Pet's Name Saak Radford

LocationJuneau, AK

Pet's StoryWe first met Saak when he was four months old. He was at Juneau Animal Rescue, and had recently been separated from his mother and sister. He was feral, and couldn't be pet or handled without gloves. We decided to take a chance and foster him in our home to help him get more comfortable around humans so that he could potentially be adopted to another family. At first, it was challenging. His eyes were as big as saucers, he didn't purr or meow, and he was hypervigilent and didn't sleep. He barely ate. He had been given the name "Hooligan," which is how he got his new name (Saak is the word for "hooligan," as in the fish, in Tlingit). Over the next few months, he slowly learned to trust peopl. He started sleeping and eating, and, most importantly, socializing. He made friends with our other cats, and has now befriended the rest of the animals in the neighborhood. He now has a BFF (best feline friend), Rasputin, who lives up the street and comes over every day. They play and have sleepovers often. By this point we had dropped the guise of "fostering" and made a promise to him that he was in his forever home. It's now been over a year and a half, and every day is a joy to Saak. He is always up for being pet or playing a game. And rain or shine, he is always a very, very happy kitty. He also serves as a good reminder that with a little bit of love and a lot of patience, we can help develop healthy, warm relationships in even the most adverse situations.