'Very Friendly' Hope And Grace: Huntington Adoptable Pets Of The Week

HUNTINGTON, NY — Hope and Grace, each nearly 1 year old, are the Grateful Paw Cat Shelter's Huntington Pets of the Week.

"Instead of JLO (Jenny) from the Bronx we have Hope and Grace from the Bronx!" said Debbi Larkin, president of the shelter.

The girls are sisters from a litter of five.

"Unfortunately, their litter mates did not survive but that is not surprising since they were born outside in a very busy neighborhood," Larkin said. "Their mom disappeared a few weeks after they were born and that is when a good Samaritan stepped in to help."

The good Samaritan made a house out of storage bins with straw and heating pads, and there was food and water, according to Larkin.

"There were other cats in the neighborhood and thankfully these two girls were fighters so they became part of that group," Larkin said.

They arrived every morning at 7 a.m. for their daily feeding. Eventually, the good Samaritan brought them inside to give them a chance, but they couldn’t stay inside permanently because there were three dogs in the house, Larkin said.

"The girls became indoor/outdoor cats who were totally bonded…you always saw both of the at the same time," she said.

Both girls were very friendly to humans, and also 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? 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 for us to hear."

The shelter received the call for help, and Hope and Grace were brought in. They arrived at the shelter two weeks ago, checked by its veterinarian and placed in a quiet area for a week so they could get used to their surroundings. The shelter made sure the cats had enough food to eat, as both were very thin, Larkin said.

They are currently in one of the free roaming rooms waiting to be spayed.

Hope and Grace are two beautiful white and gray kittens with long fuzzy tails and sparkling yellow eyes.

Grace has a unique grey marking on her nose and more gray fur than her sister.

"It appears that there is an issue with one of Hope’s eyelids, but that doesn’t affect her vision at all," Larkin said. "Our vet will check her when they go for spaying."

Hope and Grace are in a room with others and are now making more friends and interacting with all their fellow felines, including the two nervous cats in the room. They both love to play with the feather toys, fuzzy mice and the springs, and can be seen checking out all levels of both cat condos. They love head and chin scratching, which gets their motors going. When they finally wear themselves out, they curl up together 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 and are litter box trained. They are set to be spayed next week and be available for adoption after May 1, Larkin said.

"Since they are still very young and so bonded, we are only allowing them to be adopted together," she said.

If you are interested in meeting Hope and Grace, 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.

"One of JLO’s most popular songs is 'Let's get Loud' so we are going to follow that train of thought and get loud about these two beautiful girls who need a safe and secure home to live out the rest of their very long lives," Larkin said. "Although we love having them here at the shelter, we need them to find their own forever home and then they can get loud with their purring as a token of their affection."