ASPCA Happy Tails

This Week's ASPCA Happy Tail

Apollo

Love Is Blind

The handsome, affectionate kitty known as Apollo first arrived at the ASPCA in September 2009, when he checked into the Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital after falling from the window of an apartment building. The three-year-old lovebug—who is blind—quickly became a staff favorite at our Adoption Center and spent three weeks as a foster cat at the ASPCA’s administrative offices in Manhattan.

“True to his name, Apollo is a handsome, affectionate and social kitty!” says Jesse Oldham, ASPCA Senior Administrative Director and Apollo’s office foster mom. “His lack of vision didn’t limit his playfulness. Once he learned his way around my office, he was able to chase toys like the best kitty toy-hunters out there. He'd hide in a cardboard box and ambush his toys—even though he couldn't see very well, he knew the toys shouldn’t see him coming!”

Jesse adds: “After a long play session, he'd curl up in his bed, surrounded by stuffed animals—a moose, a reindeer, a raccoon and a dog. I'd turn around to see this adorable cat sleeping peacefully, when just five minutes earlier he was giving the Cat Dancer a very good run for its money.”

Thankfully, Apollo’s days in the work-a-day world were short-lived. Kathy Boisvert of Uxbridge, MA, who works with visually impaired humans, saw a photo of the orange dreamsicle on the ASPCA website and was instantly smitten by Apollo’s dreamy demeanor.

“One of Apollo's sweetest traits is that he loves to sit on your lap, put his paws on your shoulders and give you kisses and face rubs while purring,” Jesse explains. This unbridled display of affection was not lost on Kathy, whose calm, collected personality was a perfect match for the extroverted feline. When the happy pair first met, according to Barbara MacDonald, ASPCA Volunteer Coordinator, Apollo hugged Kathy around the neck and purred loudly in her ear.

Says Barbara: “It was a fait accompli—Kathy knew Apollo was the one.”