Phoebe was not ready to come back to the shelter when she did. She had such a perfect life where she was and she had no clue what was happening to her. About four years ago, we rescued a five year old cat named Jellybean from impending euthanasia at a local county shelter. She was all black and was a bit shy. When we rescued her, we did not know what a special cat she would be. As she sat in our adoptable cat room, nobody ever paid any attention to her; instead, visitors went straight to the kittens and the younger, “better” looking cats. The stress of not being in a home caused Jellybean to sit in her kennel and pull out chunks of her hair. Although we gave her some medicine to help her be a bit less stressed, it did not seem to help. One volunteer saw the hurt in Jellybean’s eyes and could not stand it anymore. That day was probably the best day of Jellybean’s life. Volunteer Susan took Jellybean home to a warm, caring, and comforting environment. Her first day at home, Susan renamed her Phoebe as it fit her personality better. Susan was a regular volunteer, which meant that we got updates at the center daily on how she was doing. We loved the stories she told us and listened attentively. Phoebe lived happily and quietly in Susan’s home for almost five years. Her peaceful life changed suddenly one day when Susan was diagnosed with cancer.
All of Susan’s family lived out of state and Phoebe had nowhere to go while her mom was in the hospital. While we waited patiently for Susan’s recovery, Phoebe spent time in an extra office at Valley Humane Society. But, when we needed the office, she would go back and forth between foster homes. Not only was this stressful for her, but it was hard for Susan to know that her kitty was being transferred from home to home. The hair pulling problem quickly started again, and we all just wanted Phoebe to feel better. Every once in a while when Susan was feeling okay, she would go and visit Phoebe wherever she was at. One day, we got the phone call that we had been dreading for so long. After a long battle, Susan had passed away from cancer. This left Phoebe homeless and she never got to say her final goodbyes to her mom. Poor Phoebe was a ten year old kitty with no place to go. We took her back into our adoption program here at the center where she has been for over four months. Just like before, everybody passes her by and goes to look at the young and the playful.
Phoebe is a delightful cat with so much love to give. She greets visitors when they walk into our adoptable cat room and enjoys laying out in the sunshine with a person there talking to her gently or petting her. Although she is ten, that does not mean that she has a short life left. Most cats can live up to twenty years, which means she is only half way done living her life. She would make the perfect addition to your home and would provide you many years of love and comfort. Although we do everything we can here to comfort her, nothing is better than a “fur-ever” home.
