Faces of No-Kill: Cat’s adoption is chef’s kiss
Although Chef the cat’s peaceful home is the opposite of a hectic restaurant kitchen, the objective is the same: to keep Chef happy. For Chef’s human, that means holding him like a teddy bear, never running out of his favorite treats, and serving up head scratches on demand.
Yes, Chef is enjoying the sweet life. But not long ago, his circumstances were a recipe for disaster.
This story is a part of our Faces of No-Kill series, highlighting the journey of pets who lost their place to call home. These pets are thriving today thanks to animal shelters that said yes to lifesaving with a community that found a way to save them. Best Friends’ goal is for every shelter and every community to reach no-kill, and this story shows why that’s so important.
A recipe for disaster
When Chef arrived at a Los Angeles County shelter, his life was on the line. The 1-year-old kitty had multiple serious injuries, possibly from being hit by a car. At the same time, devastating wildfires had started sweeping across the region.
To get Chef the urgent care he needed — and to make room in the county shelter for pets impacted by the fires — he came to the Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in West L.A.
The Best Friends vet team discovered that Chef had a tear in his diaphragm, the muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen.
[Faces of No-Kill: Cat sails through life after surgery]
“He didn’t have appropriate space for his lungs to expand to breathe correctly,” says Best Friends staff person Faith Giesick. The team quickly arranged for Chef to have specialized surgery to repair the tear.
A taste of the good life
The surgery was a success, and with plenty of TLC, Chef recovered beautifully. After his hospital stay, he was adopted faster than you can say, “Order up!”
[Cat’s future looks bright after life-changing surgery]
Today, Chef’s job is lounging on the couch, where he makes biscuits while being petted by his person and cuddles with his feline friend (who’s black and white just like him). After a harrowing start, Chef’s life is simply delicious.
Let's make every shelter and every community no-kill
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.
You can help save homeless pets
You can help end the killing in shelters and save the lives of homeless pets when you foster, adopt, and advocate for the dogs and cats who need it most.
Saving lives around the country
Together, we're creating compassionate no-kill communities nationwide for pets and the people who care for them.
Let’s be friends!
Connect with us on social media to stay in the loop about the lifesaving progress we’re making together.
