When Jethro came to us as a hurricane refugee, he was a truly sad kitty. He struggled to feel at home in the shelter, and although it was comfy and he got to participate in our Purrkids program (for shy, depressed or less social kitties who need extra attention), he still seemed so sad. Worse, he gained weight. LOTS of weight; to the point where he had difficulty moving around. We knew focused attention, a weight-loss supervisor and a real, loving home was what he needed. It took awhile, but we finally found Jethro's human hero in our Fabulous Foster, Linda H. earlier this year.

Jehtro's foster mom Linda has done such a wonderfully cheeky job of keeping us updated on Jethro’s progress that we want to share his story with you, told in a series of updates from her:

January 23, 2019: Starting Out

"Hoping I can get a little more pep back in his step at my house after he gets settled in. Jethro spent his first afternoon observing his new surroundings, but then quickly retreated to the bedroom."

January 28, 2019: Just Hangin’

"Jethro surprised me by hanging out with me in my home office for awhile today (of his own volition!). Second photo is his morning sit-up routine, which he does not enjoy. Every few days, Jethro ventures outside of the bedroom. He never stays long, but it's exciting whenever he makes a surprise appearance!"

February 2, 2019: Help!

"This is Jethro pretty much all day every day. Some days I don’t think he would even eat unless I took him his food in the bedroom. He only voluntarily comes out of my bedroom other than to use the litter box a few times. Help!”

Feb 6, 2019: The Many Faces of Jethro!

"The many faces of Jethro! (I told him if he’s not going to leave the bedroom we are going to have fun in the meantime…). Jethro quickly mastered the over the shoulder look and other classic cat modeling poses. I promised to submit his photos to America’s Next Top Model." 

February 13, 2019: Playing??

"Just caught Jethro playing! He found is inner cat! And he just darted by me with a toy in his mouth! Jethro suddenly playing with toys is truly a moment of celebration! After watching him sleep all day and night, seeing him dart through the house while batting toy mice around is exciting! If you don’t know how Jethro was, this is going to be a very unimpressive video 😊 "

February 20, 2019: Positive Thinking

“Jethro is working on the power of positive thinking. After about a month with me, Jethro has started to show more signs of life and has started napping in other areas of the house - he immediately gravitated to this chair and pillow as his new snoozing spot. I've begun to hope the pillow might inspire him.”

February 28, 2019: Hobbies

“With his newfound energy, Jethro has now started coming out of his shell and picking up new hobbies. It's become evident he is quite the ham! He loves the camera and works on his Zoolander poses when no one is looking. Like me, he favors a good non-fiction book about political history.”

March 15, 2019: Ladies’ Man

“Jethro has become quite the ladies’ man. He keeps trying to hold my hand while I type. Now that he's been here for about two months, Jethro has really started laying on the charm. He frequently offers a supportive paw to me while I work, and is forever trying to use my arm as a pillow while I type.”

March 17, 2019: Abandonment!

“Jethro is not amused, but I will be out of the country for about 12 days soon, and he needs a place to chill out while I’m gone! He is super easy and a happy love bug these days despite the look of irritation at me Sarah McLaughlin-ing him in this video. (And he said he’d wear his bow tie if that helps the appeal for a temp foster while I'm gone). Although Jethro isn’t thrilled about the bow-tie, I can tell he enjoyed using his acting chops in this video."

March 25, 2019: Face-to-Face Talk

“Jethro asked for a face-to-face meeting to discuss why he didn’t get to go to Florida with me over the weekend. It's taken until the end of March, but the sad kitty that would barely maintain eye contact is gone! Now Jethro is a cool, confident cat that wants to know why he isn’t getting to fly around the country like his foster mom!"

March 31, 2019: Doubt

"Jethro is starting to doubt his weight loss journey. We’ve been admiring the photos of kittens and he asked if I was sure he wasn’t with child/kitten and needed an extra serving for dinner? As the perfect little gentleman, Jethro never begs for food, but he does love a few treats when he can sweet talk me into it, even if they are healthy treats!"

April 15, 2019: Left Out

“This is Jethro’s ‘I hear you went on vacation without me and no you can’t make me come out of the guest room’ look. Luckily he realized he was going cross-eyed from giving me the stink eye and decided he loves me again. He has turned into Mr. Personality 😊  He ended up staying here with a great cat sitter while I travelled. Because I got daily picture updates of his antics with the cat sitter, I know he had a great time being king of the castle and having someone show up every day to act as his personal butler while I was out of town."

April 20, 2019: Where's My Speedo?

“Jethro informed me this evening he is ready for a beach vacay to showcase his beach bod. Pretty sure I caught him flexing earlier. Jethro made sure his beach bod was ready for the summer by limiting his food to twice a day, with controlled calorie reduction. Although he still loves his treats, he also loves being able to run around the house now. Jethro has also learned that he can get cheek scratches by tapping on the nearest human’s hand with his little paw, and figures it is the least the humans can do as a reward for his successful weight loss journey!"

Fostering Has Made a New Kitty Out of Jethro!

Linda has done an amazing job with this boy! He is clearly happier, and there is much less of him these days! Clearly, Linda's cheerful attitude and the power of positive thinking have rubbed off on Jethro! In her words, “Jethro has gone from being a deeply depressed kitty that rarely got out of bed to a happy, alert boy that spends his days following me around the house and cuddling up next to anyone that will give him some head scratches.”

Fostering not only saves lives, it helps heal wounded spirits. Just ask Jethro! The Furkids mission is to rescue homeless animals and provide them with the best medical care and nurturing environment while working to find them a forever home. Furkids heals the whole animal, physically and emotionally, restoring its health and its spirit.

If you think you could make a difference in the life of an older or special needs kitty, we'd love to hear from you! Here is where to get started Foster a Furkid