Cat ‘Doesn’t Understand’ Why Family Surrendered Her 2 Years After Adoption

A cat who was adopted from a shelter as a kitten has suffered the heartbreak of being returned two years later

According to a video published on TikTok by jjack.iie, Fiona the cat “doesn’t understand” why her family surrendered her back to the Valley Animal Center in Fresno, California.

As a kitten, Fiona endured a difficult start to life. “Fiona was brought into our care after being abandoned along with eight other cats in our administration lobby in November 2021,” Minah Camacho, a cat care associate at the Valley Animal Center, told Newsweek. “She was around 5 months old at the time and was a very sweet little girl right off the bat!”

It took Fiona less than a month to be adopted and for two happy years it seemed as though she had found that forever home that every shelter pet is crying out for. However, in December 2023, her owner returned Fiona to the shelter as she was moving out of the country. “Fiona came back a completely different cat but had the exact same sweet demeanor that she left with,” Camacho said.

While as a kitten getting adopted proved smooth enough, it’s been an entirely different story for Fiona coming back as an adult cat with Camacho admitting that “the shelter environment has been rough on her.”

The sad reality is that there is significantly less demand for adult cats compared with kittens. A study by website Priceonomics, based on data from Petfinder, found that while 81.9 percent of kittens listed were adopted, that percentage dropped to 59.5 percent among adult cats.

Part of the problem for Fiona is that she’s not used to the hustle and bustle of shelter life. “Fiona lives in conjoined rooms along with about 15 other cats and with her being used to being the only kitty in her previous home, she has had a hard time navigating her adjustment in the rooms,” Camacho said.

This has made getting adopted a little more difficult. “She is not confrontational, so she tends to hide or sleep most of the day while she is in her rooms to avoid any scuffles with cats but with that, she is hardly ever noticed,” Camacho said.

“Although she loves the attention and affection, she doesn’t feel too comfortable approaching people while she is in the rooms due to her not wanting to interact with any of the other cats.”

Camacho knows Fiona would make a great pet though, and noticed a remarkable transformation when she let her out of her room to roam free around the center’s lobby. “She was instantly comfortable running around and establishing where her food, water, litter box, and bed were going to be and examined each spot that could be a potential nap area,” she said.

“I cannot tell you how much her personality and confidence is starting to blossom! She runs around all day and drifts around corners while chasing her toys and she is accustomed to her daily wet food and even some catnip here and there!”

Come the end of the day, Fiona has to return to the room she shares with the other cats. Given her response, Camacho reckons Fiona would be suited to a family where she is the only pet. “Fiona loves kids and loves how fun and obsessed they get over her so she would be great with a family.”

But until that special someone arrives at the center, Fiona is left watching and waiting with memories of the family and life she once had slowly fading away.

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