Foster Family Helps Pepper on Path to Adoption
With the help of several kind people in our community, we were able to rescue a stray cat named Pepper and get him to the shelter. Most young cats will quickly adapt to being in the shelter and find homes within days or weeks.
However, for some cats like Pepper, the noise and commotion of the shelter are scary, and they have a tough time getting adopted when they don’t feel their best. We knew Pepper was a wonderful cat and just needed a calm place where he could relax until we could find him a permanent home.
Our longtime volunteer Elaine took Pepper home to foster, giving him the space he needed to relax and become more comfortable around people. At first he hissed and wanted nothing to do with anyone. But Elaine was patient. She soon realized the way to his heart was through toys and treats. Several times a day, she quietly spoke with Pepper, gave him treats, and they played with his favorite wand toy. Soon Pepper was venturing out and exploring his room more. Within a few weeks, Pepper started approaching Elaine to pet him!
When Elaine needed foster coverage over one weekend, our volunteer Mary Jo cared for Pepper at her home, giving him the chance to play with her cats. Pepper had loads of fun watching the birds out the window and goofing around with one of Mary Jo’s cats.
Soon a young woman named Torielle contacted Baypath to find a companion for her cat. She met Pepper, absolutely loved him, and adopted him that day. Pepper’s new mom she tells us he’s been doing amazing from the start.
“Pepper and my other cat, Kyle, had an instant bond! They play together all day long and have from the first day they were together. They now sleep together and clean each other and I honestly can’t believe how close they’ve gotten in such a short amount of time.
He sleeps on my bedside table, which I have no turned into a comfy bed for him at night, and he sleeps with Kyle during the day. I absolutely love him and I love them together. I couldn’t be happier with how his forever home turned out!”
