Two Adoptable Black Cats

A couple of months ago I described my adoption of Louis from Foreclosed Upon Pets, Inc. I am delighted to report that his early transformation from a frightened figure huddled under my bed to The King of the Apartment has continued. He now prefers to sleep curled up by my pillow where he also washes my hands in between scritches.

The process has given me a much deeper appreciation of the difficulties in adopting neglected and abused cats, but more importantly it has shown me how much such an animal can change and adapt, particularly when placed in the right environment and treated with love and patience. Most striking of all is the huge reward adopting such a cat can bring.

I'd like you to also enjoy the reward. And I'm giving you two distinct options.

Buddy is a neutered male cat, around 4-5 years old, with a black medium-long coat and an endearing raspy voice. He was found wandering the Vegas streets, apparently abandoned. He is a territorial alpha male and for this reason needs to be an only pet in a peaceful environment without children. He enjoys human attention, including petting and brushing, but currently does not like being picked up. This may be because he is in a shelter where the sound of other cats and dogs overstimulates him. Indeed his discomfort around other animals means that rapid adoption is highly desirable. His vaccinations will be updated prior to adoption. If you'd like to meet Buddy please call 702-272-0010 or e-mail: forecloseduponpets@hotmail.com.

Kenny was abandoned and subsequently trapped and was about to be sent to the pound when a neighbor intervened. Kenny is a large neutered male, long-haired Tuxedo, about 5-6 years old and current on vaccinations. He doesn't seem that impressed with human beings at the moment, but my experiences with Louis and those of countless other adopters suggests all he needs is love, patience, and a secure environment. He does enjoy the company of other cats, and would thus make a wonderful addition to a home already blessed with one or two feline members. If you feel you could provide such a home, please call or text his foster mom at 702-205-1234 or e-mail fupishanna@gmail.com.

If you do choose to meet either cat your first reaction may be that they are cautious, stand-offish, or just plain frightened. Louis was petrified when he arrived at my apartment, and I confess there were times during the first few days when I wondered if I was going to find a way to get him past his fear. I should have trusted that most unique of all cat qualities: they love being loved. And whatever horrors they may have experienced at the hands of humans they somehow retain the ability to reconnect with those who deserve their affection.

And then they stop being scared and alone.

Foreclosed Upon Pets, Inc. (FUPI)

Few cities were harder hit by the recession than my recently-adopted home of Las Vegas. The combination of an economy dependent on the disposable income of others and a housing market that went from boom to free-fall led to high rates of unemployment and home foreclosures. The resulting human suffering has been well documented, but perhaps less appreciated is the terrible toll the recession took on pets.

Many pet owners suddenly found themselves with insufficient means to provide for their pets, or were forced to move into rental housing where pets were not allowed. The responsible owners took their pets to shelters; others simply abandoned their pets or left them without food in their vacated homes.

Foreclosed Upon Pets, Inc. (FUPI) was formed to specifically address the rapid increase in abandoned and otherwise homeless pets. The FUPI website explains:

Foreclosed Upon Pets, Inc (FUPI) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the rescue of domesticated animals that have been abused and/or abandoned by their owners as a result of economic hardship, including home foreclosure, loss of employment, insufficient income, or death and illness.

FUPI is staffed by volunteers who work incredibly hard to look after the cats and dogs at the FUPI shelter and to find both short-term fostering and long-term adoption for the pets that come into their care. While donations to fund their operations are always welcome (and tax deductible), and volunteers are also sought, the most important help anyone can give FUPI is to help find forever homes for the animals.

FUPI has regular sessions at Petsmart where you can meet some of their pets. Dates and times are listed on their website or you can e-mail FUPI at forecloseduponpets@hotmail.com.

Alternatively you can go to their website for currently available cats and dogs. Their adoptable pets are also listed through the national Petfinder service. FUPI also has a page at Facebook.

Many of the animals FUPI adopts out have had difficult pasts; that is usually why they are at FUPI in the first place. These difficulties range from the trauma of losing their homes and families to neglect and abuse. As a result, adopting these animals can involve a little more work than picking up a kitten or puppy at the local pet store.

The extra work is worth it. The young man below is Looey (a.k.a. Ludo Louis IX). The details of his story are not known, but he was found abandoned and in pretty poor physical shape. He is mostly Maine Coon and his magnificent coat had become seriously matted. In addition to his painful physical condition, his response to humans made it clear he had suffered considerable trauma, somewhere on the spectrum from neglect to actual abuse.

Such animals do not show well to potential adopters and Looey was in temporary foster care for over a year. His foster Mom did a magnificent job of helping heal his psyche, but he was extremely frightened of unknown people.

For the first four or five days after joining my household, Looey lived under my bed. Concerned that he would dehydrate I fed him bits of wet food on a fork. As he began to trust me he ventured a few feet out from the bed and accepted his meals from a bowl.

He now runs my apartment. In fact based on the above picture it seems his only adversary is his shadow, and he's winning that battle.

Most of you reading this will not currently have room for a new pet. However, many of you know someone whose life would be enriched through adopting a pet from FUPI. The benefits of a forever home to the animal are beyond measure.

Please share this post with anyone you know in the Las Vegas area, and if you live in other parts of the country or the world, please consider adopting a pet or supporting shelters like FUPI in whatever way you can.