Patches and Lea: 'Dogs Have Masters; Cats Have Staff'

Patches

College cats have a way of getting left behind when their young humans finish school. Patches and her daughter, Lea, were no exception, but with a slight difference. Their new graduate took them home to live with her dad, even though he despised cats and shared his home with a dog who hated cats almost as much as he did.

When she left home for a new job in Pennsylvania, Dad wasted no time handing her cats over to the first rescue that would take them -- us.

Lea

Over the years, I've noticed that cats in no-kill shelters tend to wait for the perfect family to come along. Patches and Lea waited two years. Every Sunday, they attended an adoption show at PetCo, and people would be drawn to the beautiful Patches like a magnet. Some people wanted to make her a "safe" indoor cat (she loves to be outside), and some people wondered if we would declaw her before they adopted her (cats have claws for a reason, and our contract stipulates that under no circumstances are our cats to be declawed). Everyone wanted Patches, but no one wanted Lea. So they waited, and waited and waited some more.

Then one of my clients who had lost her two cats and was ready to adopt again stopped by our show at PetCo. She, too, was drawn to the magnetic Patches. My heart sank. But then Lea reached out and touched her gently with one paw. Carol and her husband, Drew, had just met the perfect cat, and they wanted her mother, too. Patches and Lea went home after the show.

Today, Patches and Lea are Phoebe and Princess Leia, and they give new meaning to the saying, "Dogs have masters. Cats have staff." They have two huge, beautiful cat tress to climb and window seats at every window with a view. When they're home, Carol and Drew spend much of their time opening the door so Phoebe can go out and then opening it again so she can come back in because she wouldn't dream of using the cat door that leads to the deck and woods where she loves to hunt. They also have a wonderful cat friend named Franny. But most important, they have humans who adore them, and that's really all they wanted all along.

You can help us save more cats like Patches and Lea. Please help us find a new location in the Columbia area for our group home.