Princess: Happily Ever After (Part Four of Four)

By Jamie Morgan, Satellite Adoption Manager

It was a busy morning at our Sunnyvale Satellite when in the middle of a kitten adoption the phone rang. On the line was a woman who had seen Princess online and wanted to know more about her. It just so happened one of Princess’ main advocates, volunteer Laurie, was paying a visit and gladly gave the caller details. Laurie had spent time with Princess at all three of our locations and relayed Princess’s likes and dislikes; food and being picked up respectfully.

Later that afternoon we met Leigh and her sister and our interested caller immediately fell in love. But even when it’s love at first sight, you still want to make sure your own relationship checklist is fulfilled before moving in together. On Leigh’s list was a cat that could be alone during her 12-hour work shifts. Princess easily crossed that off, as she’s a lady who knows how to keep herself busy. As for Princess’s boundary issues, Leigh had lots of experience with cats that only prefer a little bit of petting.

Next came the sensitive subject of weight loss, a must for this three-legged kitty who purrs when she eats. Since arriving at Sunnyvale for the second time around only 3 days earlier, we had placed Princess on a food motivated behavior plan. To build up positive feelings towards people entering her room we were using her daily dry food portion as “treats”. Anytime someone came into see her, she got a treat. By the second day she was up at the front of her room anytime we walked by, waiting for her snacks. This process is easily adapted to a home setting allowing Leigh to gain trust through the power of kibble. With everything out in the open, it was time to send Princess off to her new home.

It’s been a little over a week since her adoption and with each update things have gone from good to great. With no other animals around, Princess has plenty of “me time” and can focus all her attention on her new Mom. Leigh was a little surprised at first to realize how many fans her new addition has but since adopting it all makes sense. Princess’s story has a happy ending now that she has a forever person.