An Angel for Angel

An Angel landed at the Ontario SPCA Sudbury & District Animal Centre on the last day of 2019 — a senior cat whose pet parent had passed away. With her ears down and tail tucked, Angel was unhappy and withdrawn, and we knew it could take time for her to adjust. A week later, we placed her in a foster-to-adopt home in the hopes she would come out of her shell.

Unfortunately, Angel stopped eating and interacting altogether. Her foster mom, who was worried about Angel’s health, made the decision to bring her back to our centre. A veterinary examination determined Angel was dehydrated. Our dedicated staff immediately got to work following the veterinarian’s advice, dispensing fluids, syringe feeding, medication and lots of love.

In the first week of treatment, Angel let us know she did not enjoy taking her meds or being syringe-fed. But she began letting us interact with her, even accepting quick pats. It was a start on the road to recovery.

Hope for Angel

After three weeks of treatment — and as much love as she would allow — Angel took her first bite of food on her own. It was as if a spark inside her had re-ignited, and she slowly began to recover.

During her time in care, she didn’t groom herself, which had led to matting. But now she was up walking, moving and exploring, which is more than she’d been able to muster in almost a month. And that was a turning point. It meant she was able to go into our free-roam cat room, which she shared with another cat. This proved to be a huge step in Angel’s recovery. She began grooming and interacting with us daily.

An eight-year-old declawed female, Angel frightened easily and was nervous of strangers touching her. Being declawed made her more reactive than other cats, so while there was adoption interest, she wouldn’t let anyone close.

As the weeks passed, a staff member devoted to Angel, who spent time with her every day, brought a group of Girl Guides in for a tour. One of the leaders saw Angel and heard her story.

A life changing second chance

On March 3, we received the message that would change this senior cat’s life: “I fell in love with Angel from a distance last week.” Finally, someone was taking a chance on our girl. And the Girl Guide leader’s name was Grace, so it seemed destined that Angel would accept Grace.

We prepared Angel’s new mom that the cat may hide at first and might not eat or engage. Wow, were we wrong! On day one, Angel avoided her adopted mom but explored every nook and cranny of her new home and started eating. By day three, Grace’s computer chair was Angel’s spot.

At the end of their first week together, Grace sent us a video of Angel remembering how to play, and our team cried because this was the first time we’d heard her purr. This little senior cat was one of our longest residents at the Sudbury & District Animal Centre and, although she was comfortable with us in the end, her story is proof that a home can make all the difference.

Angel now asks to be pet, lets Grace brush her and has become very vocal, demanding her wet food every morning. We are so happy and proud of how far she has come and forever grateful to Grace for giving her a chance.

Guest blog from the animal care staff at the Ontario SPCA Sudbury & District Animal Centre.