08/04/2026
Four years ago an FIV+ cat named Drake was rescued from a nearby colony and came to Good Home for care and placement. He was an intact male cat with multiple dings all over his body from fighting and was generally worse for the wear.
After he was with us for a while we discovered he was a very sweet and gentle little boy with a shy, slightly goofy side. We placed him in foster care, got him neutered/recovered and eventually he was adopted.
About a month ago Animal Care Centers of NYCey had him. He’d been surrendered to them in pretty rough shape, skin covered in scabs from flea dermatitis. When we picked him up from the shelter and touched his little head through the carrier, we could feel the scabs on his inflamed skin and it brought us to tears. Thank goodness for microchips and thank goodness for ACC.
Despite doing a lot of work up front to ensure good placement, we’ve learned that cats will sometimes come back to us after adoption. The cats are always welcomed back, rather than risk their remaining where they’re unwanted, neglect, or worse. We also understand that people’s lives can change dramatically and approach occasions when a cat comes back to us with professionalism and empathy.
We’ve also learned that, once in a great while, the adoption placement will turn out to be, well, “bad”. That’s not a term we throw around lightly. But in this case the adopter at least did 100% the right thing by taking Drake to the shelter.
None of this assuages the sadness, frustration, and guilt we struggle with that Drake’s placement resulted in harm to his health. Needless to say we have a lot of complicated feelings about his condition. We have been asking ourselves what we could have done differently and, moving forward, how to ensure the safety of the cats under our care.
Ultimately what matters most is that Drake is safe and in loving hands 🐉body is on the way to recovery and, as you can see, his adorable, playful demeanor remains intact. We love you Drake and are extremely happy and relieved to have a second chance to care for you.
