A cat named Whisper finds her voice

Whisper the cat is anything but quiet. For the longest time, though, she didn’t have a lot to say. When Whisper came to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary from a shelter, she was incredibly shy. The veterinary team discovered she is also deaf. She preferred to burrow in her bed and watch the world from a safe distance.

[Behind the scenes in Cat World at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary]

Best Friends’ goal is for all shelters to reach no-kill, and that means working together with other animal welfare organizations to save pets’ lives, giving each one what they need to move out of the shelter and into a happy new life. Whisper needed a calm space and time to learn to trust people. And an unexpected connection over a record player would help her come out of her shell.

At the Sanctuary, Best Friends staff person Annie Huffman hoped to make friends with Whisper and show her that people can be pretty great. So Annie started taking Whisper on “field trips” to her office building, where she’d have her pick of her favorite spot. Whisper would stay with her for the day just quietly supervising Annie as she worked. “I think that helped her out of her funk,” Annie says.

The duo found they share a love of music — an unexpected connection, especially for a cat who can’t hear. “I brought in a record player, and she would come into my office and seem to listen with me,” Annie says.

Whisper started coming out and exploring more after her trips to Annie’s office. “She has a new favorite office now that she’s come out of her shell. It has the best windows for her to watch out of,” Annie says.

As Whisper has grown more confident in her home-between-homes, she’s become more curious about the people she shares it with, too. “She'll come in your office and look at you — then howl this crazy howl,” Annie says. Sometimes, Whisper gets a little closer. She’ll place her paws on someone’s legs, sniff, and then dart away — a tentative hello, offered on her terms.

[Why Does My Cat Meow So Much?]

Those howls hello were only the beginning. Whisper now spends her days meowing and chattering at birds through the windows. And one evening, Annie heard a kitty chorus coming from inside her office: Whisper was practicing her new vocals.

These days, Whisper moves through life on her own terms. Some days she strolls through the building like she owns it, stopping to watch birds from her favorite windows. Other days, she disappears into a cozy bed, needing space again.

She’s still cautious, but one thing is clear: She’s no longer shut down and hiding away from the world. She’s finally singing along to the song inside her.

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.