Animal homelessness is one of the largest problems facing the animal welfare community today, and the ASPCA is doing everything we can get animals off the streets and into loving homes. That’s why we love to hear success stories about animals like Sailor, a formerly-homeless cat who went on to become the perfect house pet. Here is his Happy Tail.

On a freezing winter day last February, three-year-old Sailor was found wandering as a stray on First Avenue and 118th Street in New York City. He was taken to the nearby ASPCA Adoption Center, where he received a full medical workup before being cleared for placement. It was clear from the start that the street-cat loved attention, but that he was also quite sensitive and preferred peace and quiet. Sailor also had a defensive side and sometimes reacted negatively to being approached by strangers. All in all, we knew he could be a good pet—but that he’d need someone to make him feel safe before he would come out of his shell.

Months went by and Sailor was having little luck in the adoption department. His reticence around strangers often hid his softer side, and he was regularly passed up in favor of more gregarious cats. But we didn’t give up hope, and finally, six months after his arrival at the ASPCA, Sailor met Katrina and Shannon.

Wives Katrina and Shannon had recently moved into a new place and were eager to expand their family with a new furry friend. Katrina says, “We were committed to adopting an adult cat, because we didn’t have the time or energy for a kitten, and we also knew it’s harder for adult cats to get adopted.” On their first visit to the Adoption Center, they met dozens of great cats, but none felt like the perfect fit. Then they met Sailor, and he was “cool but friendly toward us,” Katrina recalls. “His energy seemed to fit what we were looking for—not too energetic or lively, but interested in interacting and moderately mellow.”

When the couple learned Sailor’s story, it cemented their selection even further. “We learned he had been waiting at the shelter for six months, and it sealed the deal for us—that seemed like far too long for this guy to be waiting for a family,” Katrina says. “They told us that other people had passed him over because he seemed aloof, but we really wanted to give him a chance.”

In his new home, cow-spotted Sailor also earned himself a new name: Moodle. Katrina reports that he was “really brave and adventurous,” and that after only a few days of uncertainty regarding the litterbox, he quickly eased in to his new life. She says, “Moodle is doing so well! He seems to really love our home and hanging out with us. He likes doorjambs, the living room rug and watching Seinfeld. His favorite toy is a plastic pen cap, which he’s been playing with for months despite all his “real” toys. He gets cuddlier by the day!”

And although “Moo” still maintains some of his quirks from the streets—he loves to yowl at other cats through the window—he is proof that a loving family can make all the difference. “It's been such a joy getting to know him and giving him space and time to come into himself as an indoor family cat,” Katrina says. “We adore him, and he us. He’s the perfect and irreplaceable member of our family and we are so grateful for him every day.”

We at the ASPCA are also grateful—because this former street-cat is finally getting to experience the joys of a warm, loving home. If you would like to give another animal a second chance, please visit the ASPCA Adoption Center or consider adopting today.