‘She was never a “bad cat”, she just had a lot of trauma to overcome.’: Caring couple adopt the shy and skittish abandoned cat momma that no one wanted after 6 long months at the shelter and some seriously scary scars from her past

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Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Sep 10, 2025 3:00 PM EDT

This is one of those stories that pretty much embody the spirit of going to your local shelter to adopt a cute cat child to illuminate your life. Often people think that going to the shelter is all about finding your soul cat, the feline who locks eyes with you from across the room and draws you in with their tiny meow.

But the truth is that the shelter is a dark and desperate place, a place that cattos deserve to get out off as soon as possible which is why what this couple have done is so important. Instead of searching for a feline who would warm their soul, they sought out the poor catto who had been there the longest. And you know what happened? They were just as fulfilled and just as happy with the handsome catto they ended up coming home with. So go save a soul, but a soul that actually needs saving.
 

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  • 01
    In the beginning of November, after years of throwing around the idea, my husband and I decided we were ready to adopt a cat. Working
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    from home and being completely alone the majority of the day was taking a toll on my mental health. So we decided to start looking for a companion.
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    I found Jodi's online profile at a privately owned animal rescue a few towns over. Her story broke my heart. She was found abandoned with her kittens. Whoever
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  • 04
    found her took her in to sell the kittens then dropped her off at the rescue. She lived there for 6 months before we found her. We think there
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  • Oh goodness, just so so much no. we cannot bare to think about the sadness, the misery that is involved in being used for your offspring, for you to then be dumped at the shelter for half a year. It is abhorrent, but thankfully this would be the end of this sweetheart’s suffering.

  • 05
    was physical abuse in her past because of scars under her fur and one that goes from her eye to her ear.
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    Due to her past, she was extremely skittish and shy. She did not trust people except for some of the volunteers. They continued to reiterate to us that we could look at other cats besides Jodi
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    and no one would judge us if we 'didn't connect' with her and went home with someone else. Apparently people made appointments to see her often, but no one wanted her because of her shyness and age (2+ years old).
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  • 09
    We were dead set on giving her a better life soooo we brought her home! We renamed her Ginny and eagerly awaited for her to come out of her shell.
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    She found a little cozy spot under our bed and stayed there for days. Finally one morning we woke to see that the litter box was used. After that,
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    she would venture out at nighttime when we were sleeping. I used to bring my laptop into the bedroom during the day so I could lay next to the bed and talk to her while I worked. I remember
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  • The time, dedication and perseverance that is required to coax a kitty out of their shell is simply astounding. And for an especially traumatized kitty such as Jodie, the amount of those qualities that are needed to help her heal must be unfathomable. But she is a catto who deserves to be invested in after a life time of being taken from.

  • 13
    reaching under the bed and the first time she let me pet her for a second. I cried. I remember watching a movie with my husband in the living room one night. She came out into
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    the living room with us for the first time. We both held our breath and hands and just smiled like idiots because we were so excited for her.
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  • 15
    Fast forward to now, Ginny has been with us for 3 months. We've told her she's a Good Girl so many times that she genuinely thinks that's her name and it's the only thing she will respond to!
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    She starts our day at 6am when she wakes up my husband for breakfast (by standing on his face and meowing into it). After eating she comes back to bed and cuddles against my chest until I get up at 7. She spends her days
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    watching, and following me around and investigating everything I do. Sometimes I can't believe she's the same girl I met three months ago. I'm in a better place mentally and I think she is too. She
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    was never a 'bad cat', she just had a lot of trauma to overcome. I don't expect anyone to read this far. I mostly just want a place to revisit our story. If you're thinking of
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    rescuing the cat that nobody wants, I say do it! It's amazing what a little extra love can do- for them and for us.
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adopt bad wanted months cat cat mom shy no one cat shelter abandoned never reddit story trauma caring cat story couple
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