Zucchero

Acquired From: Owner Surrender

Zucchero came to our attention when his human emailed us. Unable to care for him due to a family situation, she was desperate to find Zucky a loving place to live out his golden years. Zucky is a 10-year-old front declawed deaf Persian cat who is eager to give and receive as much love and affection as he can!

Our vet, Dr. Glenn, says he is a wonderful cat and he enjoyed giving him a much-needed vet exam! He is a very healthy boy with PURRfect results on his bloodwork! So now we’re going to fix his teeth, so he can be 100% pain free when he eats!

Jet

Acquired From: The Humane Society of Lancaster, SC

Found wandering alone in a quiet Lancaster subdivision, Jet was not wanted by the person who found him. At barely 8-weeks old, he was headed to the shelter (and we all know what that means) when we were notified about him. His sister was later discovered, but he was kept. We think the only reason Jet wasn’t kept was that old black cat superstition. But he’s here now and safe from harm, living with the other Sanctuary cats along with Rita’s own cats, and he is growing like a weed!

Missy

Acquired From: Lancaster SC Shelter

Thriving at age 19, Missy is a Norwegian Forrest Cat who has been with us she she was 15. She and her sibling, (the late) Scooter, came to live in the Sanctuary when we received a call from the local shelter. Their owner had passed away, and these kitties were languishing in the shelter. Confused and broken hearted, these cats were pining away toward death until we took them into our Sanctuary, and our hearts.  Missy is loving her new life with all her many kitty pals and her new human at the Sanctuary.

Missy loves napping on the sofa and eating Temptations treats! And we learned recently that she also LOVES Pizza! We think her human shared many a pizza with Missy, as she perks up at the sight and smell of a freshly baked pie! 🍕

Kismet

Acquired From: FURR Rescue

Kismet, aka Kizzy, came to us from another rescue in North Carolina, where he was living by himself in a separate room due to his FIV status. (note – FIV and non-FIV cats can indeed live together!) Having been trapped in a TNR endeavor, it became obvious Kizzy was no feral cat! In fact, he is a snuggle bug who is happy to be with humans and other cats alike. We later took in his “girlfriend” Karma; we did not know initially that he and Karma were a bonded pair or we would never have separated them.

Kizzy loves to snuggle with his chosen human, Linda, as well as with his girlfriend Karma!

Picasso

Acquired From: Lancaster SC Shelter

Calico beauty Miss Picasso came to us when volunteers at the local shelter contacted Rita. A very shy approximate 2-year-old girl, she was not spayed and had been largely neglected most of her life. She came along with her feral friend, Max, who was very untrusting of humans. (Sadly, Max passed at the tender age of 9 months due to Toxoplasmosis of the brain stem, but he came to know love and trust from Rita before he passed.)

Picasso gets along with all the Sanctuary members, and has slowly decided to trust Rita. She comes to Rita now most mornings wanting “fanny scratchies” and head rubs… It only took her 4 years, lol!!

Smoochy

Acquired From: Lancaster SC Shelter

Smoochy is a 3-legged 8-year-old, who came to live with us at the tender age of 3 weeks. With a rear leg broken and dangling, she was set to be euthanized at the shelter, when the shelter director called to ask if we could save her. Of course! We took in both Smoochy and her brother Sonny (who passed away last year). Both Sonny and Smoochy were somewhat mentally challenged, since they were taken away from their cat mom and thrown into a ditch as such young kittens. Smoochy is still prone to litter box mistakes because of the odd way her brain works.

Smoochy is very attached to her chosen human, Rita, and barks at the other cats if they try to get too close to Rita! Smoochy also loves to chase the laser dot, despite her 3-legged status!

Rosie

Acquired From: Owner Surrender

Sweet Rosie, a rare orange tabby, came to live at the Sanctuary when Rita spotted her on Facebook. A local cat who was on her way to the shelter for the 3rd time, her sweet face begged to be saved. The lady who had her tried to save her from going back to the shelter, but Rosie (then named Tiger) was not doing well with their family dogs nor with the kids. She was constantly tormented.

Rita drove over to get Rosie, who upon arriving home hid inside a litter box for a few days, coming out occasionally for food. But here we are, 5 years later, and Rosie has become one of the most loving cats her at the Sanctuary. She is now approximately 6 years old, has many kitty pals, and loves people!

