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September 02, 2010, 5:30PM MT By Julie Flanders, Best Friends Network volunteer

An abandoned cat with special needs finds a new home through Twitter In the spring of 2009, Penny the cat was running short on luck. Penny’s person moved from the California apartment complex they called home to take a new job, and left Penny behind. Shortly after his person left, Lisa Tucker and her children, who live in the same complex, noticed Penny wandering around the courtyard looking very confused. Tucker learned from the office manager that Penny’s guardian had left Penny at the apartments, telling the office staff that she could not fit the cat into her car. While they were unable to take Penny in themselves, Tucker and other residents in the complex banded together to feed Penny and to look out for the abandoned feline. Tucker’s children developed a special bond with Penny, and before too long, Tucker and Penny had a routine. Tucker opened her door each morning to greet the cat, and Penny wandered inside to have breakfast while the children got ready for school. Penny could often be found curled up on Tucker’s couch, and Tucker and her neighbor set up a cozy cat bed for Penny to sleep in on the porch in between their apartments.

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In March, 2010, Tucker and her neighbors brought Penny to FixNation, a spay/neuter clinic in Burbank, California, which provides free spay/neuter services to homeless and stray cats, in order to get Penny spayed and vaccinated. The neighbors got a big surprise when they received a call from the FixNation staff after they had dropped the cat off at the clinic. As it turned out, Penny did not need to be spayed, as the darling Miss Penny was actually a Mister! And, the male cat had already been neutered. Penny returned to his routine at the complex, but as time passed, the neighbors noticed he was losing weight and no longer coming around to visit the various apartments. He was much more withdrawn, and started to spend most of his time sleeping. Around this same time, the sister of one of the complex residents came forward and said she wanted to adopt Penny. To everyone’s delight, Penny appeared to once again have a home of his own. But the happiness did not last long, as when the new guardian took Penny to the vet, she learned the reason why his behavior had changed and he had been losing weight. Penny had diabetes, and his condition was very poor. Penny’s new person had just lost her previous cat to a heart problem after nursing him for three years, and she did not want another cat with special needs. It seemed that Penny was once again down on his luck. Penny's new person agreed to keep him for a few days to see if a new home could be found. Tucker frantically tried to find a rescue organization to take Penny in, but because he was so ill, no one would take him. She felt increasingly frustrated, sure that Penny’s disease could be managed with medication and the right caregiver, but time was running out for Penny, as his new guardian planned to take him to her vet to be euthanized the following day. In desperation, Tucker’s daughter put a message on her Twitter, asking if anyone would be willing to come forward and adopt the cat. Enter Lauren Durant, a Northridge, California, resident who saw the tweet about Penny, and responded to Tucker’s daughter’s request. By the following afternoon, Durant had picked Penny up, and had taken him to the same vet who had diagnosed his diabetes. Penny had a new home, and was on his way to getting the medical care he needed. Durant reports that Penny, who she calls Boy, is now doing well, but it took some time and a great deal of work with her veterinarian to get him to that point. When Penny first moved into her home, he was so thin and sickly that she was almost afraid to pick him up, as she feared she would hurt him. He would spend his time sitting in the shower or sink, desperate for water to quench his thirst. Thankfully, his condition stabilized with increased insulin, and he was able to gain back much of the weight he had lost. According to Durant, he now “eats like a horse.” Durant learned that Penny has additional health problems, as he is blind in one eye and deaf, but these issues have not stopped him from enjoying his life with her. He loves playing with his feline sister, in spite of the fact that she sees him as an easy mark for teasing, and the two can usually be found cuddled together on Durant’s bed. Penny also loves exploring Durant’s back yard while she is outside with him, but shows no interest in venturing away from his new home. As Tucker had suspected, Penny’s disease is manageable with the right amount of insulin and care, and while he needs regular check-ups and his veterinarian is still working on

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finding the right level of insulin for him, he is indeed thriving and savoring his new life as a pampered house cat.

Tags Thanks to a dedicated group of neighbors, Twitter, and the power of social networking, Penny went from abandonment and homelessness to a loving new home with his very own “animal angel.” Although faced with certain death, he instead got a last minute reprieve, and with a special person who is willing to give him the medical care he needs, Penny proved once and for all that he is one lucky cat.

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sanctuaries Want to help other homeless cats like Penny? In addition to their free spay/neuter clinic for stray, feral, or homeless cats, FixNation, founded by Best Friends Catnippers, also provides training, supplies, and support for trap/neuter/return (TNR) programs. Click here for information on how to donate to FixNation.

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feeding feral Learn more about how you can help community cats in your area, by becoming a fan of the Best Friends Focus on Felines campaign. Top photo by Lisa Tucker Second photo by Lauren Durant

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Comments Posted September 05, 2010, 7:16PM by rescuercalifornia

There was no reason to give that cat just a few days to find a new home. These people could have come together and donated enough money to cover his vet bill. The person's reaction who adopted the cat then rejected it because it had health problems is also very typical. So is the first person who abandoned this cat when she moved. WHEN are people going to put the needs of these animals FIRST and stop thinking of only themselves. It's too bad the second person lost her own cat recently but there was another cat in dire need of help and she turned her back on it because of her own selfish feelings. Most people still have this disposeable attitude toward animals and it sickens me. There will always be a small portion of people who are able to save some of themlike the woman who saw the cat on Twitter but after being in rescue for over 20 years I can personally say it's the same it's always been and people's attitudes and compassion have not gotten better when it comes to helping homeless animals. Millions are still being abaonded and dying on the streets and in shelters every year. Stories like this make people think it's getting better but it is NOT. Posted September 06, 2010, 8:4AM by sosasnowhobo

