Faces of No-Kill: Cat purrs her way home

She has two teeth and scarred ears. But she also has a purrbox that just won’t quit and a heart capable of endless love.

Frankie came to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary from a shelter in Arizona. Dental disease left her unable to eat comfortably, and she had skin cancer on her ears. To help shelters save more lives, Best Friends takes in pets like Frankie who need extra care — and soon, she was on her way to feeling (and looking) like a whole new cat.

Best Friends veterinarians removed the cancer and reshaped her ears, leaving her with a rounded, teddy bear look that only adds to her charm. They also treated her dental disease and extracted all but two of her teeth, which made eating and drinking more comfortable.

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“She was skinny at first because her mouth was painful,” says caregiver Riley Prewett. “But once she got the dental care she needed, she bounced back. Now she lives for food — and for lap time.”

Despite her rough start, Frankie’s sweet personality never dimmed. “She’ll just sit there and stare at you and meow until you give in,” Riley says. “And once you sit down, she’s in your lap making biscuits. She’s impossible not to love.”

And that’s exactly what happened when Judy and David Reynolds came to volunteer at the Sanctuary. “She reminded me of my cat who had just passed away,” Judy recalls. “I wasn’t thinking about adopting at that moment, but then I sat out on the patio, and she started rubbing against me. My husband sat down, and she climbed on his lap right away and started snuggling.”

The couple knew then and there they wanted to adopt her. The only hitch: They were in the middle of a five-week camping trip out West, and they lived in Florida. They couldn’t bring her home right away, but Judy never stopped thinking about the little white kitty with the big purr.

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While they worked out travel plans, Judy sent regular emails to the Best Friends team full of questions about Frankie. Could Frankie jump on counters? Did she like certain foods? How would she do with their Chihuahua?

“She wanted everything to be perfect,” Riley says. “You could tell how much she already loved Frankie.”

Then, with the help of Best Friends, a dedicated volunteer offered to escort Frankie across the country. Safely tucked into her carrier, Frankie flew from Las Vegas to Fort Lauderdale and was handed off to Judy and David for the five-hour drive to their home in Holiday, Florida.

“It was a long journey, but she’s finally home and doing great,” Judy says.

Now Frankie spends her days soaking up the soft Florida breezes and purring through every cuddle. She may look a little different from most cats, but to her family, she’s purrfect.

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.