This is Hudson. He is about seven years old, and came to us after having been left outside for about five years. He was being fed, but he had spent most of his life trying to keep warm in the winter, trying to get enough to drink in the summer, and trying to avoid the many predators that can hurt cats who live outside.  Perhaps it is unsurprising that when he got to the shelter he spent quite a bit of time hiding.

Hudson was never aggressive and he always enjoyed being petted and fussed over. But he was scared and fairly shut down. And despite having spent a few months with us, his progress remained very slow. A pair of our volunteers who had recently lost their cat asked to foster Hudson, just for a little while, because he was struggling.

In their home, Hudson learned that he was safe. He began to explore. He began to totally forget about potential dangers and enjoy himself when he played. This cat, who had spent previous autumns growing a warm winter coat to keep him alive come winter, spent the chilly mornings this fall sprawled out on heated floors.  It didn’t happen overnight, but Hudson became a different cat… or rather he became the cat that he may have been many years ago.

And our volunteers, who had offered to foster him for just a little while, began to realize that they couldn't imagine their home without him. So they made it official and adopted him right after Halloween.  After five years outside, Hudson is finally home. 

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