ANIMALS
A Gentle Stray Cat’s Story, From Street Life to a Happy Home in NYC
Meet Shrek, a friendly cat who ended up in a group of wild cats but had a tough time dealing with mean cats picking on him
Skinny, hurt, and with blurry vision because of a condition called entropion, Shrek’s fortune turned around when Emily Shields, who started Whiskers N Wishes Sanctuary in Marana, Arizona, brought him in.
With good care and help, Shrek got better. They called him Shrek after the character from the movies. A couple from New York adopted him, and now he’s a happy pet cat.
Emily told a little about herself and her place for animals: “I always wanted to run a cat rescue, even when I was little, and I bought land in Tucson during the pandemic to do just that. To date, we have had 377 adoptions in 3 years.”
She added, “Whiskers N Wishes was established in November 2020, and we’ve been expanding to accommodate more cats every six months, with the latest expansion beginning on January 12!”
Now, let’s get back to Shrek’s tale. He was staying with a bunch of cats close to an airport in Tucson. But he didn’t fit in and was picked on.
Then, Courtney from Poets Square Cats, who has more than 1 million followers on TikTok, found him. While Emily was watching a movie with her kids, she got a text from Courtney, asking if they could take in a nice cat who was being bullied.
Shrek was in bad shape — he looked skinny because he wasn’t getting enough food and the other cats were being mean to him.
Emily added, “Like many male street cats, he is FIV positive. He looked like a mess.”
Shrek had to have many surgeries because of a problem called entropion. This made his eyelids turn inward, so his eyelashes poked his eyes. It hurt a lot and made it hard for him to see.
“He was neutered and given his shots, then he ended up needing to have his eye surgery and dental surgery as well,” wrote Emily.
Luckily, things got better for Shrek. A nice couple in New York City adopted him and now take care of his social media. Shrek is happy now, living a life full of love, and he doesn’t have to worry about his tough times as a street cat in Arizona anymore.
Shrek’s new dad went on a quick journey – flying to Phoenix, driving to Tucson, picking up Shrek, coming back, and flying back to New York – all in one day, just to bring Shrek to his new home!
