Adopted: Rogan and Schubert

Greetings! We’re Rogan and Schubert, and we have a story to tell! It starts off sad, but it has the happiest ending ever!

We came to the HSCC separately, but once we were here, we became best friends. Schubert arrived as a kitten with his two siblings. The siblings were both adopted quickly, and Schubert got lots of interest too, until people found out that he was FIV+. Time after time, potential adopters turned away at the news, passing Schubert by for a healthier kitty. The only one of his siblings to have FIV, he couldn’t understand why he was always overlooked.

Rogan had a rougher landing. He was picked up by Cobb County Animal Services in terrible shape, both physically and mentally. There was a brief celebratory moment when it turned out that he was microchipped, and his family was found! But they didn’t want him back and wouldn’t even share his name. At that point he’d been on the streets for a year, and he hadn’t fared well. He’d been repeatedly attacked by other cats and had contracted FIV during this time. He was traumatized and withdrawn upon arrival at the HSCC.

Since we were both FIV+, we were housed in the HSCC’s special needs suites, where kitties with this condition can be comfortable and enjoy the company of other FIV+ felines. This is how we met, and we took to each other like ducks to water. We’d both experienced rejection, and we knew what it was like to feel forgotten and unwanted. We formed a bond that made us both forget all that. Together, we learned how to feel valued and loved, and to have a sense of belonging! We savored our time as suitemates, each helping the other to become more confident and content.

Meanwhile, two special humans were searching for kitties to adopt. These angels weren’t looking for just any cats — they wanted cats like us, who had been overlooked and had struggled to find forever homes! They browsed HSCC pet profiles and saw our bios. Then they arranged to come meet us, knowing all about our special needs! They spent the next couple of months visiting us regularly at the shelter and learning all they could about FIV. Then, just in time for the holidays, Adoption Day rolled around. We couldn’t believe it! We were finally going home, together!

We’ve been home for a few nights now, and we are THRIVING. At long last, we have a loving family and a place to call our own, and it’s the best Christmas present anyone could ever receive. These two adopters saw what so many don’t — the joy that can come from giving a special needs animal a chance. Many homes simply can’t accommodate special furbabies, but for the ones who can, it can be an incredibly rewarding experience. Thank you to our new purrents, and to all the special angels like them!