Brownie

Acquired From: Save-a-Life Rescue

Semi-feral Brownie, 12 years old and sibling to Cupcake, retains much of her wild side. While she has no known medical issues (knock wood), she is completely fearful of human touch. She will now tolerate us getting close enough to put a food bowl down in front of her, and we can occasionally touch her very gently. Mostly, she is just happy to be here living in comfort with her sister and the other cats.

Brownie loves to lie on the bed with her pals, then she likes to change rooms with Rita and sleep on the sofa with her sister at night. If you open the bag of Temptations, she might actually come near, but not too close!

Hope

Acquired From: Baldwin Hills Shelter

4-year-old Hope, who was at the time named Bongo, was the last pet left unadopted or pulled by a rescue at the end of a LaBrea Tar Pits Best Friends Adoption Event. At the end of the event, the Heigl Foundation paid for the rescues in attendance to claim all the unadopted shelter animals so they would not face euthanasia upon returning to the overcrowded shelters. Yet STILL, just 1 cat remained unclaimed… So Rita pooled her money with that of some of her friends, and claimed Hope in the name of Save-a-Life rescue, just in the nick of time. The owner of Save-a-Life saw how sweet she was, and urged Rita to take her into her sanctuary so she wouldn’t become lost in the sheet number of cats at Save-a-Life. Although it took 2 years to get Hope to stop hiding, she eventually came out of her shell and is now a very happy kitty at the age of 14!

Oliver

Acquired From: Save-a-Life Rescue

Oliver was at an adoption event, where he was panic stricken.  The only thing that would calm him was is Rita stood by his cage and talked to him while petting his chin. Of course, no potential adopters were interested in adopting a petrified cat, so we were asked to take Oliver in, so he would have a chance at knowing a place where he would be loved. At Save-a-Life among the hundreds of other cats, Oliver would just get lost in the crowd. Here,  he has blossomed into a cat who loved to be held, and constantly wants affection. The other cats love him too!

Abby – RIP

Acquired From: Save-a-Life Rescue

RIP Abby, who passed suddenly from undetected cancer on April 3, 2017

Abby was the start of the Sanctuary dream… After losing her beloved Sadie, Rita began volunteering at the weekend pet adoptions for Save-a-life. On her very first day, a couple came in to “return” Abby, whom they adopted 5 years prior, because she was too sickly and they could no longer afford the vet bills. She was also on a special food; it’s hard to manage that with hundreds of cats to care for. Save-a-Life asked Rita to take her home so she could get the special care she needed. Not only did Abby get whar she needed, it was also determined by Rita’s vet that Abby was not at all sick! She had a giant fur ball in her stomach that was causing her to have stomach and bowel issues. Once that was cleared up, Abby lived to the ripe old age of 14!

Maxwell – RIP

Acquired From: Neighbor of the late owner

RIP Maxwell, who was with us for a mere 2 months and passed peacefully on November 5, 2020

We got a call from a couple who noticed Maxwell outside their home, hanging around in their backyard. Maxwell’s owner had passed away, and the family just tossed senior cat Maxwell (we named him, original name unknown) out into the street to fend for himself! Oh no, we could not let that happen! So even though we were in the midst of Covid-19 back in September 2020, the good samaritan met Rita at a vet’s office, so we could take him info our Sanctuary. Maxwell was a real sweetheart, but he was very old and fragile. Our vet estimated he was around 15 years old, so his month on the streets really took its toll, but the last two months of his life he was. happy and very very loved…

Sonny – RIP

Acquired From: Lancaster SC Shelter

RIP Sonny, whom we lost to Stage 4 CKD (chronic kidney disease), March 17, 2021

We took in Sonny and his sister Smoochy at the tender age of 3-weeks old. Smoochy had a danglingly back leg and under shelter guidelines she was going to be euthanized, but the shelter director called Rita instead. At that young of an age, and needing to be quaranteined until she was old enough for an accurate SNAP test, we asked that her brother, Sonny, accompany her to the Sanctuary. Sonny was a sweet kitty who never did learn proper feline social queues. Although he could be a little bit inaprpopriate at times (hence his nickname of Mr. Inappropriate), he was well loved by felines and humans alike. We miss him so much, having only had 6 years with him. But he had a wonderful and very lovely life.

