Skidoo came to Happy Cats after her person died. A neighbor had been going to the house to feed her, but was not a cat person, so she had little human contact for almost a year. In fact, she might have been struck and abused. She also had ear mites so bad the debris hit the wall when she shook her head.

By the time she came to us, she was very fearful. Even after she seemed to settle in, she tucked away on the catwalk in a cubby, avoiding touch.

Then one day, a volunteer decided to push through a bit more and discovered how much Skidoo loved petting…she was just too afraid to let us know! She would curl in so she couldn’t see the hand coming, but push back hard with her little shoulders, purring all the while.

After that, she started to blossom. It turned out she loved other cats just as much as she loved humans. How much she must have missed her cat friends when she was left alone! But each time she made friends, they got adopted and she had to start over.

Finally a young woman came in to visit and fell in love with Skidoo. She had adopted a sweet, shy kitty from us and thought their similar personalities might mesh. The two adopted “sisters” quickly became best friends.

Then life intervened again. A boyfriend came into the picture who was allergic to cats. The couple realized that one cat was OK but two were not. Back Skidoo came, leaving her friend Ella behind.

But she was more resilient than before. She knew how to fit in and even better, she trusted us. Gone was the ducking and curling away when she was petted. Now she knew what life could offer!

It didn’t take very long before Jenny came along, looking for a friend for Shadow. We had just the kitty for her. Skidoo is now Skittles: healthy, playful and happy with her best friend Shadow. Sometimes life intervenes, but we’re here for our Happy Cats to help get them through!