By Shannon Shaffer
I was clearing out some photos today and I found a “before” picture of Eva. Eva when she was on her own. Unhappy. Not safe. Before she went to the S.P.A.
It was two years ago when I saw this very sad cat whose family had moved and dumped her on the street. Two families were feeding her and asked if I could help because they financially couldn’t help her any longer. Having two very timid adopted cats myself, I knew I couldn’t keep her and approached the S.P.A. for help. I knew that Eva was a remarkable cat, incredibly intelligent. Thankfully, the S.P.A. agreed to take her in.
Eva’s transition into the S.P.A. was not easy for anyone. She was awful! She was mean to the volunteers and other cats and essentially unadoptable. A few months later I became a cat volunteer for the S.P.A. and saw firsthand what a difficult time Eva was having adjusting to the S.P.A. and communal living. At first the cat volunteers did not like her at all because she was so difficult. Every week I would campaign for her by sending an email to the cat volunteers, praising Eva, pointing out how great she was, hoping to influence their reactions to her. Eventually all of us (Eva included) turned it around. Eva came to realize that she had found a place where she would be safe and comfortable. Astonishingly, she became a lap cat, happy, well, demanding to monopolize any volunteer’s lap to the exclusion of others. She went from not wanting to be around volunteers to becoming a diva, wanting the volunteers’ exclusive attention. Eva’s S.P.A. photos show her relaxed, happy, and beautiful.
Now that she had the backing of the cat volunteers, we needed to coax her into opening up to adopters. I watched her when potential adopters came in. She would look them up and down and haughtily walk away. Then a miracle happened. A man came to the S.P.A. wanting to adopt a cat as the only pet in his family. He hoped that the cat would bond with his grandfather, who was bedridden but craving the company of a cat, upon whom he planned to shower exclusive, devoted attention. Making a straightforward choice, Eva meowed and purred her way into his heart and went home to her new family. Sofia, the S.P.A.’s adoptions coordinator, reports that when she arrived at her new home she didn’t hide, as most cats do. She checked out the situation and decided this is where she needed to be. A match made in heaven.
Eva’s success is a tribute to everything the S.P.A. does. She captured my heart in so many ways and now has captured the hearts of her new family. Our current Pet Food Money Bank fundraiser is designed to raise money to provide food for all our cats and dogs until they, too, find forever homes. It is the S.P.A.’s only major fundraiser of the year. To learn how to donate to help our animals, please see our website https://www.spasanmiguel.org/pet-food-money-bank. If you have questions, call 415 152 6124 or write info@spasanmiguel.org. Please don’t delay. Deposit funds today! We need and appreciate your support. Thank you!
