This past February, Sara Drescher met a kitten named Patch through her work as a veterinary assistant. Patch had been brought to the clinic by a rescue organization called Open Arms—he didn’t have a prospective foster parent or adoptive family lined up. He needed medical help; one of his eyes was cloudy, and he had no vision in it. The other kittens in his litter had been adopted, but the serious eye condition was preventing Patch from finding a family.
Patch underwent surgery to have his eye removed. While caring for him afterward, Sara fell in love. “He was such an affectionate, resilient little fellow!” she said. She decided to take him home once he’d recovered from the surgery.
This was a big decision; Patch would be Sara’s first cat ever. She made an even bigger decision when she decided to adopt another cat to keep Patch company. She visited Petfinder.com and found Raven, a young female listed by Cat by Cat Inc. Upon meeting Raven face to face, she fell in love all over again.
Raven had been rescued in June 2023, along with three siblings. Unlike her outgoing brothers and sisters, though, Raven was shy and nervous around humans. She made a lot of progress in a stay with a foster family, but she still needed a loving home with patient adopters. Sara felt she and her partner, Nick, were the right people to take Raven in, and they brought her home on February 13, just a week before Patch was released from the vet.
When Patch finally came home, Sara was worried because he and Raven did not hit it off right away. She did some research and learned standoffishness is normal in cats meeting for the first time. She was relieved when, after a few days, they tentatively started to play with each other. Before long, they were cuddling, and today they are best friends.
Sara especially noticed that once the two cats started bonding, Raven came out of her shell and became more friendly with her human family members. “She took her cues from Patch,” Sara said. “Now she greets me when I come home and meows to communicate.” Raven, who in the beginning wouldn’t come out from under the bed, now begs for attention. “It’s been a beautiful thing to watch,” Sara enthused. “Raven and Patch bring us so much joy.”
She continued, “We call Raven the ‘angel child’ because she’s so calm and never gets into mischief or trouble.” Raven takes treats gently from Sara and Nick’s hands and loves to lie down and watch the couple’s other pets for hours on end—they have guinea pigs, lizards, snakes, and a hamster. “She is so gentle with all of them,” Sara said. “She’s also a very patient big sister to Patch, who, still a kitten, can be rowdy and rambunctious. She brings perfect balance to our home!”
On the topic of taking in cats with issues that might prevent someone else from adopting them, Sara said: “I firmly believe we should love animals where they are—they are not obligated to meet our expectations. They have their own feelings, their own emotions; and we don’t know what kind of challenges they faced in their early life. It’s our job to observe their body language and behaviors for clues on how to make them comfortable.”
Sara has nothing but praise for the Cat by Cat volunteers who helped her adopt Raven. “They were awesome,” she said. “They made me feel so comfortable with the whole process. It was such a great experience!”