When Marty, a 7-month-old black kitten, arrived at the ASPCA last July, she was in relatively good health but fearful.

“During an evaluation, Marty was tense, wide-eyed, uninterested in toys and defensive, hissing and swatting if a hand was extended toward her,” says Erica Barbot, director of the ASPCA Animal Recovery Center, Marty’s first stop on her ASPCA journey.

For Marty to improve, the ASPCA’s Feline Behavior team recommended moving her into an available office — a quiet environment where she could explore at her own pace. She was placed on Gabapentin, medication to help reduce her anxiety, and began behavior modification treatment.

“Unfortunately, Marty showed minimal progress in the office setting and we worried about her quality of life and long-term prognosis,” says Erica.

Everyone agreed that a foster home was Marty’s best option.

A Difficult Start

Marty was relinquished to the ASPCA at the request of her previous owner, who was being evicted from her apartment. The ASPCA Community Engagement team set a humane trap, safely catching Marty two days later and transported her to our facilities.

“Marty was from a hoarding situation and lived in deplorable conditions,” says Lisa Kisiel, manager of Casework, Training and Events for Community Engagement, who oversaw Marty’s case. “She was unsocialized and had had limited interactions with humans.”

Once in an office environment, however, Marty remained skittish and afraid, not moving or interacting with her surroundings.

An Experienced Foster

Marty was matched with a foster named Mike R., a program director for a social services agency who came across ASPCA foster care opportunities while researching internship possibilities for his clients.

“I saw Marty and was drawn to her story,” says Mike. “She was like a previous cat I fostered, so I chose her.”

Left, Marty hugging Bruce; right, looking out the window.

Once in Mike’s home, Marty hid under the bathroom sink. Through a clear screen on the door, she could see the resident cat, Bruce, Mike’s 2-year-old black cat. Bruce and Marty pawed at each other under the screen, which Mike removed a week later. Both cats got along well.

“With Bruce at her side, Marty became braver,” says Ayleen Cruz, feline behavior specialist for the ASPCA Animal Recovery Center. “She explored the apartment and eventually learned to trust Mike.”

Pushing through Challenges

Ayleen’s team worked closely with Mike to monitor Marty’s progress, conducting phone and Zoom consultations to facilitate continued behavior modification.

At first, Mike didn’t interact with Marty when she was eating. He gradually moved her meals farther away from the bathroom to get her comfortable eating in his presence, even if he was on the other side of the room.

One challenge was getting Marty not to react when Mike moved about.

“If Mike got up from the couch or walked toward her, Marty would freeze or hop off,” says Karen Plescia, a behavior counselor who worked with Mike. “We tried ‘drive-by’ treats, where Mike would drop a treat without stopping as he went from one room to another. Eventually, Marty learned to have positive associations with Mike’s movements.”

Mike used play and petting with Bruce to engage Marty and learned that she liked the toys that Bruce did, especially the laser pointer. Mike could eventually pet Marty with his open hand when she lay beside Bruce.

“Despite her shyness, Marty bonded quickly with Bruce,” says Karen. “Bruce helped Marty tolerate incidental petting. He has a special touch with fearful cats.”

Mike rewarded Marty when she approached him on her own.

“We wanted to reinforce any choices Marty made to engage with Mike, even if it meant just looking at him,” Karen says. “If Mike was watching TV and Marty looked at him, he would slide a treat across the floor and again if she continued to look. Eventually, she was leaning in and soliciting pets from Mike.”

Mike recognized that both cats benefited from their companionship and adopted Marty in December.

Finding Fulfillment in Fostering

Since her adoption, Marty has been weaned off her medication.

“She’s much less stressed,” says Mike. “And I can pet her every day.”

Even with two former fosters now in residence, Mike hopes to foster again.

“When I was younger, I had a tuxedo cat I adored named Ocean,” Mike says. “Since then, I’ve always wanted to help other cats. Fostering is my tribute to Ocean.”

Mike gets fulfillment in seeing his fosters blossom, thrive and move on.

“Getting them to break out of their shells is heartwarming,” says Mike. “Not just for me or their adopters, but especially for the cats.”