Self-proclaimed “cat people,” Cayleigh P. and Sarah L. had tossed around the idea of getting a second cat for their resident cat, Ziggy, for quite some time. However, they were never fully set on it. That is, until work slowed down and Sarah went scouring the internet’s adoption sites and came across Angelito on the ASPCA website.

“We were both pretty won over by his pictures and personality,” said Cayleigh.

Angelito had been brought into the ASPCA Los Angeles Foster Program in July 2022 as a week-old kitten. At 4 months old, he was adopted.

Two years later Angelito was diagnosed with stomatitis, or an inflamed and sore mouth, which required expensive dental procedures. Facing multiple challanges including the cost of care, his adopter made the difficult decision to surrender Angelito, so he could get the care he needed.

Angelito re-entered our foster program and received a full mouth extraction in October 2024. Five months later, Cayleigh and Sarah came across his profile.

A Shy Soul

Angelito, now lovingly nicknamed Angel, was noted to be shy on his adoption profile, so when Sarah and Cayleigh first met him via Zoom, they weren’t  surprised that he was skittish and scared.

“Our first cat, Ziggy, was extremely skittish like Angel when we first adopted him, so we knew how rewarding adopting a shy cat can be when they start to feel comfortable,” explained Cayleigh. “So, we pretty much knew Angel was going to be the cat for us based on his ASPCA profile, but once we had our second zoom with his foster parents it pretty much sealed the deal.”

Even after hearing about his recent procedure and learning that Angelito no longer had any teeth, the pair didn’t hesitate to adopt him.

“If anything, it made us want to adopt him more! He looks like an old man and every time he yawns, we can’t help but feel like it’s the cutest thing ever,” said Cayleigh. “Luckily, since the ASPCA was able to provide him with such a major procedure along with the medical care that goes along with taking care of a cat pre and post extraction, Angel pretty much had a clean bill of health once we adopted him.”

Spreading His Wings

As expected, when the couple first brought Angel home, he was extremely shy.

“Even getting him to eat was an impossible task without him hiding away. He pretty much only ate Churu for the first three days,” Cayleigh told us.

Eventually Angelito felt comfortable enough to come out and eat. Due to his lack of teeth, Cayleigh and Sarah have to ensure Angel’s food is wet enough for him to swallow and that he isn’t eating anything he has to heavily chew. They tend to soak his dry food for about a minute before serving it to him and always give him wet food — something they had already been doing for Ziggy as he doesn’t drink water out of the bowl.

In addition to him not eating, Sarah and Cayleigh were concerned about how Ziggy and Angel would get along. They started out with Angel getting comfortable in a bathroom before meeting Ziggy. As Angel got more and more comfortable, they eventually introduced the two cats.

“At first, there were a couple of cat fights, and it felt like they were never going to get along,” said Cayleigh. “Eventually they got used to each other and their real fights started turning into play fights. Now, we would describe Ziggy and Angelito’s relationship as an older and younger brother dynamic. Angel is always trying to cuddle up to Ziggy, but also is the one who instigates most of the fights when he doesn’t think anyone is watching, whereas Ziggy pretends to not want to cuddle, but you will always find Angel and him together somewhere around the apartment.”

Angel still gets scared of loud noises and would rather be the one to come to you than vice versa, but he has completely settled into his new home. He loves making himself comfortable whether it’s lying next to Ziggy on the couch, sitting in his cat tree or watching TV at Sarah and Cayleigh’s feet. He has also grown especially fond of a string toy, and you can often hear him dragging it from room to room.

Sparking Joy

Having adopted two shy cats who have both since opened up in their homes, Cayleigh offers some advice to those looking to adopt a cat.

“Don’t overlook the cats that on the surface are a little more stand-offish or scared! Many shelter cats come with their own background, and coming into a new environment can be very difficult for them and make them want to hide away,” she said. “As long as you are patient with them and give them the space and time, they will open up to you! Both of our cats were shelter cats, and we couldn’t be more happy with the relationship we have with both of them. We’re glad we took a chance on the shy guys!”

She adds, “There are so many resources that we were provided with from the ASPCA with sections on how to care for a new cat, how to introduce two cats, etc. Even as a second time cat owner, it felt good to have those materials to lean on and utilize in application to our cats.”

Since Cayleigh and Sarah expanded their family of three to a family of four, they’ve found it filled with an immense amount of joy and playfulness.

“Angel is such a sweet little boy and it’s been really special getting him to come out of his shell, so that alone has changed our lives,” explained Cayleigh. “Ziggy’s life has been changed since giving him a buddy to socialize and play with. We still play with Ziggy and Angel, but they definitely prefer playing with each other at this point!”

This summer, we’ve been working to reach 325 cat and kitten adoptions with our friends at ARM & HAMMER Cat Litter™, and we need more people like you to get involved before July 31!  We hope you’ll consider giving a cat like Angelito the loving home they deserve. Or, if you’re not ready to adopt, there are plenty of ways you can get directly help cats and kittens in need. Visit aspca.org/CatMonth to learn more!