot of kitten energy,” says Best Friends caregiver Alicia McCormack. Truvy, a young calico cat, was recovering from her spay surgery. But she didn’t let the medical cone she had to wear dampen her bubbly personality.

[Three kittens plus three kids equal a whole lot of fun]

Upon meeting her, Matthew noticed her determination to have fun, and it reminded him of someone special. “Who do you think she matched to? My 10-year-old daughter, of course,” Matthew says.

With Truvy chosen and the family feeling mission accomplished, they were almost ready to start the drive home. Almost.

There was one more passenger who wanted to go on the road trip.

Matthew’s oldest son stood leaning against the wall. A small tabby cat crawled right up on his shoulder, seemingly demanding to come along too. “Adair picked him,” Matthew says.

Adair was known at the Sanctuary for being a shoulder cat. “She used to meow at us when we cleaned, demanding shoulder time,” Alicia says. "She was very good at balancing.”

Adair came to the Sanctuary from a shelter. When she arrived, she was shy and needed care for chronic upper respiratory infections and dental issues. But her curious and friendly nature wasn’t dimmed.

“She stole a lot of hearts,” Alicia says. She loved lap time with volunteers, and she became famous for her shoulder requests.

[Once BFFs and now brothers, two cats team up and are adopted together]

During their visit, Matthew’s sons sparked a connection with Adair. And that moment of her climbing onto his oldest son’s shoulders to request a ride sealed the deal for all of them.

“Adair’s medical issues seemed minor,” Matthew says of the ongoing preventative care upper respiratory infections might need, such as steam therapy and medications to help with inflammation. The family spoke with a caregiver, who explained Adair’s health journey, and they felt confident in their abilities to care for her.

So both Adair and Truvy buckled up for their road trip home.

At home, both cats stepped into family life with ease. Truvy slid into the role of homework helper with Matthew’s daughter while Adair fully embraced her new shoulder perch routine. Together, the pair will climb into the same box to cuddle with each other.

And Matthew’s daughter? She hasn’t missed a beat with her chores and litter-box duties, even adding architect to her job duties by building houses for the new family members.

“She’s doing better than I did when my parents let us take in our first pet,” Matthew jokes.

What started as a 250-mile mission to bring home one cat turned into a family adventure with two new feline members. And sometimes, the best family members are the ones who choose you — shoulder first.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill. 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.