LuLu Has Waited More Than 1,000 Days For A Home: Huntington Adoptable Pet Of The Week

HUNTINGTON, NY — Three years. More than 1,000 days.

That is how long LuLu has watched other cats come and go from Grateful Paw Cat Shelter while she continues waiting for someone to choose her.

The approximately 6-year-old brown tabby with enormous yellow eyes is this week’s Huntington adoptable pet of the week.

“While other cats have come and gone, found families, and curled up in their forever homes, LuLu has watched it all from her shelter room,” the shelter said.

For more than three years, visitors have walked through the door and often gravitated toward cats who immediately approach them for attention.

LuLu is not that kind of cat.

“Three years of being overlooked because she doesn’t immediately ask for attention,” Grateful Paw said. “Three years of quietly watching, waiting, and wondering if this will finally be the day someone takes the time to know her.”

LuLu came to the shelter from what Grateful Paw described as a heartbreaking hoarding situation, where more than 15 cats were living together in a single-bedroom hotel room.

The owner had tried to care for the cats but became overwhelmed and eventually asked for help, according to the shelter.

Grateful Paw agreed to take LuLu and two other females.

The shelter was told LuLu had recently given birth, but by the time rescuers arrived, her kittens had already been removed. Volunteers initially believed the other two females who came with LuLu might have been her sisters, but now believe it is possible they were kittens she had previously raised.

“We can only imagine what she had been through,” the shelter said.

When LuLu arrived, she was extremely thin, frightened and overwhelmed.

While the other cats explored their new surroundings, LuLu hid beneath cubbies and blankets.

“She didn’t understand that she was finally somewhere safe,” the shelter said.

A veterinarian examined the three cats, who were vaccinated, tested and spayed. LuLu was healthy other than being severely underweight, which the shelter believes was likely the result of too little food being available for so many cats, compounded by her having recently raised kittens.

Over the years, LuLu has made progress.

“But she is still LuLu,” the shelter said. “She is shy. Quiet. Introverted.”

She does not rush toward strangers, demand attention or immediately climb into laps.

“She is a cat who needs you to earn her trust,” Grateful Paw said.

LuLu loves sitting on top of the cat condos, where she can look through the window and watch birds and squirrels in the backyard, along with the people and cars passing outside.

And where she once hid when visitors entered the room, she now often sits near the door to see who is coming in.

There is also one thing capable of dramatically increasing her enthusiasm for a visitor: treats.

“If you’re carrying treats or Churu, she may actually meet you at the door and rub against your legs,” the shelter said.

But volunteers caution people to move slowly.

A sudden movement or a hand reaching down too quickly can still frighten LuLu and send her running. Grateful Paw said she needs someone who understands that trust may take time.

LuLu has not quite figured out toys, either.

“Throw a ball or spring her way and she’ll simply watch it roll by,” the shelter said. “Wand toys? Feather toys? She’ll look at you as if to say, ‘What exactly am I supposed to do with that?’”

Food, however, is another matter.

LuLu has a good appetite and comfortably eats from the community plate with the other cats, though volunteers suspect she enjoys getting a little something of her own first.

As one volunteer puts it: “She likes her appetizer away from everyone else, and then she’ll come down for the main course.”

That, volunteers say, is part of what makes LuLu herself.

“She doesn’t need someone to change her,” the shelter said. “She needs someone who will accept her exactly as she is.”

Grateful Paw hopes to find someone patient and gentle who will speak softly, offer a hand for a head rub and understand that sometimes affection means simply sitting nearby until a frightened cat decides she is ready.

The shelter believes experiences from LuLu’s life before her rescue may still contribute to her cautious behavior.

“And that is perhaps the hardest part for our volunteers to watch,” Grateful Paw said.

Because while LuLu waits, younger and more outgoing cats continue getting chosen.

“But please look closely at those enormous yellow eyes,” the shelter said. “There is a sweet girl in there who wants to trust.”

Volunteers believe she simply needs someone willing to give her enough time to understand that she is safe.

LuLu has tested negative for FeLV, FIV and parasites. Her ears, eyes and heart have been checked, and she is litter-box trained, vaccinated and spayed.

Those interested in meeting LuLu can call Grateful Paw Cat Shelter at 631-757-4517, email cats@laphuntington.org, follow the shelter on Facebook or visit her in person.

The shelter is located at 3 Verleye Ave. in East Northport and is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Thursday evening visits are available from 7 to 9 p.m. by appointment.

LuLu does not need a perfect home, volunteers said. Nor does she need someone expecting her to become a different cat.

She needs someone willing to tell her: “You don’t have to be afraid anymore. You can take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere.”

After more than three years of waiting, Grateful Paw hopes LuLu will not spend another year without a family.

“Just remember: she may give you the cold shoulder at first,” the shelter said. “Give her time. Give her patience. Give her a chance.”

Because beneath the shyness, volunteers say, is a cat who has been waiting more than 1,000 days for someone to finally see her.