A Tale of Two Kitties

The original RCHS Facebook posting for Benjamin.

Benjamin, still cautious, in his bathroom sink at the Andres' home.

Benjamin and Henry enjoy each other's company after Benjamin settles in.

Suzanne Andre of Bridgeport, WV, relates the story of how she and her husband, Bob, came to foster Benjamin, a small orange tabby with a big personality.

One evening as I was checking Facebook, I saw a beautiful cat named Benjamin in an RCHS post. I was instantly in love!

We already had Henry, a five-year-old rescue cat, and we were NOT looking to add another cat to our household. But after seeing Benjamin, I knew we could at least help him.

Benjamin was at the RCHS shelter and after thinking it over, I contacted my friend, Carrie Shupp, at RCHS to learn more about this intriguing orange cat.

Carrie and I had a long conversation regarding Benjamin’s skittish nature and his socialization issues. He was not what you would call a “lap cat.” I understood the problem, based on our experience working with Henry, who hadn’t been cared for by his previous owner, and who initially would not let anyone get close to him. Henry gradually came around, though, and now is the most lovable lap cat you’ve ever seen!

Bob and I discussed it, and decided that we would foster Benjamin in order to help socialize him and improve his chances for adoption.

We were concerned for his safety and well-being in our home (as well as Henry’s), and I was prepared for the possibility that this new friendship might not work out if everyone ended up being too stressed.

We went to meet Benjamin at the RCHS shelter and, as expected, he wouldn’t let us touch him. Nevertheless, RCHS volunteers helped place him in his carrier and we all headed back to Bridgeport with our fingers crossed.

We thought it would be best to let Benjamin get acclimated to his new surroundings before meeting Henry. When we arrived home, Benjamin immediately ran behind the toilet in the downstairs bathroom. He stayed there for a full week.

To help him feel safe, we let him stay in the bathroom with a cozy bed, litter box and plenty to eat and drink. After a few days, Benjamin became comfortable enough to lounge in the sink…it was the cutest thing! Henry would check out Benjamin from under the closed door, and Benjamin slowly allowed me to pet and brush him. But he would not let Bob touch him. We realized that Benjamin was much more scared than we had expected, but we refused to give up.

A trip to the vet and to the groomer was stressful for everyone. Back at home, Benjamin eventually calmed down enough to leave the bathroom and explore the rest of house (while Henry was in the basement). After a week, the two cats finally met. It was comical to watch. Henry seemed to be a bit disgruntled that he was no longer an only child, while Benjamin seemed pretty happy to have a new friend. After a few initial hisses, Henry settled down and Benjamin quickly began making himself at home.

Over the next two months, Benjamin made TREMENDOUS strides! He is thriving and enjoys sleeping in the cat tower by the window, playing with all of his toys, watching the fireplace from his bed, and all the endless treats! He enjoys letting the water run on his head from the faucet as he drinks from the sink.

We are more than pleased with his progress. He allows other people who visit to pet him and he is the most darling boy! We are working on other things, like being picked up and held. This is still quite a challenge, but we aren’t giving up! He allows us to hold him, as long as his back feet are on the ground. We feel very confident that, just like Henry, he will become more comfortable with us holding him and teaching him how to be a pampered house cat.

Fostering is a terrific way to help shelter animals. Yes, we could have gotten a sweet, cuddly kitten, but there was something in Benjamin’s eyes that told us he needed us more.

And while we knew we had a chance to change Benjamin’s life forever, we hadn’t realized that he would change ours too! In the end, we decided to adopt Benjamin, and we've been very happy ever since.

Please support your shelters. Your new best friend is waiting there for you!

How You Can Help

RCHS always needs more caring, dedicated people to become foster parents, so if you’re interested in fostering a cat or dog (or two!), please fill out our online fostering inquiry form and we will get back to you soon.

Also, check out our list of pets that need a foster.

Learn more about how you can help the animals by adopting, sponsoring or fostering a pet; donating money or supplies; or volunteering with RCHS.