http://www.giffordcatshelter.org/

Ellen M. Gifford Shelter, 30 Undine Road, Brighton, MA (2025)

01/23/2025

Adoption update! 😻"Korra, now Lorelai, is doing so well! She loves to play, especially with her favorite bee toy, and she’s gotten very comfortable stretching out on the couch and walking around like she owns the place. She’s a sweetheart that loves a good rub around the ears and will purr loudly to make sure you know she’s content. She’s the perfect balance of playful and adoring, I just love her!"

To get started on your own Gifford adoption journey, visit our website at www.giffordcatshelter.org 🐾

01/22/2025

Mya adored this adopter (and the feeling was mutual). We're thrilled to see this sweet girl find her forever home!

Get started on your own adoption journey at www.giffordcatshelter.org 🐾

01/21/2025

Adoption update! Maple [FKA Tullie] was one of our longest-term residents at Gifford in 2024, often shying away from adopters and sticking to her favorite hiding spots. Now, she is THRIVING! 🖤

"Since we adopted [Maple], she has started to come out of her shell and is much less skittish. She’s comfortable hanging out in the same room with us, no longer runs for a hiding spot when we are passing by, and seeks us out to play/get pets. She’s also found her voice and will meow at us on occasion (it’s a mystery to us why she is meowing). The moment I knew she started to feel at home was when she fell asleep next to me one night while we sat on the bed together. She’s still weirded out by the TV, but I think she’ll get used to it in time. Her favorite things to play with right now are spring toys and this play mat thing that we call her fort. We’ll scatter some springs around the fort and she goes crazy for them!

We are so happy with our Maple and couldn’t have wished for a sweeter kitty! And we think she’s happy to be a part of our little family."

We love to see Maple looking so at home (finally)! To apply to adopt, support the shelter, and much more, visit www.giffordcatshelter.org.

01/20/2025

From the moment she came into our care, China had a ton of love to give. We had high hopes this sweetheart would find her forever family quickly, and now she has! We hear from her adopters that she's already made herself right at home 😻.

To apply to adopt, support the shelter, and much more, visit our website at www.giffordcatshelter.org

01/16/2025

Adoption update! "Scout is an absolute princess! She enjoys sitting in her window box and lots of play time. In the winter she loves to sit in her little heated bed. She loves going outside with her mom (on a leash of course!) And, as any diva should, she gets plenty of treats. Our lives would not be the same without her spunky attitude. We love her!"

Look at that cutie! To share your own adoption story, send photos and a written update to [email protected] 🐾

01/15/2025

Sugar and Spice found their forever homes! Feels like just yesterday these tiny babies came into our care—we can't wait to see what they get up to next!

Apply to adopt your own pair of Gifford cuties at www.giffordcatshelter.org 🐾

01/09/2025

Adoption update! "[Corky] is doing great; we changed her name to Maple and we absolutely love her. She easily adapts to changes in routine, and loves when we pet her."

"[One photo] includes my daughter’s kitten that stayed with us for a few days while she traveled. They both connected right away, got along super well and had a blast playing with each other."

We're so happy for miss Maple! Maybe we'll see these adopters back at the shelter for kitty number two soon...? 😉 Apply to adopt at www.giffordcatshelter.org

01/08/2025

We have a feeling a forever home is exactly the thing Leodan needs to come out of his shell (or his cube, in this case). Happy adoption day to all! 🎉

Apply to adopt, support the shelter, and much more at www.giffordcatshelter.org🐾

01/07/2025

This senior gal is doing fabulously since her adoption! 😻

"Paige is doing great adjusting to her new home. She's very talkative and affectionate and follows me around the apartment. She loves hopping on the couch to cuddle and has been sleeping on my bed with me most nights. It's a perfect fit!"

