Good things come to those who wait – especially when shy, skittish cats are involved. This adoption story is about a cat who was adopted in August. Jasper, who is 8 years old, was so anxious at the shelter that he was often in hiding; staff veterinary technician Christina Hegstad, CVT, spent a lot of time with Jasper to help him come out of his (furry) shell. We considered Jasper’s adoption in August a big success story, so we reached out to the adopter to see if she wanted to share it. She said she would, but she was still taking her time with Jasper; she asked if we could wait a bit – it would be a better story, she thought. Well, she recently reached back out to us, and she’s right: It’s a very, very good story.
“When my beloved Crookshanks died in July, I told myself I would wait a few months and then find a cat just like him. Instead, just three weeks later, I saw Jasper’s picture in the Humane Society’s feature in the SCTimes and fell in love. When Jasper let me pet him — to the amazement of the staff — I knew it was meant to be.
What followed was nearly a week in which my only sightings of Jasper were in the night vision camera I set up in his room. Slowly I learned to sit on the floor, talk to him and read aloud until he came out of his hiding place.
Now, six months later, Jasper loves sitting on my lap while having his gorgeous ruff brushed. He must have been an actor in a previous life because the soliloquies with which he tries to convince me he is starving are truly Shakespearean. He entertains me by attacking his favorite toys and then running around the apartment, stopping occasionally to make sure I’m watching. He’s as different from Crookshanks as he can be and I love him to the moon and back. I am very thankful to Tri-County Humane Society for making his adoption possible.”
“All the world’s a stage, and the men and women (AND CATS) merely players.” William Shakespeare
