Rosie.

Rosie, a black and white 9 and a half year old female, came to our shelter, when her previous owner became too ill to look after her. Rosie was so shy and timid that she would always hide in her outside run. We provided her with an old cat box and soft blankets, so that she would be comfortable outside. Rosie would only come inside to eat her food and sleep in her warm bed, after the staff had gone home. We were all hoping that she would come round once she had settled in to her new surroundings at the shelter. However, Rosie never showed any interest in us and kept herself hidden away.

Luckily, our regular volunteer Eileen took a shine to Rosie and dedicated a lot of her time to this frightened and lonely cat. After many weeks of simply sitting with her and talking to her soothingly, Rosie started to take an interest in Eileen and even allowed to be stroked. From then on, slowly but surely, Rosie became more confident with each passing day. After many months, she began to leave her little hide-out, purring and weaving in and out of staff’s legs, clearly enjoying human contact. Of course, tasty titbits were a major help, as Rosie would never turn them down.
Despite this breakthrough, visitors hardly ever saw Rosie and her sweet personality. By putting pictures and notices on her pen door, finally 7 months after Rosie’s arrival, a couple wished to meet her. They fell in love with her immediately and adopted her.
Only a few weeks after moving to her new home, we received an email from Rosie’s owners saying that she has settled in perfectly and loves relaxing on their comfortable bed. Rosie now lives happily with her new owners and their other cat. We wish them well for the future and are grateful for giving Rosie a second chance. We would also like to thank Eileen for her positive and effective input into Rosie’s rehabilitation.