We're so thrilled for Paige and her newfound family! To apply to adopt a Gifford cat of your own, visit our website at www.giffordcatshelter.org 🐾

01/06/2025

What's better than a bonded pair of Gifford cats? A bonded TRIO! Cosmo, Nova, and Orion ALL went home with these lovely adopters! 😻😻😻

We are always seeking applicants interested in adopting two or more cats/kittens! If this is you, please apply on our website, www.giffordcatshelter.org 🐾

01/03/2025

Meet Sadie, a sweet, spunky, and absolutely stunning senior gal ❤. We're helping Sadie find the purr-fect home to retire to; a spot where she can spend her golden years getting all the love and attention she deserves.

Sadie is a local lady who came into Gifford's care when her previous owner could no longer care for her. She is gentle and friendly—always the first to meow 'hello' to new shelter volunteers and visitors. She adores attention, and even if you're just sitting beside her while she bird-watches, she appreciates your company.

Given her age, Sadie has a couple of underlying health conditions that an adopter would need to be willing to take on. Sadie has hyperthyroidism and currently takes medication for it, which is applied to her ear once a day. She also has heart disease, early kidney disease, and her teeth aren't those of a kitten, either. We can give more details on all of these things to a prospective adopter. Despite all of this, Sadie has a lot of love to give, and we believe that this older gal could truly thrive in a comfortable, caring home of her own.

If you may be interested in adopting Sadie, please fill out an application at www.giffordcatshelter.org/adoption-info

01/02/2025

Adoption update! 😻

"Minerva (FKA Candice), who we usually call Minnie Winnie, has really come out of her shell since we got her a year ago! When we first came home, she hid under the bed for almost two weeks, but now, she is a whole new cat. Minnie loves to play with all her little stuffed toys, often showing off her "catch" to everyone by loudly crying while carrying it around the apartment in her mouth. She loves getting pets while she eats (a girl still needs her emotional support), and spends most of her time by me in her cardboard box while I work on my computer, or sleeping on the couch. Whenever we are busy or out of the apartment, Minnie enjoys watching (and bopping) the birdies and squirrels on the TV. While she is still getting comfortable being off the ground and trusting humans, she does something new and brave all the time, from getting up on the bed while I'm on it, to peeking her head out when we have company. Minnie isn't quite a lap cat, but I wouldn't be surprised if one day she was one. We are happy to support her while she becomes more sure of herself and humans, and we are so proud of the confident, sweet little gremlin that she is becoming, and are so lucky to have her in our lives!"

Isn't she adorable!? To apply to adopt a Gifford kitty of your own, visit our website at www.giffordcatshelter.org 🐾

01/01/2025

The beautiful miss Silki was adopted! Congratulations to all. 😺🎉

To apply to adopt, support the shelter, and more, visit www.giffordcatshelter.org

12/31/2024

Adoption update ahead! This one tugged at our heartstrings—thank you to Gus' adopters for sharing his story ❤.

"When my partner and I were first thinking about adopting a cat we had ideas of a black cat that was a little younger, but what we came home with was an 11 year old, slightly ornery, orange and white older guy and we couldn't have been any luckier. He sadly left us just a few days before his adoptoversary and the sadness is immense. However, the sadness and grief is just a reminder of all the love and good times we had and we would go back to Gifford and adopt him a million, bazillion times over again if we could.

He was marked as ""adaptable"" on the whiteboard in the room where all the cats were at Gifford and you all were so right about that. After a few months with us in Boston, we moved across the country with him and he turned out to be quite the Rick Steves, feeling at home in any hotel room. He saw bison in Yellowstone and bears in Glacier. He walked on Cannon Beach in Oregon and saw huge waterfalls in Washington State. More recently, upon a move back to the East Coast, he traveled with us to Acadia where he watched lobster boats from the rocky shore. In any apartment we moved to during our almost 6 years together, he always adjusted faster than us. We eventually bought a house last year in Vermont and we joked that we bought it for him. He loved sun bathing on the porch, going for walks down the driveway (and being admired by the neighbors), and had zoomies down his beloved carpeted staircase up until the very end.

