Story by Loraine McVey
When our beloved kitty passed away last year at 14, we were heartbroken and our home felt empty. We'd already had the best cat companion ever, and could never replace her. But when we heard about a local rescue group needing foster homes, we felt that fostering wouldn’t betray her memory.
Cat Town’s Foster Coordinator told us about a cat at the shelter who was really struggling. “What's his name?” we asked. "Well, the volunteers call him 'sad tabby''. That was all we needed to hear. We nervously agreed to foster and along came sad tabby, now known as Briggs, straight from the shelter. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.
Briggs, tucked away in the early days of fostering. Photo courtesy of Loraine McVey.
Briggs spent the first few weeks hiding in his kitty condo. Despite his fear, this little guy was also desperate for love and belly rubs, which we were happy to provide, even if it meant spending a lot of time rolling around on the floor to reach his hiding place. We knew we had a project ahead of us but we were not going to let him down. He really needed us, and we needed him. We were still grieving the loss of our dear cat, and it helped to have this important job to do.
Getting ready to bat at the Cat Dancer. Photo courtesy of Loraine McVey.
Cat Town helped us understand how to work with a traumatized cat. “Love + Time = Magic” they told us. Well, we had lots of love to give, and whatever time he needed.
From day one, Briggs brought us some challenges, but then, so much more joy. Every day, small but exciting steps marked his growing confidence and gave us cause to celebrate. He also turned out to be a "Tennis Tabby", batting at wand toys like a pro serving an ace.
While we were caring for this little project kitty, he was sneakily planting a paw in our hearts. It was clear, we were becoming his people, and one day, several months later, my husband said to me, “I love our Briggsy”. “Me too,” I said. We proudly changed our status from fosters to adopters.
When our last cat passed, I really thought we'd only have room for one special cat in our hearts, but now we know better. Briggs is a wonderful part of our daily routine, and our home wouldn't be the same without him. He loves to be near us whenever he can, and our favorite part of the day is seeing his tail quiver with excitement when he greets us. Instead of checking emails last thing at night, we hang out with Briggs for his brushing routine that puts him (and sometimes us) into a blissful trance.
Sad Tabby no more—Briggs is home. Photo courtesy of Loraine McVey.
We are so grateful we got to be Briggs' second chance, and that he got to be ours. He healed our hearts and proved the formula “Love + Time = Magic” is absolutely true.
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