Entangled Shylight: Jimmy Boy and Smarty Pants

Jimmy Boy and Smarty Pants arrived at Entangled Cat Cafe in mid October. They were scared and shy, and they snuggled together under a bench as if they were protecting one another. Jimmy would hiss when anyone came close or tried to interact with him, and Smarty would look at us as if he dared us to hurt Jimmy. They broke our hearts from the minute they arrived because we weren't sure if they could adjust well or would ever be good candidates for adoption. 

We had been contacted by Jimmy and Smarty's veterinarian the week before they came to the cafe through our rescue partner, AthensPets. Their owner was terminally ill and needed a new home for Jimmy and Smarty. She kept them with her as long as possible, but eventually she was no longer able to care for them. Jimmy and Smarty were used to living in a quiet home with no other pets. Their owner had rescued each of them as kittens, and they were loved and doted on and had never lived anywhere else. She didn't want them to be stressed by moving into a shelter environment, so their veterinarian, AthensPets, and our local shelter worked together to place them at the cafe. It was clear they were afraid and grieving when they arrived at the cafe. 

Eventually, Jimmy and Smarty each found their own place at the cafe where they felt safe - Jimmy in the hollow of our large, lifelike cat tree and Smarty inside a bench under the window. Our volunteers fell in love with Jimmy and Smarty, making it their mission to show them love and encourage them to come out of hiding and interact. Our regular customers also joined in. It became common to walk into the cat lounge and see someone in the floor by the tree or bench talking sweetly to Jimmy and Smarty and offering them treats. They very slowly started to come out and socialize when it wasn't busy in the lounge. They were both such sweet cats that seemed to crave the affection they were used to, while also being scared to ask for it. Several times a day, I would go to the cat tree and call Jimmy's name, and he would always stick his head out to say hello. 

A few weeks after they arrived, their owner called to check on them. We had a long conversation where I learned all about their backgrounds, personalities, and how they were each rescued. Smarty was found in the hollow of a log along with his feral mother and two siblings. His new owner found homes for the mother and siblings, and she decided to keep Smarty. Jimmy was rescued a couple of years later and brought inside to save him from a hawk that was after him. Their owner referred to them as "the boys." She and I started to communicate regularly, and I would send her pictures and videos and always assured her they were adjusting well and were happy and well cared for at the cafe, although it had been a rough start for them. Her daughter, who had moved in to care for her mother around the clock, brought her by the cafe on day, but she was too weak to come inside. Her daughter got to come in and say hello to "the boys" they both loved so much, and I was able to sit in the car and get to know their owner in person. 

Between late November and early December, we started having inquiries about adopting them, but no one who inquired was in a position to take them both. Their owner reluctantly agreed that it was best for them to find homes, but I could tell it was stressful for her to consider separating them. One of her great worries has been what their future will be like without her care, which is all they've ever known. 

One Sunday morning in December, a local doctor came to visit the cat lounge. He said he wanted to meet Jimmy and Smarty and was considering them for his mother, who was older and lived alone. A lifelong cat lover, her cat had recently passed away, and she was lonely. Both Jimmy and Smarty were in the process of being adopted individually, and Jimmy was supposed to go to his new home that very day. But this was an opportunity for them to stay together and go to the same kind of quiet home they were accustomed to.

When learning of the opportunity for Jimmy and Smarty to be adopted together, both of their potential adopters kindly and graciously stepped aside, knowing they were the only familiar part of their former life left to each other. Their original owner was over the moon ecstatic to hear they were being adopted together and that their new home would be similar to their previous home. It brought so much peace to her.

Jimmy's other potential adopter decided to adopt a six month old black kitty named Autumn who had been overlooked for several months, as black cats often are, because Autumn reminded him of a cat he had growing up. Smarty's potential adopter decided to adopt an elderly 11 year old cat from her local animal control shelter. It couldn't have worked out more purrfectly for everyone! Jimmy and Smarty's previous owner and her daughter exchanged contact information with their new family so they can hear updates about how Jimmy and Smarty are adjusting. 

We've just completed our 100th adoption at Entangled Cat Cafe, and every cat we've fostered and been entrusted with caring for has been special and loved by us. We've celebrated each adoption, but this one is particularly special and meaningful. Jimmy and Smarty seemed so vulnerable when we first met them, and we couldn't imagine what their future might hold.

Congratulations to Jimmy Boy, Smarty Pants, and your new family!! You are so fortunate to have found each other, and I feel very blessed to be part of this beautiful story.