Challenging Adoptions: Finding the Right Fit

Susan Tarczewski

As anyone in the world of rescue can tell you, some animals have a harder time finding their forever homes than others. Reasons range from chronic medical problems requiring special care and expense to quirky personalities needing just the right match. Some of our favorite rescue tales at Sullivan County Humane Society involve cats who, like Goldilocks, needed that “just right” situation.

Nikki is a beautiful, shy cat who lived with her first family for four years. They tried their very best, but she was simply terrified of the children in the home. The family made the difficult decision to surrender her to Sullivan County Humane Society to give her the best possible chance of finding a home in which she could feel safe and secure. She is declawed, making it absolutely essential that she be in an indoor-only home. She is currently at the shelter, awaiting that perfect placement.

Lovely long-haired Biggles was brought to a local veterinarian to be euthanized although she was young and perfectly healthy. Her sensitive nature led to her being very stressed in the home she was living in, and her former owners did not see any other solution. Luckily, the vet convinced the owners to surrender her instead, and she was brought to SCHS. When she arrived, she was fearful and shy, yet very sweet. Volunteers worked patiently with her to help her feel safe and secure, a challenge in the stressful environment of a shelter. Shelter staff knew she would need to go to a quiet calm home in which she would be given the space to come out of her shell at her own pace. When a prospective adopter came to the shelter looking for a cat, she just knew that Miss Biggles was the one for her. She was planning a move to a new home, and the adoption was not formalized until this was completed in order to minimize the stress for this

Biggles Nikki

sensitive cat. The adoptive mom continued visiting the shelter during this time, for seven weeks, to build a trusting bond with Biggles. They are living their happily-ever-after life together now.

Graham and Marie were kittens from separate litters in foster care with SCHS volunteers. They were adopted together in 2017. Cats living together sometimes form a special relationship, becoming a “bonded pair,” which is what happened with these two. If separated, bonded cats truly suffer so shelter workers do everything in their power to keep bonded pairs together. Changes in the adopter’s home life proved stressful for Graham in 2019 and the two were returned to the shelter. They were adopted a second time and all went well until the Pandemic. Sadly, the second adopter had to move and felt that the changes would be too difficult for Graham so the pair were returned to SCHS a second time. Spring 2021

Graham and Marie found a third home with loving adoptive dads, and are doing well. The third time proved to be the charm for this duo! It is important to note that there are times an adoption doesn’t work out in the long term. Part of what adopters agree to when they adopt a cat from SCHS is to return the cat to the shelter if this unfortunate situation occurs. SCHS is committed to the welfare of these cats for life.

The mission of the Sullivan County Humane Society is to preserve, protect, and provide for stray, neglected, and abused animals. It is a no-kill shelter located in Claremont, NH, and provides many other services to Sullivan County, including regular low-cost spay and neuter clinics. For more information about SCHS, please visit their website at sullivancountyhumanesociety.org or their Facebook page.

National Hairball Awareness Day

April 30, 2021

Falling on the last Friday in April every year, National Hairball Awareness Day, on April 30 this year, aims to promote awareness of our pets’ health and happiness. Predominantly a concern for cats, rabbits, and cattle, hairballs are a healthy part of animals’ routines, but can also be evidence of an underlying health issue.