Hope And Grace: Huntington Adoptable Pets Of The Week

HUNTINGTON, NY — Hope and Grace, sisters around 1-and-a-half years old, are the Grateful Paw Cat Shelter's Huntington Pets of the Week.

They are still waiting for their future family to come into the shelter and "give them the home that they deserve," said Debbi Larkin, president of the shelter. These two petite girls, born May 2023, were sisters in a litter of five, according to Larkin.

"Unfortunately, their litter mates did not survive but that is not surprising since they were born outside in a very busy neighborhood in the Bronx," Larkin said.

Their mom disappeared a few weeks after they were born, but a good Samaritan stepped in to help, Larkin said. The person arrived every morning at 7 a.m. for the kittens' daily feeding and head scratches.

"Eventually, the good Samaritan brought them inside to give them a chance, but they couldn’t stay inside permanently because there were three large dogs in the house and not all of them were cat friendly," Larkin said.

Hope and Grace were very friendly to humans, as well as to the male felines on the block, and they both became pregnant at the same time and delivered their babies on the same exact day, Larkin said.

"What are the odds of that happening?" Larkin said. "But this wasn’t a happy ending for their babies, mainly because Hope and Grace were only about 8 months old when they got pregnant. They lost all babies due to the 'fading kitten syndrome.' Heartbreaking for them and also for us to hear. That is when we received the call for help and the intake was immediately set up."

Hope and Grace are white and grey kittens with long fuzzy tails and sparkling yellow eyes. Grace has a grey marking on her nose and more grey fur than her sister.

"It appears that there was an issue with one of Hope’s eyelids, but that doesn’t affect her vision
at all," Larkin said. "Our vet fixed the eyelid when she was spayed and she is just fine."

With Hope and Grace sharing a room with other felines, they are making more friends and are interacting with everyone, including the two nervous cats in the room, Larkin said.

They both love to play with the feather toys, fuzzy mice and the springs, and they can be seen checking out all levels of both cat condos.

"They also have voracious appetites so they are always waiting by the door for their meals when they see any of the volunteers in the hallway," she said. "Sometimes they get so excited they start running in the room and that gets all of the others up and charging the door so they don’t
miss a meal! They love head and chin scratching which gets their motors going. When they finally wear themselves out, they curl up together or with one of the other younger cats (Norbert) on one of the soft beds."

Both girls have been totally vetted, tested negative for FELV and FIV, tested negative for parasites, had all of their vaccines, are litter box trained and both are spayed.

If you are interested in meeting Hope and Grace kittens, you may call the shelter at 631-757-4517, email cats@laphuntington.org, visit the Facebook page or visit at the Grateful Paw Cat Shelter.

The rescue is at 3 Verleye Ave., East Northport, and visiting hours are Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

The shelter is also open from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday nights only for those who cannot make it during the daytime hours.

"Originally when these girls arrived at the shelter we were insisting that they be adopted together because they were so bonded, but since they have really blossomed in the room that is not a requirement," Larkin said. "We just want them to have a good forever home. Both girls have had exposure to other cats, dogs and older children so they would fit well into your family."

The two have been waiting for a year now.

"It is heartbreaking to see them get passed by because they are not 'tiny kittens,'" Larkin said. "Just look at those faces with those eyes and try not to fall in love…bet you can’t do that! Please, stop by the shelter and ask to meet them and make them feel that they are going to be the love of your life. They are patiently waiting for the right family to come and rescue them…please hurry!"