Keeping Her Eyes On The Prize

By Daniel Quagliozzi

Today we are paying tribute to the very lovely and unique Ariana. This sleek, blue-eyed bundle of energy came to us on April 19Th from San Francisco Animal Care and Control. Her previous guardian could no longer care for her and was forced to surrender her into the shelter system. With nothing familiar to cling to, Ariana showed signs of severe fright and stayed frozen in a tight ball for days, unable to process where she was and who was trying to show her affection. We couldn't get her to leave the confines of her cat bed at all.

As the days became weeks, Ariana slowly started to understand that she was surrounded by love and the caring staff and volunteers of the SF/SPCA. She loosened up her body and started to explore her condo with more and more confidence each day. We even discovered a very playful side of her, despite the reservations she showed us in the first few weeks of her stay in Shelter Care.

Ariana is definitely a special cat. Come on, look at the expression on her face! Although she has come a really long way since her first day of arrival, some of her aloofness is still with her today. She likes petting on her own terms and slinks away like a ninja when she would rather focus on chasing her favorite tube toy around. Ariana needs a special person that understands her eccentricities and has the patience and knowledge enough to let her call her own shots.

Watch the video below and see just how far Ariana has come!