My Name Is Merriweather And I Am A Shelter Cat.

I must confess that this blog is a bit of a selfish one. I write so that I don’t cry and so that I have a place to put my emotions. It’s a bit of public journaling and hopefully will heal my heart and find Merriweather a home.

I met Merriweather over a year ago at the shelter where I volunteer. She was a sweet, shy little girl with a bit of sass. She has a sweet little face, a butterball shape and reminded me very much of my very own Marlin. In fact I thought there was a chance they could have been related as they were the same age and shared some very distinctive traits After doing a little research I found that this was unlikely, but the bond was already there and she had officially stolen my heart. She was timid in the beginning, but I was patient and waited for a sign of trust. One day it came out of nowhere and really knocked me over. I was standing at her cage and talking to her when, BONK, she gave a head-butt that almost knocked me off my feet! My fate was sealed as her protector at that moment.

I spent day after day working with her and building her confidence. I enlisted the help of my volunteer friends as well, who quickly feel in love with her too. When she was move to a bottom cubby she sauntered out, hissed at all the other cats and quickly announced that she was queen of room 2! We spent many days together and shared many hugs, laughs and heartaches. Merriweather had many obstacles in her path to adoption and the label of “litter box issues” was the worst. Merri had been returned to the shelter, at that point, two times and that makes adoption tough. I remained optimistic as she had something special about her. Something that just reaches in and steals your heart. She also has this face that she makes that I have aptly named, her Billy Idol sneer. One of her top canine teeth had to be pulled leaving her with this fabulous expression, her trademark look if you will.

Her day finally came and she went on to the adoption floor and she stole many hearts again, but her label stuck. A difficult adoption. After several months we found a match and to a new home she went. We celebrated and missed her all at the same time. This is how it is with the cats we meet at the shelter and then go home. A crazy mix of sadness and joy. For Merriweather sadly, this match did not last. She returned to the shelter after having some medical problems and the process of finding her forever home started again. I found her an amazing foster home and she has been doing very well. She even has a clean bill of health. Her litter box issues are almost non existent and she is loving being out of the shelter. The playfulness has returned and the queen has found a new throne on a perch in her own window. The thing is that this is a foster home and she is still in need of a forever one. This is where my sadness begins,

Understand that I would love to be her forever home more than you can imagine, but I have four cats of my own, and a husband who is very happy with that number. So the best I can do is to continue to be her champion and find her that perfect, loving home. The final forever one. The one where she is the queen. I know it is out there and until then we will wait for the stars to align.

This is the story of Merriweather. The one who stole my heart. She is just one of many shelter cats waiting for their forever homes.

If you are interested in learning more about Merriweather please contact me at:

tcc.behavior@gmail.com or 732-245-8321