In early February 2018, as a harsh winter plagued New York City, a four-year-old cat named Manatee was transferred to the ASPCA from a partnering Animal Care Center in Brooklyn, New York, where he’d been brought in as a stray. Upon his arrival to the ASPCA Adoption Center, Manatee was sweet, gentle and friendly to the staff, and after some routine veterinary care, he settled in quite nicely to his new surroundings. 

Manatee was comfortable and confident, and the handsome grey cat didn’t have to wait long before an adopter decided to take him home. However, this adoption wouldn’t last, and sweet Manatee found himself back at the Adoption Center just three days later. His adopter told the staff that sadly, Manatee didn’t get along with his resident cat. 

Despite the first home not being the right fit, Manatee’s luck wasn’t down-and-out just yet, and fate intervened just one day after his return, when he met Stephanie W. 

Stephanie and her partner had both begun volunteering at the Adoption Center the previous fall, spending their time socializing the adoptable cats. The couple had lost their cat about a year earlier, and in March 2018, they finally felt ready to open up their home and hearts to a new feline friend. 

“It took a while to be ready to adopt a new cat,” Stephanie says. “But we missed having a furry family member to play with.”

Upon meeting Manatee, Stephanie tells us that he was immediately affectionate, climbing into their laps and purring. Stephanie describes Manatee’s purring as “a very loud cooing that sounds almost like a pigeon”—a fitting description for a New York City cat. 

It was this sweet-natured behavior that sealed the deal for Stephanie. In those moments, she knew that Manatee was the cat for her family. Stephanie made the adoption official and took Manatee—now known as Manny—to his new home.

Manny wasted no time at all adjusting to his new surroundings, according to Stephanie. “He quickly checked out every nook and cranny in the apartment, then jumped on the bed to cuddle.”

Stephanie tells us that life with Manny is full of love and full of fun. Manny can’t get enough of his pet parents. “He greets us when we arrive home and loves to play games like ‘attack the feet’ and ‘that email you're typing needs some extra letters,’” she says jokingly. For Manny, life is now perfect, and he has found just the place he needed to be.

“It is so rewarding to have a pet,” Stephanie tells us when asked about what advice she’d have for potential adopters. “To know you're giving an animal in need a good home is the icing on the cake. That bumper sticker that reads ‘Who rescued who?’ is spot on.”