Bette B.

Kate is amazing! She has worked miracles with several undersocialized rescue cats. One cat in particular was with our organization, Frederick Friends of Our County Animal Shelter. This cat had lived, starting at 6 weeks of age, with one man who rarely had visitors. She was confident and loving with him but fearful with anyone else and, if pushed, was ready to defend herself. When her owner suffered a major stroke, his family knew he would not be able to care for his beloved cat any more but they couldn’t bring themselves to surrender her to the shelter. We took her in and placed her with an experienced (and brave) foster. Reports from this foster described this cat as “sassy” at best and, at worst, just plain “mean.” The foster would attempt to pet her and would be rewarded with a swift swat to the arm. This was very discouraging. We knew that barn cat placement might not be safe for a cat who’d been indoor-only since early kittenhood. But who would ever adopt this cat? We were so relieved when Kate agreed to foster her and of course she knew exactly what this cat needed! She gave this kitty a quiet room with places to hide and a predictable routine. Within two weeks, she started sending photos and videos showing this cat very relaxed-looking, rolling around, soliciting affection, and even allowing herself to be petted. You could even see the change in her facial expression. Whereas previously, this kitty had stared into the camera like she was facing a challenger in a boxing match, now she had squinty “soft” eyes that said, “well hello there, why are you not petting me?”