01/09/2026
🌟🌟 CAT OF THE MONTH – CARTER 🌟🌟
Say hello to our very special Cat of the Month, Carter! 🤎🐾
⭐️ CARTER HAS BEEN IN CARE FOR 257 DAYS ⭐️
For 257 days, Carter has been learning that people can be kind, hands can be gentle, and home can be somewhere you feel safe.
Now, we think it’s finally time someone chose him. 🤎
🐾 Male, desexed
🐾 DOB: 20/07/2017
🐾 Domestic Short Hair
🐾 Microchipped, vaccinated & wormed
🐾 FIV negative
Carter came into Save A Paw NT’s care after being brought in to be euthanised, described as aggressive and unhandleable.
But the cat we met wasn’t aggressive.
He was terrified.
During his first few weeks in foster care, Carter did everything he could to disappear. He hid beneath blankets and cat beds, and when there was nowhere left to hide, he would face the corner and tuck his head underneath his body.
Being approached, touched or even looked at could cause him enormous distress.
So we stopped asking anything of him.
He was given good food, fresh water, somewhere comfortable to sleep and, most importantly, time.
Slowly, Carter began to realise he was safe.
As he became comfortable enough to allow more handling, his foster carer noticed that he seemed particularly sensitive around his mouth, head and chin. A veterinary examination eventually revealed a broken tooth and an abscess.
After dental surgery relieved that pain, another little piece of Carter began to emerge.
He discovered that head scratches are actually pretty bloody fantastic. 🤎
And over the following months, the frightened cat who once desperately tried to make himself invisible began disappearing for an entirely different reason.
Because in his place appeared Carter.
A smoochy, chatty older gentleman who loves scratches and kisses, enjoys watching the world through the window and regularly has conversations with his humans — including a rather convincing “Hello!”, particularly when dinner is involved. 😂
He has impeccable litter and table manners, loves affection but also appreciates his own space, and will politely let you know when he has had enough socialising for the day.
But perhaps our favourite thing about Carter is how he now greets his foster carer.
He rolls onto his back and offers his belly for rubs.
For most cats, that might not sound particularly remarkable.
For Carter, it means everything.
This is a cat who once couldn’t bear to be looked at.
Now he makes himself completely vulnerable to someone he trusts. 🤎
After 257 days in care, Carter has done the hard part.
He has healed.
He has learned to trust.
He has discovered affection.
He has learned that the world doesn’t always have to be frightening.
Now he needs a home.
Carter is looking for a quiet home with no other pets and someone who understands that loving an animal like him means respecting his boundaries and allowing him to continue doing things at his own pace.
He doesn’t need someone to rescue him anymore.
He just needs someone to choose him. 🏡🤎
Let’s make September the month our beautiful older gentleman finally gets to go home.
🤎 To apply to adopt Carter:
https://www.saveapawnt.org.au/adoption-application/
And if Carter isn’t the cat for you, please share his story. After 257 days, his person might simply not have seen him yet. 🐾
