February 2024 Adoption Stories
Written by Julia Persch

Jet and Jack
In the beginning of November three tiny fluff balls were dropped off in a barn and were found by the resident family, who called KAS for help. They kept the kittens safe and warm overnight and brought them to the Shelter the next morning.
The babies were barely weaned, but full of life and ready to explore their new world on their stubby legs. Little Sabrina was the leader of the pack and in charge of playtime. Her gentler brothers, Jet and Jack, followed along. But Shelter life can be boring for kittens who require a lot of attention and socializing, and our volunteers have only so much time left to spend with every cat after cleaning and feeding everybody.
Luckily, foster mom Pat’s kindergarten had an opening, and the littles moved in. Pat reported that Sabrina was the most independent, energetic, and adventurous of the three. Jack was a cuddler who just wanted to be a lap cat, totally calm and trusting, super sweet and an all-around good boy. Jet was always the first one to run to her when she entered the room so he could be the first to be picked up and to snuggle on her lap.
Kittens need other kittens to grow into well adjusted, happy and balanced adults. Therefore, KAS adopts kittens out in pairs. But when there are three siblings, the most bonded and shy ones will be placed together. For the most confident, single kitten we find a home that has another friendly playful young kitty.
In the beginning of November three tiny fluff balls were dropped off in a barn and were found by the resident family, who called KAS for help. They kept the kittens safe and warm overnight and brought them to the Shelter the next morning.
The babies were barely weaned, but full of life and ready to explore their new world on their stubby legs. Little Sabrina was the leader of the pack and in charge of playtime. Her gentler brothers, Jet and Jack, followed along. But Shelter life can be boring for kittens who require a lot of attention and socializing, and our volunteers have only so much time left to spend with every cat after cleaning and feeding everybody.
Luckily, foster mom Pat’s kindergarten had an opening, and the littles moved in. Pat reported that Sabrina was the most independent, energetic, and adventurous of the three. Jack was a cuddler who just wanted to be a lap cat, totally calm and trusting, super sweet and an all-around good boy. Jet was always the first one to run to her when she entered the room so he could be the first to be picked up and to snuggle on her lap.
Kittens need other kittens to grow into well adjusted, happy and balanced adults. Therefore, KAS adopts kittens out in pairs. But when there are three siblings, the most bonded and shy ones will be placed together. For the most confident, single kitten we find a home that has another friendly playful young kitty.

Jet and Jack were adopted on February 7th by Haley in Winooski. Haley was very excited to invite a pair of young ones into her life. She had lost her beloved elderly cat a while ago and was ready for new feline companions. Her home was set up as a heavenly kitty playground with lots of opportunities for climbing, racing around, window watching, and snoozing in warm laps.
On February 16th Haley wrote:
The boys are bounding around the whole house, they're eating well, and they've started to snuggle a bit! My parents are visiting, and although the boys were a bit shy with them at first, now they don't have a problem. They're now called Raven and Sable. Raven is the more social and energetic one, Sable has slightly hooded eyes and likes to roll around on the ground. They are doing amazingly!
On February 16th Haley wrote:
The boys are bounding around the whole house, they're eating well, and they've started to snuggle a bit! My parents are visiting, and although the boys were a bit shy with them at first, now they don't have a problem. They're now called Raven and Sable. Raven is the more social and energetic one, Sable has slightly hooded eyes and likes to roll around on the ground. They are doing amazingly!

Nellie
Sweet Nellie was surrendered to the Shelter at the age of 7 when her person moved to another state. She had been with her owner since she was adopted as a barn kitten. Temporarily she found a new home with a family member, but the two resident cats chased after her; there was no peace in the house. The family admitted that it wasn’t Nellie’s fault, but that the other kitties were bullies.
In fact, Nellie was as good as gold. She was mellow and kind and made friends with her caretakers at the Shelter without hesitation. She had no trouble settling in, was easy going and content. But to a keen cat-lovers eye she was having a look of sadness about her. Nellie was one of those precious cats whose happiness depends on bonding with and loving her very own human companion.
A couple of weeks after Nellie’s arrival, Danielle and her teenage son Asa visited the Shelter during open hours to drop an application for a young cat called Aurora. Danielle had been looking for a kitty who might become her close pet and who would also be friendly with her son and husband. They spent some time sitting in the lobby where Aurora zoomed around, apparently not interested in meeting her potential new family. I was witnessing the scene from the next room where Nellie was lying on the desk beside my laptop, purring softly, and I felt that this adoption visit wasn’t going the right way.

