'Her cage had a red "don't touch" sign': Shelter deemed the cat mean and not eligible for adoption, but one sweet person saw through the warnings and into her heart

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Ayala Sorotsky • Writer and Editor
Jan 15, 2026 1:00 PM EST

There are no bad cats - only cats who have it bad.

We know this is said about kids in one form or another, but hear us out - humans are not special in their capacity for good or evil, kindness or malice. Humans are complex enough not to be instinctively wired towards one way of behavior or another. People might exhibit certain unwanted behaviors because of reasons that can be treated with a lot of support, in many ways. But here's the catch - humans are not special. Other animals - who are also complex, intelligent, and emotional - subscribe to this concept very easily.

And when we talk about cats? This one pawrecious preincess is a purrfect example. Our hearts go out to this cat who had to spend months in a cage, just because the shelter people decided she was "mean", and even not eligible for adoption at all. But one person who entered the cat shelter proved them all wrong. You see, we don't believe the people who labeled her cage "don't touch" on a red sign are bad people - but they sure did display bad behavior. And that they did by not considering that this cat is not bad - she just displays bad behavior… that they had no clue how to deal with.

All it took was one person, one person, to show her love, care, and acceptance for her to turn from a spicy cat to a gentle, loving, warm kitty. All cats need is love, and love was given to this beautiful fluffy friend, who had to endure months of isolation. But it's all over now, in the best way pspspsible. She's in her forever home, enjoying the perks of being the house princess she was born to be.

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    My sweet baby Elwynn. I fought to take her home with me the second I saw her.
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    Cheezburger Image 10596113664
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    They said she was mean and not eligible for adoption. I said she just needs love.
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    They spoke to the head of adoption and let us take her home. 2 months later she just a sweet baby bean with a tangy side who knows exactly what she wants.
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    Cheezburger Image 10596113408
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    She spent 8 months apparently undergoing "behavioral modification" at the shelter. Sometimes my heart aches and I tear up knowing that she was in that cage scared and uncomfortable for so long.
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    Cheezburger Image 10596114176
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    But she never has to feel like that again. Before we even left the shelter I said to her "Don't worry, you're a princess now.
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    Cheezburger Image 10596115456
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    I got you." The lady at the shelter scoffed at me and giggled but the joke is on her cause we hit the jackpot that day.
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  • Seeing this sweet girl, knowing what she went through, it's like someone's holding our heart in a fist and squeezing. No cat should ever be treated like this - shunned, isolated, intentionally marginalized. It's awful. No cat should ever experience these things.

    But at least knowing she's now a princess in her forever home makes us sigh in relief. This cat is safe, sound, loved, and protected. No more small cages, no more warnings, no more isolation. This cat is now an integral part of her new family - her forever family. And this? This makes us smile.

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    landshark06 So glad she's with you! Before we adopted Grandpa, we were told she was feral and would likely get put down because all she did was hide and not eat. She was so terrified in the shelter that she was on a hunger strike. Thankfully my good friend decided to foster her and her sweet personality came out almost immediately and my wife and I adopted her. Sometimes they just need a chance and some understanding.
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    Significant-Work-737 Absolutely! I only know a sliver of Elwynn's origin story but it's very clear by her behavior that humans have not treated her kindly. Cats can definitely sense our intentions and if you approach them with live, eventually they'll let their guards down. I believe that no cat is inherently "bad". I gave such a soft spot in my heart for them because imagine being a cat just at the mercy of a creature thats bigger than you, who speaks a different language and can pick you up an
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    CBFE70 Thank you for saving her. Mine has an orange tip tail too.
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    Significant-Work-737 Oh what a precious baby!
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    mimikyuru Awww. My husband and I got an 8 year old shelter cat when we first got married. He was free, but they made us sign all these forms that when we got sick of him in a couple weeks we'd bring him back to that same shelter, because they knew how to deal with his "personality quirks". We
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    promised to keep him and they said that's fine, but make sure when you change your mind you bring him back here. For the first month or so that we had him, he would intentionally break things, slam doors, scream all night, pee on clothes, etc, and every time he did he would go wait by the carrier with the saddest look on his face waiting for us to get rid of him again. We never did and he ended up living to 14 years old as the pampered-est old man who ever lived, and we never regretted him for a
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    Significant-Work-737 Oh my heart Poor baby didn't deserve to feel that way! I'm so glad he found love and safety with you guys. I bet he was so grateful to be loved and cherished. I'm sorry he's no longer physically with you. I lost my soul baby in October and it's the hardest thing I've ever had to go through.
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    FlashyIndication3069 Adorable! I love a tortie. My Rory, she was one spicy chiquita. She passed quite a while ago and I still miss her.
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    Significant-Work-737 Oh no! I'm so sorry your baby is no longer with you. I lost my soul baby Moo Moo in October(also a tortie) and not a day goes by that I don't cry at least 2x a day. My heart longs for her. It's the price we pay for such a strong love | guess, but it doesn't make it easier. I bet Rory is waiting for you in the grass wherever she is
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    DeptOfDahlias Elwynn looks absolutely right at home, congratulations! I hope you email or show the staff these pictures. Maybe they won't be so judgemental toward their "challenging" cats in the future.
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    Significant-Work-737 I do plan on emailing them actually. I doubt they had any actual protocol to modify her behavior. The feeling we had is that they were likely waiting for her to go a certain amount of time without swiping or growling.
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    Her cage had a red "don't touch" sign. It broke my heart. She gave us a sweet meow and slow blinks when we first looked at her. She was abandoned by her first family after four years because she didn't get along with their cat after Elwynn moved away with a family member and then returned. I think she was kept in one room of their house for the most part. We're introducing her to our void slowly but surely. It's going better than expected. Based on their description, we thought she'd take more t
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    gothtortiecat She also won the lottery that day!
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    Significant-Work-737 It was meant to be!
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    fajitasteve65 Sometimes the baby just needs to be babied
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    Significant-Work-737 = I tell my husband all the time "They are babies, not just cats. Precious babies.
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    GypsyDoVe325 I tell all my kitties daily they are royalty prince & princesses. They are sweet babies so well behaved I'm super blessed. Congrats! Enjoy your new baby!
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    Significant-Work-737 Thank you!
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    mycookiepants And she said "Heck your modifications."
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  • Good for her! Heck the shelter's “modifications”. When a cat behaves badly, they don't need modifications - they need a safer place, a better environment, and lots of love. Cats are creaturesmade for love. They need to be loved, to be understood - that's when their behavior is “modified”, so to speak. They don't need a re-education camp. They just need a soft touch, a warm word, and a safety net. That's all, just love. We always stood by it, we stand for it now, and we always will. Cats just need love.

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    Significant-Work-737
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    i_empathetic No such thing as a bad cat. Only misunderstood ones.
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