It’s Gotcha Day for Lucy and Rosie.
Five years ago a friend drove me to Selma AL to pick them up from the Humane Shelter.
Adopting an adult cat can be challenging at times. Cats don’t seem to adjust to shelter life as well as dogs do. Rosie & Lucy’s first caregiver died, their second had dementia and could no longer care for them, and they spent 9 months in the shelter after they were surrendered. I’d just lost my 18-year old cat. So, we needed some time to adjust to each other and for me to gain their trust. There were honestly times I wondered if I’d adopted them too soon after I’d lost my other cat. Now I can honestly say it was worth the adjustment period. I love them dearly. I will always be thankful for the Selma Humane Shelter Selma’s Purrrfect Pals for taking such good care of them during their long wait for a forever home.
There are benefits to adopting an adult cat. You don’t have to put up to the kitten foolishness (like climbing the curtains!). But you do have to give them time to adjust. It seems to take longer to build the trust from an adult cat. It took over a year for Rosie to give me that “slow blink” of acceptance.
There are so many lovely pets in shelters due to circumstances beyond their control … pets who have loved and been loved. Please consider opening your heart and home to one of these wonderful animals.
To celebrate their Gotcha Day I did a hand-rendered mixed media portrait for each of them. This is a type of portraiture that I love doing for pets and people. I can often work from an image you have already of your beloved pet. I’m including the original images so you can see what I started with as well as the finished product.
For more information on hand-rendered mixed media portraits for your pets and to see more samples please visit my Heirloom Portrait portfolio.