While there is no easy answer to the problemof abandoned and unwanted pets, it's good to see that caring people are using new and effective means such as social networking to try to help one pet at a time. Not everyone is in a position financially or emotionally to take on a new pet but it seems to me that the people involved in Penny's rescue all did their best rather than looking the other way, which is really all we can ask. Thanks for sharing this success story with us! Enjoy your "happily ever after," Penny! Posted September 09, 2010, 6:58AM by alex

How could anyone leave their babies behind? It breaks my heart - thank goodness angels were watching over Penny! Posted September 09, 2010, 9:47AM by hlsmom

I must agree with the commenter before me. Although I amhappy that Penny finally got a happy ending, all the people involved before hand really disappoint me. Of course we can all agree that the original "guardian" was a selfish twit, but those in the apartment complex could have done so much more. Why wasn't a home sought for Penny from the beginning? Not having a guardian to observe Penny closely, not to mention provide a warm, safe place for himto sleep was the reason his condition became so grave in the first place. In addition for someone ready to euthanize a cat because they didn't want to take the time or effort to care for its medical needs is deplorable! What has humanity come to? What if we had the same attitude towards our children? The streets would be swarming with street urchins like in third world countries. These are thinking, feeling beings that are (unfortunately) at the mercy of humans. They are not property that can be tossed aside. Until we stop looking at animals as "belongings" things won't change. Posted September 09, 2010, 10:34AM by chatelaa

I remember back in the 1950's, you couldn't even mention your love of animals without being asked why you would put so much effort into 'only an animal'; of course, you can still hear that, but attitudes HAVE changed for the better. There are no-kill animals societies (unheard of in the 1950's) and there are caring people who are around to help them. It's important to stay positive; it takes generations for humanity to become more enlightened about anything. We just need to keep going, to teach the younger generations. And to be thankful when caring people come forward to do what is needed to be done----like the outcome of this wonderful story. Posted September 09, 2010, 6:56PM by Squeakie42

This is a great outcome for Penny Boy, but it's a hard reminder to me of what I spent 20 years doing -- taking responsibility for other people's abandoned cats, who inevitably turned up to share the feral colony's food. I'll never forget the response of one man who had dumped his declawed cat outside during the winter. When I learned that this lovely boy had been abandoned by him, I asked why he hadn't just taken himto the shelter. His answer: "Then YOU take himto a shelter." It has always been a source of anger -- other people dumping defenseless animal pets & expecting that someone else will be responsible to let the animal die -- or take care of it. converted by Web2PDFConvert.com

Posted September 10, 2010, 11:8AM by KJS_13

To everyone who has expressed frustration and anger at the people who lived in the Apt Complex (and to the woman who did not keep Penny after learning that he had diabetes) -- lets try to keep 2 things in mind. It is sad that Penny came so close death, but none of us know what their specific situations were/are -- Financially or otherwise. Please focus on the positive -- that they did care enough to do what they did (and that possibly may be all that they were able to do). The important thing is that they banded together, and today, Boy (a.k.a Penny) is living in a home where he is obviously well cared for and loved -- that is the goal of us animal lovers isn't it -- each to do what we can do to end the unnecessary killing of thousands of homeless animals. Posted September 12, 2010, 3:33PM by catmominme

Its pretty clear what the situation was at the apartment complex. They would only do so much and NOT ONE THING MORE. And then once that decision was made, lets add some APATHY...so they shrugged their shoulders and would have let the cat die. That is also what some people do with their aging and ill parents. The children don't want them in their homes and are too busy chasing a dollar to take care of the parents that took care of themfor so long. (Don't get me wrong, I know this is not EVERYONE). And this is the same society that is breaking up core family units because the parents are out working long hours and don't even know that the sitter is abusing their kids or that they complain that they don't know their teenagers.... so they shrug their shoulders...its only a cat..... another shrug of the shoulders..... its only a living, feeling being...... shrug..... so what's on tv again? Come on people, its an apartment complex. You don't pay for lawn care, you don't pay for fixing the place. I make 13 bux an hour and you know what, I just spent two weeks pay on a stupid car because it needed repairs. I own a home... and you know something else, I have a diabetic cat. Yes, I buy his insulin, yes I take ALL 4 cats to the vet when they need to. Yes, I eat CHEAP. No I don't have cable. No I don't travel. Or buy stupid junk that I don't need.... because I feel a RESPONSIBILITY towards the things that are IMPORTANT. A life. Food. A roof over my head. So excuse me. My life would be heck of alot easier if I lived in an apartment. And if you can't afford your apartment? Find a cheaper one. I too have been made responsible for other people's dumped cats fromtime to time. Fromthe young and sick to the pregnant females....I didn't take any of themto just be put to sleep and if I had to, I took themto a decent shelter to try and find a new home. If I can do it, so too could those people. So, I'msorry...I don't give a flying fig newton about their "situations". Posted September 15, 2010, 11:32AM by crazysleepingcatlady

I amjust thankful that Penny has his forever home. I get worked up when I read all the horror stories about what people do....to other people, to babies, to older people and especially to animals. It makes my blood boil and makes me want to do horrible things to these monsters who obviously have no heart or soul or conscience. I will NEVER understand how anyone could harman innocent animal, NEVER. There are 3 kinds of people in this world....the irresponsible ones, those who clean up after themand the rest who sit around with blinders on and do nothing. My biggest hope is that I live long enough to witness the fruition of No More Homeless Pets and to see the shelters and rescues and humane societies all have to go out of business because all the animals have their forever homes. The problemwith animals is............humans.

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