Dash – RIP

Acquired From: Save-a-Life Rescue

RIP Dash, he passed September 29, 2021

Dash came to us as a feral along with 3 of his siblings. His passing was extremely hard on his sister, Cupcake, and his best pal, Boo-Boo kitty. We fought the good fight against cancer, but it won… Dash had a wonderful 12 years with us, but it’s never long enough… At least he didn’t die without knowing love…

Lovey – RIP

Acquired From: Save-a-Life Rescue

RIP to sweet Lovey boy who passed in November, 2021 after a brave fight with cancer… Twice!

Lovey was a feral kitten who came to us with his siblings Dash, Cupcake, and Brownie when the rescue Rita was volunteering with had no room and no one who could tame them. While Lovey became incredibly sweet to Rita (and a select few other people) and the other cats, he was still scared of people and loud noises. He lived a wonderful life in the Sanctuary with his siblings and had he best love and care right up until we had to send him over the Rainbow Bridge… His only remaining sibling, semi-feral Brownie, still remains safe and loved in our Sanctuary and enjoys being with all the other cats.

Mimi – RIP

Acquired From: Owner Surrender

After an all-to-brief stay at the Sanctuary, Mimi crossed the Rainbow Bridge on December 8, 2021 after a 2-month stay

Mimi came to us in October 0f 2021. An old diabetic cat who needed more care than his human could give, we brought here to the sanctuary and got her settled in. We were told she didn’t like other cats, but she enjoyed hanging out with Rita’s cats and the other Sanctuary cats, occasionally rolling around on a catnip banana and chowing down with Rita’s cat Deckster, who became one of her pals. Unfortunately, she had been without vet care for a while, and was on the wrong dose of insulin as a result. She stopped eating in December, and our vet Dr. Glenn said her organs were failing. It was time. We invited her original owner to come help her transition over the Rainbow Bridge, as we knew she would get comfort from him… She knew love and snuggles at the end from her owner and from her extended family here at the Carolina Cat Sanctuary.

Scooter – RIP

Acquired From: Lancaster SC Shelter

RIP Sweet Scooter, he passed April 6, 2022, and re-joins his original Mom in Heaven…

17-year-old Scooter is Missy’s sibling, also a Norwegian Forrest Cat. As stated in Missy’s section, he came to live in the Sanctuary after his human passed away. He also had undiagnosed Hyperthyroidism, a common affliction in senior cats. Now on medication, Scooter is thriving here at the Sanctuary. Somewhat of a loner who chooses to spend his time in the office, Scooter has indeed made some new kitty friends.

Scooter’s favorite activities are eating and getting brushed.

Cupcake – RIP

Acquired From: Save-a-Life Rescue

RIP Cupcake aka Cuppie, she passed May 6, 2022, and re-joins her litter mates, Lovey and Dash…

Cupcake, now 12, came to us as a feral along with 3 of her siblings. Unfortunately, two of them have now passed from Cancer. Only Cupcake and Brownie remain. Cupcake is suffering from issues which makes getting enough nutrition from her food impossible without medication. For a time, she was on weekly B12 injections. While the B12 injections are now only monthly, Cupcake must also have VedCo PancreVed Powder mixed into her wet food twice a day so she gets some nutrition from her food. Even so, she continues to be frail and we don’t know how long she will be with us.

Her favorite thing in life is to snuggle with her cat buddy, Peanut Butter (grey tabby behind her in the photo) and watch TV while sitting on our laps.

Karma – RIP

Acquired From: FURR Rescue

Sad Note: After a short battle with Cancer, Karma was sent over the Rainbow Bridge today, 8-15-23. Karma had been Kizzy’s girlfriend in the feral colony where they were both trapped during a TNR event. Left in the NC rescue when we took in Kizzy, we only learned about her when we visited to rescue to thank them for sending Kizmet our way. Karma was so shy that she had stuffed herself underneath the kitten cages at the rescue! Once reunited with Kizmet, Karma very very slowly started to come out of her shell. It took us 4 years to even begin to be able to touch her, but she does now sleep on the bed at night with Linda and Brian.

Karma’s favorite thing in life was to snuggle up with Kizzy and enjoy being spoiled.