By Gwendo and Sean
When we heard Monk’s story, we knew we had to help. At 10 years old, he was surrendered to the Oakland city shelter by a family who clearly loved him very much, but sad circumstances kept them from giving him the home he needed. That didn’t stop his little heart from breaking when they said goodbye.
Monk is so much more comfortable in our home.
At the shelter, Monk went days without eating. Cat Town brought him to their Adoption Center, where staff fed him by hand, coaxing him to eat, bite by bite.
We’d never fostered a cat before, but when we saw Cat Town’s post asking for help, we responded immediately. Neither of us could let this sweet cat be without a home for one more second. We couldn’t just hope someone would do the right thing.
We knew he was depressed, but were shocked that Monk was losing clumps of fur. He was obviously stressed, and hid all day. But at night, Monk was quick to purr, and pawed at our bed sheets to snuggle. After three months of love he’s settling into home life, and even plays with toys again. We think his heart is starting to heal, and his coat has grown back in, too. He’s still shy, but every night, he crawls under the covers to sleep in bed with us.
This summer, while kitten season is underway, lots of senior cats like Monk will have a longer wait to find a forever home. We are both grateful that we can give Monk the love he deserves while he waits for a new home. It’s our first time fostering, but it won’t be our last.
UPDATE!
Not only has Monk fully recovered, he has become part of the family! We are thrilled that Monk has officially been adopted by Sean and Gwendo, who look forward to many more snuggly bedtimes with this sweet senior.
Back to the Cat Town Blog.