In August 2023, Nerissa C. of Winnetka, California, began her search to adopt a cat. She googled “rescue cats adoption,” and quickly discovered two cats, Peach and Daisy, available for adoption from the ASPCA.

“It was perfect because I have two kids, and each of them could have a cat,” says Nerissa, whose daughters, Nitza, 15, and Eden, 13, had been asking for a pet. “It was our first foray as a family into pets, and I felt a dog might be too much.”

Nerissa completed an application and was contacted by Ariel Collins, Director of Operations for the ASPCA LA Feline Programs. Ariel told her that the two cats were available and in foster care, and they had both been spayed at the ASPCA Spay/Neuter Clinic in South Los Angeles.

Nerissa, along with her partner, David, grew up with pets.

“If we were going to get a pet, we agreed not to buy one,” Nerissa says. “There are so many rescued animals who deserve a loving home, and it seemed selfish to pay for anything other than a rescued animal. We always root for the underdogs.”

The family adopted Peach and Daisy in September.

“We love them,” Nerissa says. “It’s like having a new baby. Everyone wants to see them, pet them, give them treats. It’s amazing.”

Then, she jokes, “But no one wants to clean the litter box.”

Unsure which kittens belonged to which mama cat, both—along with their kittens—were placed in a foster home together by the ASPCA’s Los Angeles Kitten Foster Program, which routinely pulls kittens from the shelter for foster care until they can be adopted. This gives the shelter more space and resources for other animals in need.

Daisy, left, and Peach.

“Peach and Daisy would groom each other for comfort in the shelter,” says Hella Tyler, Senior Manager of Foster Care, ASPCA L.A. Feline Programs. “They may be sisters from the same household and appeared to be bonded when they came in.”

Peach and Daisy were placed with their first foster caregiver for several weeks until their kittens were ready to be spayed and neutered and placed for adoption. Peach and Daisy were spayed as well.

That’s when Hella volunteered to foster Peach and Daisy, providing a calm environment for them to decompress and work on their behavioral shyness.

“Peach was somewhat hesitant at first but warmed up in a couple of days,” Hella says. “But Daisy took almost a month before I could pet or touch her. She hid under the bed whenever I came into the room.”

Hella would sit on the floor in her guest room—which serves as a cat room—on weekends, reading a book while Daisy got comfortable with her presence.

“Offering treats from a distance also helped,” Hella says. “I’d place treats around the room at night before going to bed and by morning she had eaten them all. Once she warmed up, she would seek me out and loved to watch me from a distance.”

Hella watched over the pair for several months.

“I feel fortunate to have been able to provide a safe haven until they were adopted,” she says.

“Peach warmed up right away and let everyone pet her; Daisy hid under the couch for two weeks, except to come out to eat when we were all somewhere else.”

The family gave Daisy a room of her own to get acclimated and offered her treats. After two weeks, she had access to the entire house. She soon came out from under the bed, and it wasn’t long before Peach and Daisy were cuddling, playing—and zooming around—together.

By early December, Daisy was sitting on the couch with Nerissa.

“She’s come a long way,” Nerissa says. “She’s still a bit skittish if she’s approached, but she sits in my lap, which is so much more than we expected. Both cats sleep on the foot of the bed.”

Nerissa says the adoption experience was perfect.

“Everyone we met through the process was so helpful and kind,” she says. 

“When I saw these two tabbies, I knew they were it from the beginning.”