One of Helen Woodward Animal Center’s longest termed residents found her forever family this past weekend. Gina, an almost 12-year-old black cat spent the last year and a half of her life living at Helen Woodward Animal Center. She first came to us when one of her lifelong owners fell chronically ill and had to go to hospice care. Wanting to make sure their furry best friend would be taken care of, the couple gave Gina to Helen Woodward Animal Center to ensure she would have a good life.
When she first arrived to the Center, Gina was incredibly cranky. That’s to be expected honestly, she had just left her old home for the first time in her entire life. The Center’s adoption staff did everything they could to make her more comfortable including a full medical work-up where they discovered Gina was diabetic. Poor Gina had gone months without treatment and was dealing with some pretty uncomfortable symptoms. The Adoptions staff put older kitty in the biggest, most luxurious cat condo on the premises with the softest blankies they had and started giving her regular insulin injections to manage her diabetes. Although the team saw improvements to Gina’s physical condition, she still didn’t feel at home.
Adoptions Director Kendall Schulz decided to do something unconventional for Gina. She first sent the elder kitty to foster care. A foster home provides a lower stress environment, which is healthier for Gina in the long run and provided a more relaxing environment for her to adjust to her new diabetic care. In addition, it also provides a more similar experience to her old home, which made her happier. Once Gina settled in her foster home, Schulz had the PR and social media teams promote her via email newsletters and Facebook and Instagram posts. In the adoptions’ lobby, Schulz put up little cards with Gina’s photo and core stats; and she even tried putting a cardboard cutout of the kitty in one of the cat condos!
Unfortunately, none of these orthodox methods paid off. Gina remained in her foster home for months with no signs of a forever family in sight.
But then, a family came to the Center and wanted to meet this special senior gal! The Center’s staff reached out to Gina’s foster family to let them know the good news. Only, her foster family didn’t see it as good news. Gina had became a part of their family and they didn’t want to give her up. Her foster parents submitted an application for her on the spot, and to no one’s surprise, they were promptly accepted.
Gina’s foster family became her forever family January 18th, 2025. She’s now living her happily ever after.
UPDATE: 5/1/25
Gina has continued to thrive with her forever family! She loves to sit in her various perches looking out through the windows and has become best friends with her new dog sister. Her new pet parent said, “she’s the best girl and it’s been so nice seeing her settle in more.”
