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SAFE Haven 25th Anniversary

SAFE Haven Stories

25th Anniversary

SAFE Haven Stories

Read the SAFE Haven stories

Read about the SAFE Haven cats that have become parts of the SAFE Haven community and family, all submitted by you!

Want to share YOUR story about YOUR SAFE Haven experience? Do it here!

Caterpillar

Caterpillar

I just recently adopted this cute kitty. Itโ€™s been a great journey so far and I hope we have a long journey with it too. When I first saw it, I fell in love with the way it purrs at me and meows. I knew this is the right cat for me. I have been diagnosed with bipolar...

Mia

Mia

Mia was adopted in January of 2003. She was estimated to be about 11 months old, so we put her birthday in February of 2002. She was called Marie at that time, but due to her love of chasing and batting little balls around the house, we changed her name to Mia after...

SuzziQ

SuzziQ

SuzziQ (was Doozy) was many firsts for us and SAFE Haven. She was our first stray that went to SAFE Haven, and, subsequently, our first foster for and adoption from SAFE Haven. She was the reason we volunteer at SAFE Haven (for 11 years) As a kitten, Suzzi showed up...

Clark

Clark

We were volunteers and foster parents at SAFE Haven for a couple of years and when there were two kittens, Eveyln and Clark, who tested positive for ringworm, we took them in for recovery and treatment. We figured it was much easier to maintain quarantine in our home...

Elvis

Elvis

When we got Elvis at SAFE Haven, they recommended having him stay in a small area to let him acclimate to his new surroundings. So we put him in a small utility room and took chairs in to sit with him for a while. After less than 15 minutes he clearly was bored and...

Vikki

Vikki

I adopted Vikki September 27, 2012 from SAFE Haven. I wanted another kitty but I had to talk my husband into it. I brought it up and at first he said no. Then the next morning he said yes! We were both off work for a couple of days for a concert. We went to the...

Harry and Mimi

Harry and Mimi

We came to SAFE Haven a day after an event at Pet People where cats had been adopted at the store. The shelter was somewhat empty, because many of the cats were at the event. We walked up to a cage, and there were two kittens, wrapped around each other in sleep. We...

Twinky

Twinky

We had an adult male stray cat that showed up on our patio and chose us to live with as cats often do. We decided heโ€™d like a companion and came to SAFE Haven looking for an adult female cat to befriend him in August of 2013. I was worried my bleeding heart couldnโ€™t...

Carley Penney and Meadowlark

Carley Penney and Meadowlark

I adopted Carley Penney (on the left) in December 2001 after losing one of my three cats eight month earlier. I was looking for an orange female kitten to join my two remaining 5 year old orange boy cats. I was referred by a Durham rescue organization to SAFE Haven...

CC and Cleo

CC and Cleo

We very unexpectedly lost our cat Frosty to a heart disease in March and decided that a life without a cat is not a good one. After viewing some pictures and information on different cats on the SAFE Haven site, we decided to adopt two and went to the shelter. It...

Mallory, Madison, McKenzie, Dorothy and ZuZu

Mallory, Madison, McKenzie, Dorothy and ZuZu

While I have often been referred to as "catty," I was never really a "cat person" until I was introduced to SAFE Haven for Cats. It was Christmas of 1994 and my lovely wife, Joyce, had been hinting of her wish for a cat to join our family that already included a sweet...

Flicka

Flicka

We adopted Flicka (formerly Geico) in May 2018 after losing our cat Sterling to aggressive spleen and liver cancer. It was love at first sight for us (and him)! He is so sweet and playful, despite being FIV +. He purrs ALL THE TIME! He's very smart and will pantomime...

Vibrava (now C.B.)

Vibrava (now C.B.)

C.B. came to us as Vibrava to foster and never quite went back. We felt qualified as she had had her front leg amputated due to an injury she sustained as a hoarding survivor and we already had a black cat who was missing his back leg. Both cats were black and as we...

Floki and Rascal

Floki and Rascal

Floki (the black and white kitty) was adopted just after Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina. He was the youngest of three as I already had 2 eleven year old's back at the house. Floki was 4 months old and just wanted play, the older cats didn't want anything to do...

Sweeney, Horton and Finian

Sweeney, Horton and Finian

My husband and I have adopted three cats from SAFE Haven throughout the years. First was Sweeney in May 2013, second was Horton in January 2015, and third was Finian (formerly Gallifrey) in February of 2019. Despite being Whovians, we agreed that all of our cats must...

Prismatic

Prismatic

We shortened her name to Priss. She is such a sweet beautiful girl, seemed to feel at home right away. Loves to sit at the window and watch the birds, the squirrels, the chipmunks, and the neighbors' dogs. She greets us at the door when we come home, loves a good...

Lola

Lola

Lola became part of my family the day I went in to meet her for the first time. A beautiful tuxedo cat with vivid green eyes was only part of the story. She came to me, sprawled on my lap and proceeded to embark on 15 years as my beloved love noodle. She had long hair...

Oscar

Oscar

We suffered traumatic loss in our family in September 2014. Even though we loved our 2 sister cats, they were kinda of grumpy at age 13. After having our son's kitten in the house over that Christmas, I felt like nothing would cheer me up like a young cat. I even...

Tater Tot

Tater Tot

We adopted Tater Tot on June 28, 2015 during a free adoption event. We dropped by just to see some kitties on our way out of town. My husband and I split up to walk around and when we joined back up, it turned out that we were smitten with the same kitten! So we asked...

Falcon

Falcon

My husband Dan and I adopted our tuxedo Falcon (his SAFE Haven name) in 2010. Our original idea was that he would be a friend and companion for our other cat, Chadar. She never thought much of him, but we have loved him since day one. My husband sings in the choir of...

