HAPPY TAILS

How a quirky off ice foster cat stole hearts and went viral

Shimabukuro. Thus began Gerald’s three-month office foster stay.

Gerald spent the first week disengaged from others and his surrounding environment, clinging to his cat cottage like a security blanket. The CE team gave him lots of space and patience and watched as this shy, anxious cat slowly began to open up.

Outreach Coordinator Sky Geasey alternated with Steph and Brandy to check in on Gerald over the weekend, ensuring he was getting the daily care and enrichment he needed to thrive. “When I first met Gerald, he was a literal ‘scaredy cat,’” recalled Sky. “I’ll never forget eagerly peering into his rolling kennel on his first day in the office and seeing nothing but those big, green eyes. He was obviously nervous.” Over the course of the following weeks, he went from pancaking himself in fear to openly seeking affection from the CE team. With each passing day, Gerald unfurled a new layer of his quirky personality, gaining more confidence in his new life and learning to trust his foster ‘ohana.

“One of my favorite Gerald-isms is how he would gently tap his paw on me when he wanted attention, “ said Brandy. “I called it his ‘toebean tap.’ He started lounging on the office desk with me as I would work, often staying there for hours until he would give me a polite toebean tap or quietly chirp at me when he wanted pets. He did it so frequently that I have about 200 videos of him doing it over the course of three months.”

“My initial, then frequent, interactions with Gerald simply involved talking to him,” chimed in Sky. “So I was shocked by how vocal he became over time. He started demanding attention!”

As Gerald became more social, word began to spread within Hawaiian Humane staff about CE’s office foster cat with his distinctive lightning bolt tail and funny personality. Team members from other departments began to pay him visits, allowing him to socialize even more and helping him to blossom. Kara also regularly checked in on Gerald, noting his gradual progress and offering tips on how to set him up for success in preparation of adoption.

As the weeks went by, Brandy and Sky grew to love Gerald, but realized after several bumpy meetand-greets with their respective resident pets - one of which was a large dog with high prey drive in Brandy’s home - that Gerald would do best in a quiet home without other animals. With guidance from Kara and the Customer Experience team, Gerald became part of Hawaiian Humane’s piloted process for adoption with modification, which involved prospective adopters being escorted to meet Gerald in the comfort of the administrative office. This allowed him to engage with them in his comfort zone and gave him the opportunity to put his best paw forward. It was here, 160 days after returning to Hawaiian Humane, that Gerald found a loving home with his new owner, Elizabeth.

“Gerald went from a quirky, frightened, anxious cat to a loving, affectionate, but still quirky house panther,” recalled Brandy. “Each day, even up to the day he was adopted, Gerald opened up a little more and showed us the depths of his unique little soul. I don’t know what it is about animals, but they have an uncanny way of showing us that love is infinite.

"Until I met Gerald, I identified as a ‘dog person.’ When my first dog, Harley, came into my life, I thought, ‘I cannot possibly love anyone as much as I love Harley.’ Then my second dog, Rey Skywalker, came along and proved me wrong. I thought, ‘Two is enough. I love them with all my heart. I’m good.’ But along came Gerald. He whittled away at my heart with every toebean tap and proved the limit doesn’t exist. I am beyond

Going Viral!

thrilled for him and his new mom, Elizabeth.”

Sky agreed, stating, “I’m just so happy that Gerald found the home he deserves. We wanted him to find a family who appreciated him for the quirky cat that he is and he has!”

Elizabeth shared a happy update on Gerald, noting that while he is still a bit skittish, he is adjusting well to her home and that he also gently paws her for affection. “He does that a lot and it’s so adorable,” said Elizabeth. “He’s so sweet and gentle. Having him has given me so much joy.”

This is the power of fostering. Any shelter environment can be stressful - fostering allows pets the opportunity to thrive in a secure, calm setting and affords Hawaiian Humane’s team the opportunity to learn more about each individual animal’s needs. Gerald is a shining example.

If you would like to make a tremendous impact on a pet like Gerald in need of socialization, decompression, recuperative care or enrichment outside of the shelter environment, inquire about fostering with our Volunteer Services team at volunteer@ hawaiianhumane.org or visit HawaiianHumane.org/foster-care.

When our team shared Gerald’s story with The Dodo, one of the largest channels with a reach of tens of millions of followers across all major social media platforms, The Dodo felt compelled to broadcast his happy tale with their audience. The Dodo shares visually compelling, uplifting animal-related stories to “help make caring about animals a visual cause.” At press time, Gerald’s debut date on The Dodo had not yet been set, but follow us on social media at @HawaiianHumane for the latest update!