Rescue Cat Who Was Too Terrified to Show Her Face Gains Love and Confidence in Her New Home

In the mood to be uplifted by a beautiful rescue story, Green Monsters? If so, prepare to say “aww” over the story of adorable Backpack the cat, who was taken in by the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) earlier this week, after being found on the street. She gained her name after being found by a child, who took her to the PAWS shelter in a backpack to ensure that she would be safe.

Sadly, Backpack was “completely terrified and shut-down” when she reached the shelter, despite the best efforts of PAWS’ staff to soothe her. She seemed too depressed to eat in the shelter. This meant that she had to find a secure foster home as quickly as possible, where she could receive the hands-on, one-on-one attention that she so desperately needed.

On her initial arrival at PAWS, Backpack was too frightened to look at anyone.

Though she eventually dared to show her face, after a bit of coaxing from her new carers, she didn’t exactly seem too happy about it!

In PAWS’ initial appeal for a willing foster home, they said, “Backpack is declawed and very clearly belongs in a home. We aren’t able to evaluate whether she’s good with other animals because of how shut-down she is, so her foster will need to separate her from other pets starting out.” Luckily, an experienced foster carer, who was willing to put in the extra time and commitment to help this sweet cat feel safe, soon stepped forward.

And here she is now, in her new home!

Foster mom Michelle reported: “So far, so good. She has been here a few minutes and is exploring her room. Next up, something delicious to eat!” Now that she is in a loving home environment, Backpack seems to have totally relaxed and has become more friendly and sociable.

PAWS are caring for many other kitties who need loving foster homes. They said, “If Backpack’s story touched your heart, please consider fostering a cat like her. We have several other adult cats who need to leave the shelter into foster care due to stress or illness. A change of scenery to a loving home environment will make all the difference in the world, and we’ll provide plenty of Support.”

So if you live in the Philadelphia area and are in a position to help, why not let them know? You can also Donate to help PAWS continue their work by clicking here.

All image source: Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society/Facebook