I invited the visitors over to our room, and it was as if a light was switched on in Nellie… Danielle and Asa sat down on the floor and Nellie immediately went to greet them. She purred up a storm, flirted, waved happily around her guests and was more excited than I had ever seen her before. Now and then, Nellie turned to look at me with shiny big hopeful eyes as if to say “Please, I want these people!” Nellie had made her choice, and after a 20-minute love fest Danielle and Asa agreed wholeheartedly. They changed their application and brought Nellie to their home in Concord on February 17th.

On February 18th Danielle wrote:
I wanted to send you a few pictures. Nellie, who is now called Dolly, is doing well and I think she wants to get out of her safe room! That’s the plan for tomorrow. I brought a load of plants that are not cat-safe to my office today and moved some others around. The space for the cat tree by the window is cleaned out and ready.
She has been scooping litter out of the box. We’re getting the deluxe model ready downstairs for her tomorrow, and we’ll see if that suits her better. She’s met my husband Chang and immediately said hello to him. It may help that he had cooked fish at work last night 😉. Asa and I are frequent visitors in her room throughout the day and she is always up for some pets.
I wanted to send you a few pictures. Nellie, who is now called Dolly, is doing well and I think she wants to get out of her safe room! That’s the plan for tomorrow. I brought a load of plants that are not cat-safe to my office today and moved some others around. The space for the cat tree by the window is cleaned out and ready.
She has been scooping litter out of the box. We’re getting the deluxe model ready downstairs for her tomorrow, and we’ll see if that suits her better. She’s met my husband Chang and immediately said hello to him. It may help that he had cooked fish at work last night 😉. Asa and I are frequent visitors in her room throughout the day and she is always up for some pets.

On February 22nd Danielle wrote:
Dolly has fully adopted us and the house 🤗. She found Asa’s electric blanket and was helping him with schoolwork and loves being in the living room with me in the evenings. Thank you all again!

On February 27th Danielle wrote:
Dolly is awesome and here are a few more pics of her with us 😻. She is very snuggly and sleeps with me every night. She loves getting chin rubs from Chang! Asa feeds her in the evening if I’m running late from work. We absolutely love having her here ❤️.
Thank you and the team for all your diligence with your precious charges!
Danielle, Asa and Chang

Sable
KAS was contacted in January about a 6–7-year-old cat who was believed to be a Maine Coon. The people who had owned her had moved away in winter of 2020 and left her behind. The cat was very shy. Neighbors tried to get her indoors and it took them several weeks to succeed. The person who housed her since said that the cat was afraid of everything and everybody and was hiding most of the time. Her fur was very matted, she became overweight, and started peeing around the house. She was kept in a cage until her health improved after a visit and treatment at a vet clinic.
When Sable finally came to the Shelter, she was very shy. She got her own room that was spacious and quiet. She wouldn’t eat and had to take medicine to boost her appetite. Volunteers visited, gave her loving attention, and soon found out that Sable was a gentle soul, longing for company and lots of tender loving care. She enjoyed climbing high into her tree caves like many Maine Coons do and showed her affectionate nature with head bumps and soft purrs.
Although her appetite and spirits were rising at the Shelter, it was obvious that she needed a caring, quiet home to fully come out of her shell.
After she was posted online for adoption, we were flooded with applications from far and wide. A beautiful cat like Sable draws a lot of attention, but we needed to find a very special match for this girl who had been so unhappy and unwanted for a long time.
Sam and Paul from Waterford seemed to hit the right spot when they visited Sable at the Shelter. Their previous cat had been a soul cat to them, and it took them a long time to be ready for another kitty. But Sable’s story had touched their hearts. Sable responded well to the couple and was in high spirits for the rest of the day, a sure sign that the stars were lining up for her. Sable went home with Sam and Paul on February 24th.
KAS was contacted in January about a 6–7-year-old cat who was believed to be a Maine Coon. The people who had owned her had moved away in winter of 2020 and left her behind. The cat was very shy. Neighbors tried to get her indoors and it took them several weeks to succeed. The person who housed her since said that the cat was afraid of everything and everybody and was hiding most of the time. Her fur was very matted, she became overweight, and started peeing around the house. She was kept in a cage until her health improved after a visit and treatment at a vet clinic.
When Sable finally came to the Shelter, she was very shy. She got her own room that was spacious and quiet. She wouldn’t eat and had to take medicine to boost her appetite. Volunteers visited, gave her loving attention, and soon found out that Sable was a gentle soul, longing for company and lots of tender loving care. She enjoyed climbing high into her tree caves like many Maine Coons do and showed her affectionate nature with head bumps and soft purrs.
Although her appetite and spirits were rising at the Shelter, it was obvious that she needed a caring, quiet home to fully come out of her shell.
After she was posted online for adoption, we were flooded with applications from far and wide. A beautiful cat like Sable draws a lot of attention, but we needed to find a very special match for this girl who had been so unhappy and unwanted for a long time.
Sam and Paul from Waterford seemed to hit the right spot when they visited Sable at the Shelter. Their previous cat had been a soul cat to them, and it took them a long time to be ready for another kitty. But Sable’s story had touched their hearts. Sable responded well to the couple and was in high spirits for the rest of the day, a sure sign that the stars were lining up for her. Sable went home with Sam and Paul on February 24th.

