Donna Healey-Ogden, of Canadian Animal Rescue & Extended Shelter (C.A.R.E.S.), isn’t quite sure where Carly came from. All she knows is that, in September 2016, her organization received a call from the Vancouver Orphaned Kitten Rescue Association (VOKRA) asking if it could take in the small eight-year-old tabby.
“VOKRA has no shelter and, because Carly is timid and doesn’t like change, she wasn’t doing well in her foster home, where she was living with young children and dogs,” says Healey-Ogden. “She simply couldn’t cope with it.”
And, so, Carly was transferred to the warm, quiet Langley shelter, where her routine would be stabilized and she would have a chance to come out of her shell with the love and attention of caring staff and volunteers.
“We were told she was doing some marking in her foster home, likely because she was nervous, but we’ve had absolutely no problems with that here,” says Healey-Ogden. “In fact, despite her shy nature, she’s a wonderful little cat. She has been spayed, has all her shots and no medical problems. She’s doing much better in this environment, where things are much more calm.”
A serene home environment with a patient person, where dogs and very young children are absent, she adds, will be key to Carly’s successful adoption. “Carly’s adopter will very likely have to be the kind of person who understands cats, who is aware that she could get scared,” Healey-Ogden explains. “It could take six months or even a year to earn Carly’s affection, but I’m certain that if someone who wants to really help a cat is willing to give her what she needs, she will come around. Guaranteed.”
C.A.R.E.S. fundraising chair Clive Ellis says although Carly has been part of several adoption events that the shelter conducts in collaboration with the Langley location of PetSmart, her timid demeanour causes her to hide from the crowds. In other words, she has, through no real fault of her own, been overlooked. “There is no bad cat,” Healey-Ogden emphasizes. “You just need to accept them, especially when it’s a cat with an unknown or unstable history. The love, affection and companionship will happen, even if it takes some time. After all, it isn’t until a cat gets a home that the real relationship starts.”
Can you help Carly come out of her shell and give her the safe, loving forever home she so desires? Read her full profile on the C.A.R.E.S. website, CaresCatShelter.com, where complete adoption details can also be found.
