By Melissa Lampert-Abramovitch, Co-Founder of Madeline’s Angels Pet Sanctuary

When I first met Rosie, I only knew two things about her: One, she had shown such fearful behavior at the shelter that she had to be moved into the feral cat room; and two, she was next on the shelter’s list to be euthanized.

As I stood a few feet back from her kennel, simply watching her watch me as she tried to shrink into the shadows, I knew that this wasn’t a mean cat who had no hope for a future. She was absolutely terrified.

Rosie in her foster home a few days after being pulled from the shelter.

After finding out a little more about her, I learned that Rosie had been with the same elderly owner for the first eight years of her life, probably used to quiet days filled with gentle pats and soft voices. When that owner died suddenly, she was dropped off at the shelter and stuck in a cold steel cage surrounded by other cats, with strangers constantly coming and going, a feeling of tension and fear hanging in the air.

I was also told that Rosie was declawed — and one look at her mangled toes told me it had been a botched declaw at that. It was no wonder she had resorted to trying to protect herself: stripped of their natural defense mechanism, declawed cats tend to be more brazen in stressful situations because they feel utterly helpless. On top of that, some cats who are badly declawed are either in constant pain or extreme discomfort with every step they take, making them more sensitive to stress.

Still standing there looking at the timid cat before me, I started talking to her in a soothing voice. I told her everything would be okay, that I would look past her fear and give her the chance I knew she deserved. I promised we would be back for her, and then I finally turned away.

Related: KHTS Adopt A Pet Series Sees 70 Total Adoptions So Far, Including 17-Year-Old Tabby Cat

A few days later, Rosie was brought to her foster home with me, where I focused on sitting outside her kennel in the spare bedroom, talking to her in the same soft voice I had used at the shelter while she watching me pensively.

It only took a few days before Rosie started to cautiously approach me for pets when I opened her kennel door to change her food and water. Soon she was purring up a storm and chirping happily in greeting when I came in the room. I started leaving her kennel door open so she could come and go as she pleased, and over the next two weeks I watched her transform into a completely different cat.

Rosie giving lots of purrs in her foster home.

Always happy to see me and ready for lots of pets, she would curl up in my lap and purr, purr, purr. Then I was even able to pick her up, and she would rest on my shoulder, eyes closed in contentment as I stroked her back.

But as hopeful as I was that Rosie had flipped the switch and become an “adoptable” cat, it became apparent pretty quickly that she still didn’t do well with strangers. As much as I had come to adore her and knew what a lovebug she could be, I also knew that it would take a very special adopter to be willing to take a chance on her, taking things incredibly slow at first and always being mindful of what she was trying to communicate.

Eight months went by and Rosie became the resident cat of the spare bedroom. It had become clear to us that she also needed to be the only cat in her future home. I was starting to think that she would be with me for the rest of her life, sure that any potential adopter would be scared away after our first in-depth conversation about her.

Related: KHTS Adopt A Pet Success Story: Blind Pitbull Nikova Adopted After Gaining National Attention

But then something miraculous happened: a retired couple from a town a few hours away submitted an application for Rosie. Mary Ann and Jim had no other pets, a quiet home environment, and experience with both shy and declawed cats. After emailing back and forth a few times, I had a long phone conversation with Mary Ann, who was more understanding of Rosie’s sensitivities than I ever could have imagined.

Rosie on her first day in her forever home.

Mary Ann told me that she and her husband had been searching the entire state for their next cat after losing their beloved Mija — also a declawed, shy tuxedo cat — with no luck. But one day, Jim came across Rosie’s adoption profile online and felt an instant connection. He told his wife, “I think I’ve found our girl.” The couple watched her “KHTS Adopt a Pet” video over and over again, and fell in love. There was nothing they wouldn’t do to give Rosie the smoothest transition possible, the space she needed and more love than she could have ever dreamed of once she was ready.

We planned a road trip out to Arroyo Grande to Mary Ann and Jim’s home. I had mixed emotions about saying goodbye to my foster baby after so long, but knew that I wanted more for her than an isolated life in a spare bedroom. After we arrived and filled out the paperwork, Rosie was shown her room and introduced to her new family. I was pleasantly surprised that she was comfortable enough to explore the room, even allowing Mary Ann to softly graze her fur as she passed by. We didn’t know how Rosie’s comfort level would change once we left, but felt completely confident that she was in good hands.

Over the next few weeks, the adoption updates from Mary Ann and Jim started coming in, and I could hardly believe my eyes as I read about the slow, but dramatic progress Rosie was making. The first email from Mary Ann said that Rosie had accepted a few quick ear scratches and pats, while Jim stuck his head in the room often to say hello. Mary Ann continued, “She was okay with all these moves… Progress?! We think so and love her so!”

Related: Former ‘KHTS Adopt A Pet’ Kitten In Need Of Surgery, MAPS Animal Rescue Launches GoFundMe

After one week together, Mary Ann wrote that they had started leaving the door to Rosie’s room open so she could explore the rest of the house. Though Rosie was still spending most of her time in her room, she was a little more confident at night, even jumping up onto the couple’s bed for a few minutes after they had gone to sleep.

A photo of Rosie lounging in her kitty condo came with the update, and I knew right then she was going to be okay: her body relaxed and eyes soft, the peaceful look of contentment on her face told me everything I needed to know.

A recent update photo from Rosie’s adopters.

The next update came a week later, with Mary Ann writing, “She has the run of the house but knows her room… She LOVES Jim! We have a good relationship and she knows who feeds her, but she’s Jim’s girl. She’s a big purr-er! Family cuddle sessions are on our bed in the evening watching TV, the three of us, and we love that!”

Then it was, “Three weeks have passed and we keep asking, ‘How did we get so lucky?’ Rosie is a dear, sweet, and still a bit jumpy girl! She loves Jim and I am her staff. Really she’s warm and dear with both of us, but she’d rather be with Jim… She has definitely settled in.”

The latest update came five weeks after Rosie’s adoption, and read, “Rosie is our dear girl! She is part of our routine, night and day. We have friends in, just two at a time, and she is very willing to meet them and be petted. They all say, ‘What a super sweet girl.’ This has been so easy and we both say how very lucky we were to find her. We couldn’t love her more.”

Needless to say, these emails brought tears of joy to my eyes to think of how far Rosie has come since that very first day in the shelter. I couldn’t have imagined a more compassionate, patient, and loving forever family for her than Mary Ann and Jim. I’m grateful every day that they were willing to give Rosie a chance, and that she is now one happy and unbelievably loved little girl.

About the KHTS Adopt a Pet Series

Every Wednesday, the KHTS Adopt a Pet series features an adoptable animal from the Santa Clarita Valley in need of a home. The KHTS Features team travels to different rescues and shelters in Santa Clarita to meet the pets and tell their stories in hopes of helping them get adopted. First launched in August 2016, the series has partnered with seven local rescues, as well as the Castaic Animal Shelter, to showcase nearly 100 dogs, cats and bunnies, and has seen 76 — and counting — adoptions so far. The series was created by Melissa Lampert-Abramovitch, who has more than 10 years of experience in the animal rescue world and co-founded Madeline’s Angels Pet Sanctuary in Santa Clarita in 2016.

See the full collection of the KHTS Adopt a Pet video feature series here.

Cinema Veterinary Centre

23460 Cinema Drive

Valencia, CA 91355

661-253-9300

Natural Balance Premium Pet Food

[email protected]

1-800-829-4493

See the full collection of KHTS Feature Stories and Videos on hometownstation.com here.