Thorin Taeja Catbro Fluffenshield (Felix)

Thorin Taeja Catbro Fluffenshield (Felix)

I decided 2014 was going to be the year I got a cat, so I went to the 2014 New Year's cat sale with every intention of getting a short-haired black cat. It was busy, and I played with a few different cats in the play area. One cat during the play time was a large...

Trouble and Sheba

Trouble and Sheba

A pregnant feral female cat arrived at our house and delivered (3) kittens. I reached out to local Facebook Marketplace people asking for info to have the mama cat and her kittens fixed, to try to reduce the over population. The FB community recommended SAFE Haven and...

James (Bond) and Earl (Grey)

James (Bond) and Earl (Grey)

We had two female cats we loved dearly, both passed away due to old age and (after our second cat passed in July of 2012) our home felt empty without the company of furry critters. We wanted to adopt some rescue kittens from a no-kill shelter so we applied to SAFE...

Lou Anne (formerly Blair)

Lou Anne (formerly Blair)

In January of 2017 Rosetta was ready for a new cat. I wanted to get that cat for her as small token of appreciation for her help with my deceased momโ€™s cat, Cindy Lou. Rose didn't want a kitten, but definitely wanted a younger adult so she could enjoy her pet instead...

Jax and Josie

Jax and Josie

Shortly before Thanksgiving 2018, I saw an ad for an adoption party from SAFE Haven. At the time, we were pet less, as we had lost 2 bunnies that January, and our beloved dog that March. We were ready for the pitter-patter of new babies since the house was so quiet...

Tabitha and Willow

Tabitha and Willow

In 1995, I moved to Durham to start a new career. I was alone and in an apartment. Someone at work suggested I call their friends, Doug and Pam Eader about adopting a cat. So I did and that week met them at their home to see kitties and apply to adopt. They ran SAFE...

Chidi

Chidi

When I went to SAFE Haven for Cats, I was there hoping to adopt a sweet little kitten I'd seen on the website. I rushed there as fast as I could, but I just missed her. Disappointed, I halfheartedly looked around at the other cats. Just as I decided to leave, one of...

Finn

Finn

I guess you can really say the cat chose me! I've always told myself I never wanted an orange cat because they are so common. That all changed when I walked into SAFE Haven in 2015. There was a cat I'd seen online and wanted to meet, but when I turned down one aisle...

Grey Kitty and Stripey

Grey Kitty and Stripey

Best decision of 2018 was adopting these two brothers. I hope they love each other like this forever. We canโ€™t imagine being without these two. They have even brought out playfulness in their two big sisters and helped them slim down a bit. We laugh all the time at...

Fifi

Fifi

Adopted her end of June 2018, 7 months old.ย  We kept her name ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’œ

Brody and Abby

Brody and Abby

At the time we adopted our two cats I was serving as a volunteer. Our two previous cats had recently died and I had begun caring for an older, long hair female cat at SAFE Haven. I thought she would be a good pet for us and convinced my husband to come see her. He was...

Diesel

Diesel

This is the story of Diesel, the cat whose purr rivaled the roar of a diesel engine! The SAFE Haven staff named him for his unparalleled purr, and weโ€™re told that he remained a legend for many years after his adoption. We know that everyone who met him never forgot...

Black Beast “Mint”

Black Beast “Mint”

I adopted "Mint" now Black Beast in November. Someone had beat me to the cat that I had wanted originally. But he reached out and caught my sleeve. That's one of the signs you look for! He's a big cat with a small squeaky meow, enjoys water to an extent, and loves...

Sasha (formerly Godette or something similar)

Sasha (formerly Godette or something similar)

On July 2, 2017 when I visited SAFE Haven, I was originally introduced to a small Calico cat who did everything but climb in my pocket to tell me she wanted to come home with me. While she was doing that, a little gray tabby in a cage just outside our playroom was...

Thompkins (from SAFE Haven) and Arthur

Thompkins (from SAFE Haven) and Arthur

I really canโ€™t say enough nice things about Safe Haven! In December of 2015, one of my rescue cats (from another organization) went on, peacefully, to his great Feline Reward. His surviving adopted brother, Arthur (adopted privately from a different and very...

Cruisy

Cruisy

My husband and my daughter ran the SAFE Haven Run for Their Lives 5K in October of 2013. After the race, we were offered refreshments and then ushered through the shelter for a tour. We already had two cats at home, so we were not looking for a cat. But walking...

Charlie and Jack

Charlie and Jack

After losing an older cat, I decided I was ready for a kitten. I heard SAFE Haven was having a special adoption event and filled out an application. I went to the shelter and picked two kittens to take to the play area. I was playing with the first one when the...

Sorrentino a.k.a. “‘Tino”

Sorrentino a.k.a. “‘Tino”

My 19-year-old cat had died on 11/25/17, but I still had my 18-year-old cat, Polar. He was aging rapidly without his buddy. I decided maybe if I got him company, it'd help him be less lonely. I was hesitant, as I didn't want to overwhelm him at his age. I looked...

Dolly (Formerly Known As Penelope)

Dolly (Formerly Known As Penelope)

My second Safe Haven adoption. Dolly is a torti rag doll. She was in a group of around 25 cats that were used as breeders in Rowan County. It has taken over 3 years to get her used to my house, my kids, visitors and ME. She is healthy - the vet says she is about 4...

Curry and Murphy

Curry and Murphy

Curry (on the left) and Murphy getting some springtime sun! Curry was adopted from SAFE Haven in 2018 and recently turned two years old like her sister, Murphy. We have 3 additional cats that are seniors. Unfortunately Curry loves to gobble up all of the poor senior's...