Happy Tail: Toast
Anyone feeling apprehensive about their chances of successfully adopting a former street cat should have a chat with the carers of the fabulously named Toast.
The young brown tabby, who was plucked with several other cats from a large, unmanaged colony in Scarborough in early 2022, might not have seemed like a good candidate for indoor life at first. Indeed, as foster Zoey recalls, when Toast initially came to her and partner Steven in mid-2022, “he hated people,” she laughs.
And yet today, just two years after Toasty — as he is affectionately known — landed in his forever home in February 2023, adopter Bridget confirms, “He is my little buddy, my shadow and honestly, my best friend.”
As is so often the case with cats like Toast, the bridge between dangerous outdoor living and living the dream inside came down to simple patience, even though his circumstances were especially tough.
Toast was trapped by superstar ACR volunteer April, who recalls that “We decided to try to keep all the cats inside because we feared for their safety at their location. Thankfully, they all came around.”
The felines were dubbed the “breakfast cats” because “One of them was a tiny black thing with eyes as big as pancakes,” April explains, ergo the idea for the theme that produced Pancake, Toast, Crumpet, Oatmeal, Waffle, et al. Each made their way to fosters, with Toasty landing with Zoey and Steven, who’d recently lost their elderly cat Circles, an ACR foster “fail.”
“It took him a good two or three months to even let me pet him. He wasn’t aggressive but he was very scared, and I didn’t want to force interactions on him,” Zoey says. “But after a few months he started walking around more. By the six-month mark he would come when I called him though he didn’t like being held or cuddled.”
When Bridget encountered Toast on ACR’s site, “I thought his name and his picture were so cute.” A helpful exploratory Zoom call between foster and would-be adopter sealed the deal. But there was still work to be done to gain Toasty’s trust. Luckily for the feline, Bridget was willing to really go the distance.
“When I brought him home, he hid in my closet,” she recalls fondly. “I spent a week sleeping on the floor in my closet next to him to get him to trust me, and it paid off. He has been following me around ever since. He sleeps on my pillow
and in my arms, we have conversations. He’s chatty and playful and has really come out of his shell.”
True to his monicker, Toasty can often be found snoozing in sunbeams on the floor, playing with his favourite banana-shaped toy or happily imbibing catnip. For Bridget, taking a chance on a street cat was “100 percent worth it. My experience has been incredibly positive,” she enthuses.
“To anyone thinking of doing it, I say ‘Do it!’ These cats need so much love, and we have so much love to give. We shouldn’t discount them because they have had a rougher start in life. I am so proud of the progress Toast has made. He’s incredible.”
-Kim Hughes
