There’s an old southern adage, “For every pot, there is a lid,” which is just a short and sweet way of saying “whoever you are, there’s someone out there for you.” Eight-year-old Stevie the cat had been a resident of the Burbank Animal Shelter for over a year. She was part of the shelter’s socialization program for cats, which helps scared animals build up the trust and social skills they need to find a furever home.
Stevie had a sassy disposition when she found herself around new people or in unfamiliar territory. Our salty gal only liked to be pet on her own terms (and she would let you know when petting time was done!).
Nevertheless, our skilled socialization team members knew that there was a sweet, silly side to Stevie just waiting to come out. All it would take to find it was patience, time, and a few delicious cans of soft cat food.
But for over a year, Stevie waited and waited for her furever family to finally come and take her home. There’s another adage that says, “everything happens in its own time” and the right time for Stevie was coming.
The right time
Elisa and her family had two wonderful cats that they loved. Sadly, however much we love our furry family members, they don’t get to stay with us for as long as we’d like. “Our family recently lost our cat to cancer. Her loss happened so quickly; she went for a vet visit and didn’t make it back. We were devastated and mourning her loss.”
Elisa was on the Burbank Animal Shelter mailing list and as fate would have it, they received a letter at just the right time. “Our family had vowed to save an older cat from the shelter in her honor, the day after we lost Sandy, I got an email from The VBAS with Stevie’s picture and description on it. It made me laugh and knew we had to adopt her b/c she was described almost exactly like our Sandy.”
They made and appointment to come in and meet Miss Stevie at the shelter. True to her nature, Stevie didn’t make it easy on her new almost family. In Elisa’s words, “She was a cranky one!” Despite the rough exterior, they knew that they could provide Stevie with a good home. “My partner, Lawrence, went to meet her as well and he agreed we could give her a good home. I was still very hesitant to adopt her because it felt too soon, but we knew we had to save a life.”
Furever Home
Elisa, Lawrence, and their family signed the adoption papers and took Stevie to her new home. The right family at the right time (pot, meet lid) brought out the sunny side of Stevie we all knew was there all along. “Stevie quickly got comfortable in her new home, she lets us pet her, play with her and even made herself comfortable in our bed when she decided to escape the area we had fenced off for her.”
She even has a new cat roommate….and they’re taking things slow. “Stevie and our other cat Bungie are still working on their relationship but know that they will soon be good friends.”
For Stevie, everything happens in good time.
