When Adam arrived he was a terrified feral kitten (top left photo). But he soon learned to enjoy attention if we forced it on him slowly and gently.
Now he loves us almost as much as he loves his feline family.
(In the bottom middle photo, he's with Mandarin and Julius. In the bottom right photo he's with Amelia and Julius.)

Adam was trapped as a four or five-month-old youngster. He was on his way to becoming a feral cat since he had never lived among humans. At the shelter, he crouched miserably at the back of his new-cat cage, trying to be invisible. He went into foster care for socialization and he was coming along very well. But his foster mom couldn't keep him and there was nobody else to spend enough time with him. So Adam bonded with the other cats at the shelter. His best friend was Amelia. They had arrived at the same time and were about the same age. When they both joined a communal room, they made new feline friends, depending less on each other. Humans remained an intrusion in their lives. Gradually they learned to accept us though, and now they consider us their friends. They come to us asking for attention and they revel in our caresses. Adam is a meek, bashful fellow by nature so he tends to stay in the background during our open hours when the shelter is full of strangers. This makes him hard-to-place. He's young, healthy, handsome, gentle and sweet-natured. Yet he's been with us since the end of September 2004. He might get his own home one day. But it will have to be a very patient home where he will have feline friends. Until then we are his family.

Sept/07
Adam still startles sometimes if we come up to him too quickly. His eyes widen and he shrinks back or scurries away. If he doesn't scurry off and we give him a few pets, he freezes for a moment as if he can't decide what to do. Then he seems to remember that he has accepted humans as part of his world and he relaxes under our touch. During quiet times, he might initiate the contact with us. Then he is utterly loving and friendly. We're sure he'd do well in a quiet home of his own where he has cat friends.
 

Jan/08
Adam seems to spend most of his time on the porch. The shelter can become noisy and chaotic if several people are there at once cleaning or visiting. Adam probably likes to avoid the crowds. One-on-one, he's very affectionate though. The first volunteer arrives each day in the wee hours of the morning to spend two hours before she goes to her day job. Adam follows her around, gazing up at her with a soulful, loving gaze.

Feb 10/08
Adam's favourite perch is a tall one by the porch door. He doesn't see a lot of visitors out there. So if you go out to see him and try to give him some pats, he'll be surprised and confused at first. Then when he realizes that you're being friendly, he's clearly delighted and soaks up the lovin' enthusiastically. You can see this on his video below.

June 8/08
Adam has been shaved since his luxuriant coat had become quite matted. He's now sporting a very seasonal, short cut for the summer which looks good on him even if it does reveal that he's a wee bit on the plump side.

Sept/08
Adam hung around with Amelia and Chivas a lot. They were pals, so it was rather heart-wrenching for us when Amelia and Chivas were adopted. That left Adam alone again. Before Amelia and Chivas, his best friends were Julius and Mandarin. Then they got adopted. It would have been so nice to see Adam go home with his pals too but we can't ask people to adopt a third cat that they hadn't planned on. So we hope this sweet, bashful boy will make new friends in the changing population of his pen.

Oct 7/08
Maybe we don't have to worry about Adam. He and Salsa (a little semi-feral torti) seem to be good friends now.

Oct 10/08
Adam's chance might have come. A volunteer recently had to help her elderly cat pass and now has room in her home for one more. She's thinking carefully about who at the shelter needs her most and would be the best fit in her family. Adam came to mind. He likes other cats and would find friends in her furry family. But he's not a dominant cat and would not be intimidating to her weaker ones. So Adam might be the one. She just wants to give it a bit more thought in case there's another cat at the shelter who really needs to get out. Adam at least is adjusted to shelter life and feels comfortable there. Some cats are miserable in the shelter and really need to get out.

Oct 18/08
Adam has become so much more outgoing! He's always wandering around the communal room in the middle of activities these days, and he enjoys pets whenever someone stops to offer him any. The volunteer is still agonizing about which of our 100 cats (give or take) need her home the most. It's a tough choice.

Nov 11/08
Our volunteer has decided to take a plain black cat named Baby B. home in the end. Baby B. isn't even listed for adoption because the little guy is always in hiding. Yet when you pull him out and cuddle him, he clearly enjoys the affection -- funny little soul. He always wheezes when he breaths. Our vet determined that his lungs were permanently damaged by an old illness. The odds that he would ever be adopted are slim to none. Yet he has no feline friends in particular at the shelter and he does want to bond with a person. He needs this chance. Adam is confident and content among his friends at the shelter. He's doing okay. (And it's moving day for the Katie's Place cats. Today they come to the new shelter at last. We hope it goes smoothly and they settle quickly.)

Jan/09
The move to the new shelter was hard for Adam. After the move he was been less visible in his communal room than he was at the barn. He's been hiding under the couch mostly. He's a sensitive little guy who had considered the barn home since September 2004 when he was only four or five months old. He's known no other home. In a way, this move was good. If he ever gets a home of his own (and he's young enough that he should), going to his new home won't be the first upheaval he's ever faced and it should go easier.

 
 

Jan 22/09
Adam is settling in nicely. He likes to hang out under the couch but he'll always come out for a brushing. He loves being brushed.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

May 8/09
Ripley was the intended subject of a video being made. But Adam was out on the porch enjoying the spring weather and he insisted in getting involved. He had to have a new video made too. Here, at Adam's request, is a new video of him.  :)

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