We will miss him forever and after we learn to live with this new grief we will look to places like Gifford to bring home another sweet kitty. They won't replace Gus, but will be special and loved in their own right.

Forever grateful to Gifford for matching us with Gus (fka Crush) over five years ago and wish many happy tails to all of the Gifford Community.

PS, please don't be afraid to adopt a senior! Gus was proof that old cats can learn new tricks."

Nothing makes us happier than hearing stories like Gus's. If you have a Gifford story to share, send photos and your written update to [email protected] 🐾

12/30/2024

Coco & Heaven are heading home together! These two all-black cuties never really jived with the other cats in their rooms. We thought each would be best as an only cat, until we introduced them to each other! Coco & Heaven got along so well, these adopters decided to take them as a pair. We're so thrilled! 🖤

We're always seeking adopters who are interested in Gifford pairs! To apply to adopt, visit www.giffordcatshelter.org/adoption-info

12/27/2024

Mineral Cats adoption update! (Click the link below for more Mineral stories, or to contribute to our year-end campaign) 😺.

Silver & Emerald struggled to open up at the shelter (pictured at Gifford in final photo), but blossomed in their forever home. Here's what their adopters say today!

"Emerald & Silver have been such a wonderful addition to our family and are doing very well. Our sweet and shy cats come out of their shells more and more every day. Hence we have renamed them after nuts: Emerald we now call Pistachio and Silver is now Hazel.

Silver has been the bravest of the two and has become quite talkative [recently]. She comes into the kitchen with her tail held high and meows to let us know it's time for dinner. She loves playing with small cat nip toys, her ribbon wand and goes bonkers for the laser. Every day she makes small but steady progress, while her brother tends to make his progress in small bursts.

Emerald, who has been silent (besides his rhythmic purr) let his voice sing for the first time yesterday! He’ll join his sister brushing up against our legs when it’s time for breakfast and dinner, but can be a bit shy if we reach down to pet him. He prefers to be in the cat tree in their bedroom when he gets his pets. He loves to roll over and let us rub his tummy while he purrs and makes air biscuits with his front paws. However, we can’t let his bashful demeanor fool us, Emerald has shown himself to be extremely intelligent. We have caught him on camera not only opening cabinets, but he somehow understands how drawers work and can get them to open with a little bit of kitty ingenuity and elbow grease.

One thing that does not cease to amaze us with these two is the bond they share. They truly love one another and can be often seen cuddling and playing together. We are so grateful to have them in our lives and we are so excited to be on this journey with them as their trust grows and they open up and reveal their true selves a little more every day."

We're thrilled to see this adorable duo finally coming out of their "shells!" To support cats like Hazel & Pistachio, contribute to our year-end campaign at events.giffordcatshelter.org

12/26/2024

Adoption update! Dahlia, now known as Zaytoona (which means "Olive" in Arabic), is thriving in her forever home! Here's what her adopter had to say: "She’s adjusted wonderfully to her new home! Zaytoona has really come into her own – she’s super playful, and her favorite pastime is chasing anything that moves. She’s just as much of an attention lover as she was at the shelter and has become quite the lap cat. Whenever I settle in for the evening, she curls up with me and enjoys all the pets and attention."

We're so happy to see this pretty girl looking so loved! Apply to adopt a Gifford cat of your own at www.giffordcatshelter.org 🐾

12/25/2024

Bonded pair Nabu & Rocket wanted to wish you and yours a wonderful holiday, and a very happy new year! 😺❄️

We have the utmost appreciation for all your support this year; with your help, we've found forever homes for more than 300 cats and kittens, and we can't wait to work even harder for these animals in need in 2025. Thank you, now and always, for your dedication to the Gifford Cat Shelter mission!

If you'd like to offer your continued support to current and future Gifford cats, please consider a contribution to our year-end campaign! Visit events.giffordcatshelter.org for more info. 🐾

Ellen M. Gifford Shelter