Last month we shared some stories that had slipped through the cracks, but stayed in our hearts. Here are more of our favorite cats, selected by our team. Thank you for supporting our work to help them all find incredible homes!
“[Bamboo] soon recognized me as not only the bringer of treats, but the bringer of her favorite animated toy, and the hisses faded into the past.”
Marie’s Pick
Bellatrix and Bunny
Bellatrix and Bunny. Photo by the Cat Man of West Oakland.
Bellatrix and Bunny were living outside before another rescue brought them to us. Bellatrix has soft, superfine fur, but was covered in painful matts, which they shaved off into a lion cut. Both cats started off really stressed, and hid a lot those first few days. Bunny was even more shy than Bellatrix, and hid almost all the time, only eating treats when no one was nearby and closing her eyes to try and disappear. Over time she began to show a brave face, and even play. I loved to watch her drag her toys back to her hiding spot to play where she felt safest. They were making progress, and feeling more confident day by day! But it took a while to find adopters patient enough to let them hide, and who would commit to keeping Bella’s fur untangled with daily brushing. They even got adopted and returned three days later for hiding too much, so we held out for someone with extra patience to make sure their next adoption would stick.
Bellatrix with one of her adopters.
It just so happens that one of our fosters was moving out of the country, and her cat-loving neighbors were moving to her apartment, inheriting an incredible catio where cats could safely sniff flowers and laze in the sun. They already had one cat, Squid, and wanted another cat to be Squid’s friend — so our foster told them about Cat Town. As soon as they met Bellatrix and Bunny, they knew they had to become a three-cat home. They took things slowly while the girls adjusted to yet another move and more new surroundings, and got some support from our volunteer Case Managers with the introduction. Before long, they let us know, “Bella loves to be held and kissed and follows us around everywhere… Bunny LOVES being pet and exploring at night.” They're all so in love, and it makes me glad to know the wait was worth it for this sweet pair!
Bellatrix and Bunny at home.
Andrew’s Pick
Pot roast
When I first saw him at Oakland Animal Services, hiding at the back of his kennel with his huge eyes, I assumed Pot Roast was one of the hundreds of kittens that the city's shelter takes in every summer. Pot Roast had been surrendered to the shelter along with four other unaltered cats, so I thought he was probably the offspring of his former guardians' other pets. Cat Town helps hundreds of shy kittens like that every year, and frankly, it can be hard to keep them all straight in my mind. But something seemed different about little Pot Roast. Weighing in at just over three pounds, it was easy to assume he was maybe 3-4 months old, but on closer examination he turned out to be an adult cat of 2 years ! A mouth full of adult teeth gave away his secret: Pot Roast was growth-restricted and possibly had dwarfism. Knowing that these cats are prone to medical complications throughout their lives, we took this shy, sweet cat into our program so he could get the care he needed.
Pot Roast. Photo by the Cat Man of West Oakland.
We sent him for a checkup at our veterinarian, where of course he got great care, but also found his home. The staff at the veterinary hospital loved the little guy so much, they adopted him as their clinic cat. He spends his days at the clinic, happily greeting other pets and giving comfort and love to the hardworking staff, and spends his evenings at home with a hospital staff member. We couldn't have asked for a better home — not only is he loved, but he will have the best possible care for the rest of his life. Thanks to Claremont Vet Hospital for the care they show all our cats, but especially Pot Roast. He is now called Groot, and you can follow his story on his Instagram.
Kristin’s Pick
Forest and Hunter
Forest (black) and Hunter (dilute tortie).
Forest and Hunter started out their lives as strangers! They were both strays and brought to the shelter one day apart. We brought them to Cat Town and put them together in a Studio with a couple other cats. They very quickly started hanging out together, always sleeping next to each other. Forest — the hissy, swatty one — always played the protector. She’d position herself in front of Hunter, and wouldn't let anyone near her friend. They were both very shy and under-socialized, so our staff and volunteers went to work. Pretty soon, Hunter would venture out away from Forest, and started asking for pets from visitors. She would purr and trill loudly for attention, and would rub against us and get very affectionate. Everyone that spent a lot of time with them seemed to be charmed by her, including me!
The girls were coming along great, so we moved them from their Studio to our main room at the Adoption Center to see how they’d progress there with more confident role model cats around. Forest loved playing with visitors at first, but still wouldn’t really let anyone touch her. After some more work and time, she finally started coming around, so we marked them as ready to adopt! After a little more time, a wonderful couple came along who was willing to continue to work on the girls’ socialization at home, and they were adopted. So many staff and volunteers came to say their goodbyes. A few weeks later the two had already made great progress, and one of their adopters told us, “These are easily the sweetest, most wholesome cats I've had.” I will always hold a special place in my heart for those beautiful girls!
Hunter. Photo by Erica Danger.
Forest. Photo by Erica Danger.
Hunter and Forest at home.
Dilara’s PICK
Bamboo
Bamboo. Photo by the Cat Man of West Oakland.
When I first approached Bamboo, a beautiful calico with sea-green eyes, I was greeted with a huge hiss. Well, hello then! I respect a good “back off” when I see or hear one — and that was the start of our friendship. She soon recognized me as not only the bringer of treats, but the bringer of her favorite animated toy, and the hisses faded into the past.
Bamboo was very under-socialized when she arrived at Cat Town, and very unsure about all people. She was great with other cats though — one of the best! I have fond memories of her attempting to teach one of our older kittens (who did NOT have good cat skills) how to play appropriately. She was amazingly persistent and patient.
Over time Bamboo would readily come up to strangers, often lying down just out of reach, and engaging with feather toys from a distance. Try to pet her, though, and she would dart away. We knew we would need a special adopter who would be willing to “fine-tune” her socialization in a home environment, where, with stability and fewer people, she could get to the next level of trust: enjoying petting and handling. And one day, we got just that. A wonderful couple with a young cat at home came in looking for a companion for their cat. They fell in love with Bamboo, and the love story continues at home, where she reaches new “firsts” regularly — like sleeping on their bed! To their delight, she was great with their cat from the get-go, which was not a surprise to me, but is such a blessing for adopters.
I love Bamboo’s story because it highlights not only what Cat Town can bring out in the cats, but what we trust adopters to take on — because it does take a village. We can only do what we do because of people like Bamboo’s adopters!
Bamboo. Photo by the Cat Man of West Oakland.
Thank you for making it possible for us to help these cats!