“Truvy has a special gift. She gravitates toward the rescues. I think she fancies herself as a mama cat. Truvy was very fascinated by Betty,” Benken said.
Each day, Betty got more used to her new pack. After about two weeks, Betty decided the Benken family wasn’t so bad. She didn’t need to be swaddled anymore. She liked being held and pet. Then a breakthrough moment came — Betty claimed Truvy as her friend.
“Betty just crawled onto Truvy, made herself comfortable, and wouldn’t move. Truvy was afraid to move because she knew Betty was on her. It was the sweetest thing,” Benken said. “Truvy was delighted Betty finally returned her affection.”
It was a bittersweet moment for Benken. She’d grown to love Betty, but knew her job as a foster mom was accomplished. The hissing, scary kitten had transformed into a sweet, social family member and was ready to be adopted.
As Betty’s foster mom, Benken was very particular about who would adopt her. But when Benken interviewed Roz Westil, she couldn’t have been happier.
“I spoke to Roz and knew she was the right one for Betty. She’s just such a great cat, and I wanted her to go to someone who would treat her so well,” Benken said.
And Westil said as soon as she spoke to Benken, she knew Betty was right for her. “It was serendipity,” Westil told The Dodo. “She sent me the picture of Betty on top of the dog, and I thought, ‘How can I not adopt her?’”
Betty took a few weeks to warm up to Westil and her new home. “I figured she was scared. I kept her in a secure environment, and slowly expanded that environment and I let her tell me what she wanted to do,” Westil said.
Now Betty is a friendly, secure, curious cat who makes Westil laugh with her antics.
Betty is doing so well that Westil adopted another rescue cat named Amber. It wasn’t exactly love at first sight, but the two have grown to be their own cat pack.
“When they were introduced, Betty ran away,” Westil said. “It took a while for both of them. Then I don’t know what happened! They bonded in a week, and now they’re inseparable. It’s just amazing. They’re together almost all the time.”
Westil said her heart and house is now full of adopted cat love. “I think it’s wonderful having animals around. It’s a joy,” she said. “They also really love each other. Like a match made in heaven. And Betty sleeps in my bed; she cuddles, she’s such a loving little cat. She’s beautiful.”