The Aiken County Animal Shelter (ACAS) has two gorgeous cats in its feline facility who desperately need loving homes. Both are overcoming the emotional pain of suddenly finding themselves abandoned and alone.
Simone, a stunning, five-year-old Siamese mix with a coat of multiple colors, was brought to the shelter because her owners moved and left her behind to fend for herself. When neighbors saw Simone was abandoned, they fed her for weeks before surrendering her to the shelter. When she arrived, Simone was an unhappy and confused kitty.
Gwen, on the other hand, was heartbroken for a different reason. Her owner’s health declined sharply, forcing her to enter an assisted living facility – a place where Gwen was not welcome. The one-year-old Tiger Tabby went from the warm lap of her owner to a steel kennel in a noisy shelter filled with other scared, homeless pets. When Gwen arrived, she was vocal about her displeasure with being separated from the only human she’d ever known and loved.
Due to their emotional trauma, both Simone and Gwen acted out when they first got to the shelter by trying to bite or scratch people who showed them affection. Simone mostly slapped at folks’ hands when she got nervous or felt overstimulated. Gwen, who wasn’t used to meeting so many new people, seemed to want to be petted but didn’t know how to respond. Sometimes she would get scared and bite to relieve her anxiety.
“Cats are creatures of habit,” said ACAS Adoption Coordinator Hillary Clark-Kulis. “They like their usual routines and sometimes when they have to come to the shelter, their worst traits can come out.”
Simone and Gwen, now living together in the cat facility, are doing much better. Staff and FOTAS volunteers have worked with them every day, helping them to adjust to their new environment and preparing them for their future homes. They will make wonderful feline companions for people who know and love cats.
Simone just needs a home of her own, where she can get a lot of attention and love, and Gwen needs an owner who will help her to trust new people.
“I think living with one person her entire life, Gwen is used to only one way of being treated or given affection,” Hillary said. “She is learning how to reciprocate kindness and attention from different people. She loves to be talked to and would do well in a home with other cats.”
If you would like to adopt Simone or Gwen, please call the Aiken County Animal Shelter, 803.642.1537 (option #3) or email info@fotasaiken.org and make an appointment to visit them. Or just stop by the shelter. Walk-ins are welcome! Cat adoption fees this month are just $10. The ACAS is located at 333 Wire Road, Aiken, 29801. The shelter is full & needs adopters & fosters.
Their lives are in our hands.
— By Bob Gordon, FOTAS Communications Director
