Most adopted animals will likely take time to decompress after shelter life. This can range from days to weeks or even months until they’re fully comfortable in their new home. But one couple found it took less than a day for the angriest cat at the shelter to come around.
Carrie Choi and her husband, Cody Carlton, went to HALO Animal Rescue in Phoenix “just to look.” They started playing with a kitten named Skittles through his cage when Chowder, the cat in the cage above the kitten, moved to see what all the commotion was about.
Choi told Newsweek this shocked the shelter volunteers because Chowder never moved from the back of her cage. She also never let anyone pet her. Chowder was an owner-surrendered cat who got moved from a previous shelter because her behavior was “too aggressive.”
“It broke my heart to think that she was at the shelter for so long,” Choi said. “We figured that Skittles would have NO problem getting adopted easily, but no one would even look twice at Chowder.”
Carrie Choi
The couple decided Chowder was the one for them, even if that meant they would need to give her extra love and attention since the 2-year-old cat was the “hissing, swatting, and growling one at the shelter.”
After they brought her home, they placed her in a spare room. Chowder stepped out of the crate after about five minutes, but then immediately ran to a corner and hid behind a light, Choi said.
“When I tried to approach her with treats in hand, she started to growl,” she said. “My husband tried getting close too, but she would try to back up in the corner even more, hiss, growl and swat if you got too close.”
They decided to let her roam around the room alone, which she then did. Then they spent time in the room, chatting and ignoring her with the hope that she would get comfortable with them. As night approached, they let her get some rest.
By morning, they noticed she had a completely new demeanor. She took treats from their hands, let them pet her head and started playing with strings and ribbons. That same morning, she let Carlton pick her up.
Over the past three weeks since they adopted her, Chowder no longer hisses or swats.
“If I’m petting her a lot and she gets overstimulated, she will turn and gently put her paw on my hand to tell me to stop,” Choi said. “Sometimes she will ever so gently give my hand a tiny painless nibble.”
Chowder will spend mornings and nights with the couple, cuddling in bed. And instead of meowing like a normal cat, she chirps, trills and barks, Choi said.
Choi posted their story about Chowder to Reddit’s r/cats group on November 19, and it has received over 16,000 upvotes and 165 comments. Users are in awe that this couple took a chance on the not-so-friendly cat.
Their story proves some animals put up a defense because they are scared, but with some love they learn to trust again.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.