9-27-2023 10:34am

The Clifton Times Pet(s) of the Week: Meet Sunny and Stormy!

Meet Sunny and Stormy, two beautiful, tiger-striped tabby cats, who were trapped and then abandoned by someone who left them outside the shelter, exposed to the elements. They are looking for homes through the Clifton Animal Shelter. They do not have to be placed together. Both cats are fully vetted and tested, and are finally ready to be placed after a long road of socialization and healing. Check out their Petfinder profiles for more information. Sunny’s profile is HERE and Stormy’s profile is HERE.

Stormy is a one-year-old beautiful female tabby cat, who is fully vetted, vaccinated, and spayed. She was left outside in the middle of a huge thunderstorm in April. The shelter believes that the person who left her had trapped her in his yard, and then left her in a trap in front of the shelter door, in the pouring rain. The person who left her there didn’t call the number on the shelter door, which could have spared poor Stormy a lot of discomfort. Instead, poor Stormy got soaked to the skin and was understandably traumatized by her experience. She is not a mean cat, but she does need time, patience, and experience.

Less than two weeks later, the same person trapped Sunny, and did the same thing. This time he left Sunny exposed to the sun, hours before the shelter opened, leaving him to heat up. Luckily he was found before he was injured or killed by overheating, but Sunny was very stressed by his experience. Sunny is around 4-5 years old and is fearful but not aggressive. He is FIV+, but that will not affect his quality of life, and he does not require any medication or special care. For more on FIV+, please read HERE.

The Clifton Shelter has been working with Sunny and Stormy for the past few months, and it has been slow going, but both are making progress and learning to trust humans again. The shelter would like the cats to go to a calm, quiet, and safe home, where they can be given the space and time to decompress, learn to bond with their new family, and continue the healing that has begun at the shelter.

Abandoning a domesticated animal is a crime under NJ State Law (N.J. STAT. ANN. §§ 4:22-16 - 57) and can result in a disorderly persons offense, punishable by a fine between $250 and $1,000 and/or a prison term of up to 6 months. People who are unable to keep their pets are urged to contact a reputable local rescue or shelter and to work with them to ensure that the animal is kept safe in their transition to a new home.

If you are able to give Sunny and Stormy the furever homes they deserve, please fill out the adoption application at the Clifton Animal Shelter and someone will contact you to discuss and answer any questions that you may have and set up a time to come in to meet them. The shelter does this to ensure that the environment is calm and conducive to having potential adopters get a good sense of the personality of the companion animal, and so they aren’t subjecting them to unnecessary stress. The shelter is located in the City Hall Complex at 900 Clifton Avenue in Clifton (shelter phone number: (973) 470-5936)).

You can also support the Clifton Animal Shelter by donating via their PayPal link or by donating supplies to them from their wishlists (Chewy or Amazon).

Please consider adding Sunny and Stormy to your home! The Clifton Animal Shelter has many wonderful cats and kittens in need of homes, ready to bring lots of love and joy to your home. Check out their page on Petfinder to see their sweet faces.