Alyssa J. and her fiancé were not planning to adopt a cat, but when they went to Wayside Waifs, an ASPCA partner shelter, “just to look,” they fell into the same trap so many pet parents have fallen into before.
The couple initially went to Wayside Waifs to play with the available animals when they noticed a sweet two-year-old tabby named Cat Damon who quickly stole their hearts.
“The day we adopted Damon, the first thing we noticed was how playful he was,” says Alyssa. “When we got to spend time with him, we decided he would make the perfect addition to our family.”
But despite Cat Damon’s playful purrsonality, he wasn’t always the easygoing guy Alyssa fell in love with.
Bourne for Something Greater
After being rescued from a hoarding situation in Florida, Cat Damon, along with multiple other cats and small dogs, was transferred to the ASPCA Cruelty Recovery Center (CRC) in Columbus, Ohio. Upon arrival, it was found that many of the cats were positive for the feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Cat Damon tested positive for FeLV. This condition, though not life-threatening, could impact finding the right adopter.
In addition to his medical condition, Cat Damon was also traumatized by his past.
“He was the most shutdown and fearful of all the cats from this case,” explains Leah Finstad, Senior Manager of Placement and Foster at the CRC. “He hid in the back of his kennel and would swat and hiss when people tried to approach.”
In an effort to help him become more comfortable and confident, the staff at the CRC moved Cat Damon into an office where it was quieter. Their hope was that his personality would start to blossom in a more comfortable setting where he would regularly interact with people.
“While he slowly started to come out of his shell in the office, he didn’t seem to be thriving like some of the other cats,” Leah tells us. “We decided to send him to a foster home to see how he would do in a home environment with closer monitoring.”
Though he hid for the first few days, Cat Damon soon started to come out and explore his foster home. By the time his foster period was over, he had grown into a much more confident cat.
(Good Will) Hunting for a New Home
Now back at the CRC, Cat Damon was ready for his next adventure, life in an adoptive home. Our staff worked hard to find him a home, but unfortunately finding placement for an FeLV positive cat can be difficult.
“While many shelters will take FIV positive cats for placement, FeLV positive cats are more difficult to place,” says Leah. “There is still a lot of stigma surrounding FeLV and many shelters will not take cats that are positive into their programs due to them being more challenging to adopt out as well as being more prone to potential secondary health conditions. Since the CRC places most of our animals through shelter partners, we knew finding placement for so many positive cats would prove a challenge, but one we were willing to take on for these special cats!”
While waiting to find his person, Cat Damon was set up in CRC Senior Manager of Volunteers and Responders, Joseph Roger’s office while he was out of town.
“We hoped Cat Damon would only be staying a short time with us,” remembers Leah. “Well, he ended up staying another two months and completely took over the office! He even got his own nameplate outside of the office and everyone started referring to it as Cat Damon’s office.”
It was in his office that Cat Damon’s personality finally fully blossomed.
“He became the most affectionate and mischievous cat,” says Leah. “As soon as we came in each morning, he would start yelling for attention. Everyone in the shelter would come to his office to hang out with him throughout the day.”
Cat Damon could often be found walking on the computer keyboards, knocking things off the desk, stealing lunches and throwing his mouse toys out from underneath the door whenever he was alone—he learned that meant people would have to open the door to put the mice back which meant more attention!
“Cat Damon became one of the most well-known and best loved animals who has ever come through the CRC,” Leah tells us.
His Final Act as Shelter Cat
After months of searching, Leah finally secured placement for Cat Damon at Wayside Waifs, a dedicated ASPCA partner shelter in Kansas City, Missouri.
“Partnerships with shelters like Wayside Waifs are critical to ensuring pets like Cat Damon have a safe place to land after they are rescued and rehabilitated by the ASPCA,” says Jesse Rushin, Senior Director of Placement. “We are grateful for Wayside Waifs support and dedication to finding Cat Damon a great new home.”
Having created bonds with so many of the staff members at the CRC and being the final cat from his case to find placement, the staff threw Cat Damon a “furwell pawty.”
“This included a ‘furwell’ cake, orange punch and sherbet (in honor of our favorite orange tabby), his own bowl of tuna with a candle, Cat Damon themed party hats and décor, and staff members writing him good luck cards to send with him on his new journey,” Leah remembers. “All of those cards were sent with him to Wayside Waifs, and it was so sweet that their staff mentioned thing that were written in the cards when he arrived and let us know they were going to take the best care of him.”
Learning to Play a New Role
In February of 2022, roughly six months after being rescued, Cat Damon arrived at Wayside Waifs and shortly thereafter met Alyssa and her fiancé.
“My family at home consisted of two dogs that are almost one and my fiancé,” says Alyssa. “When picking a new baby for our home, we had to make sure he would be able to adjust to our dogs. We saw how playful he was and knew he would be perfect for our crazy girls at home. We are also very happy at how well he adjusted to our home and how brave he is to play with the dogs.”
When Cat Damon first arrived at his new home, he was nervous and didn’t want to be left alone. In order to help him slowly acclimate to his new digs, the couple set him up in the bathroom to start. Anytime either of them left the room, he would cry or meow until they came back. But, as the day went on, he started to shove his paw under the door to play with the dogs. By the second day, Cat Damon was able to be outside the bathroom with supervision to play with the dogs and by the third day, he could be left alone.
Like the little brother he is, Cat Damon began messing with his big canine sisters.
“Since our dogs aren’t potty trained yet, they stay in their kennels during the day. However, when the girls are in there, Damon will get on top of the kennel and stick his paw through and start swatting at the dogs,” says Alyssa. “Now the girls are in a separate room while we are gone.”
Cat Damon’s antics are just another exhibit of his playful personality, something Alyssa adores about him.
“Damon has been such a light in our lives. He is a great playmate with our little puppy and a very cuddly boy. I absolutely love the cuddles he gives,” she tells us. “It has also been a benefit for our dogs. They have learned sometimes it’s okay to play and sometimes it’s not a good time. They have learned how to act around a cat and what his limits are.”
The couple had never adopted a cat with FeLV before and were surprised to hear Cat Damon had it, but after falling in love with him and learning all about the sweet kitty, they couldn’t be happier with their decision.
“If you choose to adopt a cat with a medical condition, don’t be scared,” Alyssa explains. “Yes, it can be scary because cats can be good at hiding when they’re sick, however, if you take the time and get to know your cat and their personality, you can tell when they’re not feeling good.”
“We didn’t plan on adopting a cat, let alone a cat with a medical condition, however getting to know him, I couldn’t even imagine him not being part of the family,” she adds.
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