On February 25th adoption counselor Nancy wrote:
I spoke with Sam just a few minutes ago. Sam feels that Sable is doing very well. She was very talkative the whole way home (only about 15 minutes) and didn’t seem to like the car or being in the carrier.
She explored the house for part of yesterday, and hid part of the time. She found a comfortable hiding space in a closet that Sam had prepared for her.
Last night, she wandered around the house for a while and then slept around Paul’s head. They were thrilled!
Sable is friendly and wants attention in episodes. She has rolled on her back for belly rubs. She is enjoying petting and having her chin scratched.
She has eaten a few crunchies but not much food yet.
I spoke with Sam just a few minutes ago. Sam feels that Sable is doing very well. She was very talkative the whole way home (only about 15 minutes) and didn’t seem to like the car or being in the carrier.
She explored the house for part of yesterday, and hid part of the time. She found a comfortable hiding space in a closet that Sam had prepared for her.
Last night, she wandered around the house for a while and then slept around Paul’s head. They were thrilled!
Sable is friendly and wants attention in episodes. She has rolled on her back for belly rubs. She is enjoying petting and having her chin scratched.
She has eaten a few crunchies but not much food yet.

On February 27th Sam wrote:
I just wanted to thank you for being a part of Sable's adoption. You & your staff were just wonderful, and we feel like we have been gifted the perfect kitty for us and, hopefully, for Sable.
We brought beautiful Sable home on Saturday afternoon and she seems to be adjusting quite well. While still skittish and shy, she has been roaming all over our little house, is using her litter pan (yay!), is eating sporadically, lets us pet her a lot (even her belly), has been lounging on our bed where she can watch the birds and any other things of interest outdoors and spent a couple hours in our laps last evening. She is very playful and very affectionate, and we love her dearly already.
She prefers to spend most of the daylight hours sequestered in my closet, where she has a nice soft space to hide, but comes out late in the day to be spoiled. She is a very sweet girl and I am hopeful that we can assure her that all the trauma she has endured is in the past and that she will be loved and coddled for the rest of her days.
Thank you again, so much, for your faith in our ability to give Sable a good & loving home.
Attached are a couple pics. She doesn't hold still very well for them, but you can see that she's pretty comfy.
Blessings,
Samantha & Paul
I just wanted to thank you for being a part of Sable's adoption. You & your staff were just wonderful, and we feel like we have been gifted the perfect kitty for us and, hopefully, for Sable.
We brought beautiful Sable home on Saturday afternoon and she seems to be adjusting quite well. While still skittish and shy, she has been roaming all over our little house, is using her litter pan (yay!), is eating sporadically, lets us pet her a lot (even her belly), has been lounging on our bed where she can watch the birds and any other things of interest outdoors and spent a couple hours in our laps last evening. She is very playful and very affectionate, and we love her dearly already.
She prefers to spend most of the daylight hours sequestered in my closet, where she has a nice soft space to hide, but comes out late in the day to be spoiled. She is a very sweet girl and I am hopeful that we can assure her that all the trauma she has endured is in the past and that she will be loved and coddled for the rest of her days.
Thank you again, so much, for your faith in our ability to give Sable a good & loving home.
Attached are a couple pics. She doesn't hold still very well for them, but you can see that she's pretty comfy.
Blessings,
Samantha & Paul