Happily Homed: Remy
Did you know that earlier this year, Cat Care Society had its own grumpy cat? (Grumpy cat, whose real name was Tarder Sauce, was a famous cat on social media known for her signature frown of disapproval.)
A 4-year-old female tabby originally named Ratatouille, Remy arrived at CCS in January 2023 as a transfer from one of our shelter partners, Soul Dog Rescue. We knew that she had something called eosinophilic granuloma complex, or “rodent ulcers” that affected her lip, hence her perma frown. These were actually ulceration sores along her upper lip — a condition that is usually caused by an underlying allergy. She had already been on immunosuppressive medication to treat the condition, which had drastically improved by the time she made it to us.
We made plans to disclose her diagnosis and treatment regimen to her future adopter so they could continue monitor and treat her at their own vet.
Remy was a friendly gal and readily approached people. She allowed herself to be handled by our team, but did become a bit overstimulated after too much attention. We decided to put Remy back on a steroid regimen to get her condition under control and looked for a foster to help take care of her. In her volunteer foster’s home, she did well right off the bat, adjusting to the new environment quickly and taking her medication like a champ. Such a good girl!
Her foster called her a “friendly, well-natured cat who is extremely sweet but loves her alone time as well.”
Remy did well in subsequent checkups, and we kept a close eye on her weight and her ulcers. After about a month, her ulcers were showing improved progress, and we were able to scale back her steroid dosage so she’d regain more immune function. By this point, our medical team called her “markedly improved,” and we worked up a further treatment plan.
She continued to do well in foster, even becoming brave enough to attempt to steal food while her fosters would be cooking in the kitchen. Must be her movie namesake at work! (Actually, we think it was the medication.)
By May, Remy’s foster was going out of town and brought her back to the shelter. We were thrilled to see that her ulcers were 95% resolved! Remy was not the biggest fan of the other shelter cats, so we set out to find her a home where she could be queen of the castle.
A few short weeks later, she got her big break and was adopted by early June. Rick came into the shelter hoping to find a Russian Blue, but was wooed by Remy instead. Rick renamed her Bill, even though she’s a female, after the old country western song “My Girl Bill.”
Still as food motivated as ever, Bill attempts to sneak food off of Rick’s plate and never lets him forget her meals. “When I get up in the morning, all she does is yell at me till I feed her,” he said. “Then I go to work for a few hours, and when I get home, she yells at me again. She’s noisy!”
Rick has kept up with her medication for her ulcers, and she’s had no issues or setbacks in her new home. She runs around her new house, plays with toys on a string or fetch with a ball and tosses around her catnip sock.
Bill adapted well to her new home and had zero issues acclimating. Now, she likes to sit in her cat carrier in the backyard while Rick grills, and snuggle up with him every night while he reads or watches TV. “I enjoy that,” he said. “We have a good life together.”
Have you adopted from CCS in the past? We’d love to hear how it’s going! Send us your adoption success stories (and photos!) to be featured in our #adoptionupdate series on social media or on our website.
Feel compelled by our work and want to help more cats in need find loving homes? Please send us a financial gift to provide life-saving medical care and adoption services to cats like Remy. Donations can be made online HERE (and all funds received from Nov. 1 to Dec. 5, 2023, count for our Colorado Gives Day fundraising goal, with extra opportunities for matching incentive funds. We appreciate your support!