Guinivere came to Protectors of Animals in 2023. She had been somebody’s cat once, but had been living outside for some time. She was shy and shut down, but had a core of sweetness… of yearning for connection. We worked with her and gradually she began to trust. We thought she was ready and placed her up for adoption. 

And she was soon adopted. On paper the adoption looked perfect. We all hoped that Guinevere would get the home she needed. But that was not the case. She was apparently unhappy with the large dogs in the house, hid, and ultimately escaped outside, where she likely faced many dangers. 

Months later Guinevere was trapped along with some others cats in a feral cat colony as part of a TNR (trap, neuter, return) effort. She appeared to be a feral cat. When it was learned that she had already been spayed, she was checked for a microchip, and we were notified that she had been found. While we were so grateful that she had been found, we were heartbroken about what she had been through.

Guinevere’s adopter understood that taking her back would likely result in further attempts to escape so she surrendered Guinevere back to us. It felt like starting from scratch. It initially appeared that most of her trust in humans had been eroded once again. But within a relatively short time, Guinevere began making progress again.  And we began talking about making her available for adoption.

We will admit that we were concerned. No cat should live their lives in the shelter, but we were worried about how she would do in a home. So we were clear that she needed a quiet home, with people who could be patient with her. 

A few people met her, but they were not good matches for various reasons. Then in January a family came in and fell in love with Guinevere. Especially the young man. Now, young men are not known for being quiet and patient, and we had imagined that Guinevere would be happiest with an older couple or perhaps a single older woman. But they assured us that this was the cat that they wanted. They told us that they were willing to give Guinevere as much time as she needed.

And they did. 

We have received multiple updates over showing the progress Guinevere was making and how much they loved her. The kids each took their first day of school picture with Guinevere. They celebrated her fourth birthday by gifting her a gigantic cat tree and extra snuggles. 

Sometimes what you are looking for doesn’t look exactly the way that you might expect. That is why we tell people to look with their heart as much as their eyes. Sometimes we need to be reminded of that as well. Guinevere is home. She has the place, and more importantly the people, that she was waiting for.

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Check out our current adoptable dogs here: Dogs for Adoption - Dog Adoption Connecticut | Protectors of Animals
Check out our current adoptable cats here: Cats for Adoption - Cat Adoption Connecticut | Protectors of Animals