Shy no more: One cat’s beautiful breakthrough

Weaving through your legs as you prepare breakfast. Setting a paw on your forearm asking to be petted. Giving you a slow blink from across the room. These everyday interactions with your cat might seem ordinary. However, for some cats, they can be extraordinary breakthroughs. These simple gestures show that a kitty is feeling comfortable and safe. But building this kind of trust takes time and patience — like it did for Smokey.

Ten-year-old Smokey came to the Best Friends Lifesaving Center in New York from an animal rescue organization in Georgia. When Best Friends staff first met the sleek gray cat, he wouldn’t eat, and he couldn’t even bring himself to look at anyone. New places and loud noises left him frozen in fear.

The team knew exactly what this shy guy needed: a quiet foster home with time and space to decompress.

Best Friends’ goal is for all shelters nationwide to reach no-kill, and people who step up to foster pets — for just a few days, weeks, or longer — play a vital part in reaching that goal. Sometimes pets go to more than one foster home because of the volunteers’ availability, and they get to learn about life in different environments. Smokey was lucky enough to spend time in two different foster homes that helped him come out of his shell.

[Faces of No-Kill: Shy senior cat gets a chance to shine]

Smokey made huge strides in his first foster home. For the first two weeks, he stayed where he felt safe — inside his crate or beneath the sink — only venturing out at night when everyone else was sleeping. His foster family let Smokey set the pace, and slowly but surely things started to change. Soon, Smokey was spending his days out in the open, gazing out the windows and play-wrestling with his new feline friends. His foster volunteer was especially excited to learn that Smokey was very affectionate and loved being scratched and petted. He even seemed to smile while getting chin rubs, his green eyes closed in bliss.

When the first foster volunteer’s assignment was over, another volunteer was waiting to welcome Smokey into her home. His second foster home gave him another fresh start — and again, Smokey tiptoed into it, finding spots where he felt safe as he observed his new surroundings. But within two weeks, he was sleeping in bed with his caregiver, following her around the house, and chasing toys with wide-eyed energy. And of course, he was just as affectionate as before.

Best Friends volunteer Regina McClendon had adopted shy cats before and saw something special in Smokey. So after a virtual meet and greet, she decided to adopt him.

[Adopter sees the sweetness in shy senior cat]

Smokey now had experience in settling into a new place, and sure enough after a short adjustment period, this handsome guy is exactly where he belongs — at home, soaking up all the head scratches and belly rubs a kitty could dream of.

The next time your cat gives you a slow blink or a gentle headbutt, remember just how special it is. Because for some cats, these tiny gestures mean the world.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.