Happy Tail: Nellie (formerly Basket)
Looking at Nellie all cuddled up in her fuzzy blanket, you wouldn’t guess she was rescued from a cat colony. After being trapped for Annex Cat Rescue’s Trap Neuter Return (TNR) program, her rescuers decided to find this shy cat a forever home.
“We’re thankful someone recognized that she deserved a good home,” says Shannon, Nellie’s new family.
After losing one of her cats in October, Shannon was ready to add another kitten. Her family has a long history with the ACR, and many of her cats, including Nellie’s brother, are rescues. Nellie, formerly named Basket, gets her name from her adopted dad’s grandmother after a long-held tradition. “We name our cats after our relatives,” Shannon explains.
“Nellie warmed up very quickly to everyone,” she continues. And she didn’t just warm up to her family. When her house was being renovated earlier this year, Nellie followed the contractors around the house, demanding attention. “She always has to be in the middle of everything,” Shannon adds.
One of Nellie’s favourite places in the house is an enclosed deck on the second floor. There she can lay around in the sun and enjoy a bit of the outdoors in a safely enclosed space. “She really won the lottery,” says Shannon, adding that the cats love all the internal space.
Adopted in the December of 2020, Nellie is a pandemic kitty. While her new family made sure to slowly introduce Nellie to her new environment and new cat siblings, Shannon says the transition had been easy. “Her foster family did a great job socializing her.” And thanks to the pandemic, her adopted parents were able to spend their time at home with Nellie, giving her plenty of chance to chase them around the house.
In fact, Nellie has adjusted so well that Shannon is thinking about adding another kitten to her family. After losing her big sister to mammary cancer in October, Shannon thinks a kitten that could match Nellie’s energy would be a great addition to the family.
It’s been almost two years since Nellie found her forever home, and she couldn’t be happier.
“She’s going to have a great life with us,” says Shannon, adding that she was so thankful that ACR brought them together.
-Katie Kim
