Shelter Cat Didn't Have Any Visitors To His Birthday Party But That Didn't Dampen Staff Optimism At All
Monique is a young, social, and beautiful cat who has spent far too much time living in the Battersea Shelter awaiting her forever home. According to staff and volunteers, the average time an adoptable pet spends at their facility is only 23 days, and as the precious kitty cat, Monique approached both her 100th day and her 2nd birthday, they knew they needed to do something extra special to get the sweet cat the attention she deserved.
So, they decided that on Valentine's Day, the cat's 2nd birthday, they would throw her a special birthday party! Cat lover to cat lover, it sounds like the purr-fect way to celebrate a special cat and promote her adoption, right?
Except nobody showed up. Devastated, the staff turned to social media to share more about this adorable cat and why she deserves the home of her dreams.
Looking at this beautiful and clearl photogenic cat, it's hard to imagine why people would not be lined up to adopt her.
Staff at Battersea Dog & Cat Rescue believe the reason is that she has feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV.) It sounds scary, and wards off potential adopters easily. However, it's easily managed! The biggest downside is that Monique can't live with most other cats and cat families tend to love multiple cats.
BatterseaAdditionally, Monique is an adventurous and fun-loving cat.
The shelter wants Monique to go to a home with an enclosure in a yard so that she can have safe outside time while keeping her quarantined from other cats. It's kind of a tall order, unfortunately.
Nevertheless, everyone who worked with Monique could see how sweet and special she is. They described her as curious, smart, and playful. At two years old, she has a long life of companionship awaiting her for the right family.
BatterseaIn an interivew with The Dodo, Nikki Cummins, a communications officer with Battersea Dogs & Cats Home said:
“Monique is a really sweet and affectionate young cat. When she first arrived at Battersea, she was a little shy and took time to come out of her shell but once she got to know the people around her, her personality shone through and she’s always happy to see us.”
BatterseaEveryone that has worked with the sweet cat wants to see her find her forever home, so a plan was concocted, so to speak.
They decided that a birthday party on Valentine's Day would be a great sort of publicity stunt to help promote the purr-fect cat. Cummins said:
"What better time for people to consider bringing extra love into their life than Valentine’s Day? We get a lot of visitors to our cattery, many of which are considering adopting a cat and are there to find out more about how to do that and see some of our cats. Staff hoped the decorations would draw everyone to the birthday girl and entice them to ask about what kind of home she was looking for and in an ideal world, offer to take her home.”
BatterseaThe day of her party, staff decorated her pen and added toys. It was a lovely, cheerful sight to behold. Except... no one came.
The staff had promoted the party online and was devastated that not a single person stopped by to even consider their sweet cat. In an interview with Metro, Battersea’s Cattery Team Leader, Chrissie Grindrod, said:
"It’s always a shame to see one of our cats be repeatedly overlooked, especially one so young and with so much to offer as a pet. Monique is a gentle soul who thrives with human company, whether that be playing with her favourite toys together or curling up side by side on the sofa. She also won’t ever say no to a chin rub or two. Her birthday and Valentine’s Day may now have passed, but it’s not too late to give Monique her dream gift of a lovely new home..."
BatterseaCummins told The Dodo:
“We were disappointed that Monique’s birthday didn’t attract any potential new owners but our staff and volunteers were of course more than happy to pop in to give the birthday girl a bit of a fuss — she got a LOT of cheek rubs that day."
BatterseaStaff reamins optimisitc that Monique is too awesome to pass up and her forever home is out there.
Cummins told The Dodo:
“Monique is blissfully unaware of her newfound fame and is seemingly content. Although she would love to be in a home of her own, she slowly settled into life at the cattery and is enjoys spending quality time with our staff and volunteers as well as sitting on her perch to keep an eye on everything going on around her.”Battersea has a long-standing tradition of caring for animals, deeply.
On their website, Battersea was sure to emphasize that Monique is not the only cat with FIV they've been dedicated to finding a forever home for:
"We believe that every dog and cat deserves the best. That’s why we aim to never turn away a dog or cat in need. Battersea helps nearly 7,000 dogs and cats across its three centres and uses its expertise, influence, and voice to help thousands more animals all over the country and across the world."You can keep up with them, support them, and look into pet adoption via their Website, Facebook page, or Twitter account. They even have a Shop you can support!
Battersea
