Jimmy came all the way from Lebanon to find a new home in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo by Molly Wald, courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society) |
Last October, Jimmy came to the United States when Best Friends Animal Society and Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals rescued nearly 300 cats and dogs from the war-ravaged Beirut streets. The female black-and-white Lebanese cat showed signs of being feral, hissing when anyone walked by her cage, but would allow some shelter workers to gently pet her.
In January, Jimmy joined the cats and dogs that traveled from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, to two PetSmart locations in Tempe and Phoenix, Ariz., for the Paws for Peace animal adoption event. Shelter workers believed that exposing Jimmy to so many people at an adoption event would help socialize her — but they didn’t expect her to find a home, given her somewhat anti-social behavior.
Luckily for Jimmy, a young girl named Taryn asked to help care for the cats at the adoption event in Tempe. Taryn was drawn to Jimmy, and soon Jimmy was allowing Taryn to pet her. By Sunday afternoon, Taryn was back with her father to adopt the black-and-white cat.
“Jimmy is doing wonderfully,” Taryn wrote to Best Friends after the cat had settled into her new home. “She is the sweetest thing ever.”
For more information on the animals rescued from Lebanon, visit the Best Friends Animal Society website.