The resilience of animals is something that has always inspired us. Cats and dogs saved from heartbreaking scenes of cruelty and neglect often go on to become some of the sweetest, most loving pets—and Froggy the cat is no exception. After being rescued from a difficult situation, he handled new people, new treatment and several new locations before finding a home. Now Froggy has blossomed into a perfect companion. Here is his Happy Tail.

In February of this year, the ASPCA’s Cruelty Intervention Advocacy (CIA) team rescued Froggy from a neglectful situation in New York City. We weren’t surprised, then, when he exhibited many of the behaviors typical of an abused animal: he was nervous and tense when handled, frightened around new people and defensive in unfamiliar situations. At the ASPCA Animal Hospital, he underwent a procedure for urinary blockage that made him even more sensitive to touch. We worried that seven-year-old Froggy was having a difficult time adjusting, so once he recovered from his operation, we enrolled him in our Office Foster program.

The ASPCA’s Office Foster program was designed to give under- or un-socialized cats like Froggy the chance to live in the office of an ASPCA staffer. Through this program, fearful animals learn to interact with new people while experiencing a domestic living environment, and just as we had hoped, it helped Froggy come out of his shell. By mid-March, the once-reticent cat had even grown to like quiet, gentle attention!

The timing of Froggy’s recovery could not have been more perfect, because on March 19, Jessica G. of Manhattan arrived at the ASPCA Adoption Center looking for a cat. She tells us that she grew up with pets, but hadn’t had a cat of her own since moving to New York City. “Now that my boyfriend and I are settled in an apartment, we knew getting a cat was the perfect way to make our place a home,” she tells us. 

At the Adoption Center, Jessica and her boyfriend met every single cat that was up for adoption. Froggy was the last. “There was something about the way he walked up to us and rubbed against our legs,” she says. “I just got a really good feeling from him, and I knew he would make a great addition to our little family.” It seems that his time as an office foster had really helped Froggy grow, because Jessica even commented that “he was very relaxed and sweet.” We knew our job was done, and bid Froggy a fond farewell as he headed home with his new family.

Jessica gave Froggy a new name to go with his new life: Harvey. In the months since his adoption, Harvey has continued to make great strides in his recovery. Jessica reports, “He has been great! While he isn’t a lap cat, he always lays with us or near us. He wakes me up in the morning and watches me get ready, and then he always walks me to the door when I leave for work and greets me when I get home! It’s very sweet.”

We are so happy for Harvey, and for the fact that his long road from neglect ended in such a perfect home. He now loves to play and get chin scratches, Jessica tells us, and clearly enjoys all the perks of being a beloved pet. “We’re very happy to have him!” she says, and we know that Harvey is very happy to have them, too.