A Tribute to Tank, Charlotte, & Hoodie
Tank and Charlotte were cat guests at our Sanctuary at separate times, but both weaseled their tuxedo bodies deep into our hearts. We knew both cats had difficult medical issues in their senior years. It was a reality to us that we would be opening our doors and our hearts to terminal kitties so that we could give them the best care and comfort during the rest of their time on this earth.
We are always on the road to recovery – to help them heal so that they can be adopted into a loving forever home – but sometimes the final home won’t be found. It is our passion to provide a space where animals receive not only holistic care—ranging from physical therapies and special diets to dedicated veterinary support—but also a true sense of home. Tank and Charlotte spent their days surrounded by new friends, enjoying nourishing meals, and receiving care tailored to their unique needs. While our ultimate goal is always to place animals in forever homes, we feel deeply grateful for being able to offer lasting comfort and love to those who spend their last chapter with us at the Sanctuary.
Tank
Sadly, when Tank came to the Sanctuary it was not just because of his terminal kidney disease but because his loving pet guardian passed away from cancer. Although people close to the pair described Tank as unsocial to strangers, he showed his care and trust in us as his new guardians much more than we could have anticipated! We were always committed to his care, diet, and providing compassion, but it was truly heartwarming to receive that compassion back tenfold!
Of course, Tank started in a quiet office room with a few favorite cubby-style hideouts and a lot of respect for his personal space. For a while it was normal to find him tucked in his covered bed, but he slowly showed more and more interest in checking out his new Sanctuary home! After a few months, it was a joy to see Tank milling around the kitchen during some free roam time or hanging out with his dormmates, Woody and GeeBee. Tank ended up touching more hearts than we imagined with his friendly demeanor, funny expressions, and adorable fluff to his fur. There were many days he seemed to travel back in time to a young cat at heart.
We are grateful to have known the quiet Tank, the grumpy Tank, the loving Tank, and the silly Tank! Seeing his personality and mental health blossom was a delight – but it also made it exceptionally obvious when his health took a sudden turn. After consecutive days of not doing well with his mobility and food intake, we knew Tank’s time had come. Although we had to say goodbye at the end of April 2025, we felt like we got a lot more of Tank than we bargained for – in the best way possible.
Charlotte
Charlotte had a different set of circumstances, yet her medical needs made her almost impossible to adopt out. Charlotte was mostly blind, and was diagnosed with kidney disease. She was on daily medication for high blood pressure, ate prescription kidney diet foods, and was diagnosed with a progressive heart condition that didn’t currently impact her health, but could someday.
Her pet guardian was going to graduate school out of state and was unable to find housing that would allow Charlotte to stay with her. The rescue that Charlotte was originally adopted from was also unable to take her back due to her medical needs as a senior cat. The list of special needs made it impossible for her pet guardian to find an adopter on her own.
Cue the need for Our Companions! After some reworking of our rooms, we were able to secure a space for Charlotte to come live at our Sanctuary without judgement nor the need for a permanent adoption. She could find space at our facility along with in our hearts for as long as she needed.
Once she settled in, we noticed she also had impaired hearing if not deaf, along with definite struggles with advanced kidney disease. While we didn’t get to know her for too long, our team immediately rallied to her aid, working to find how we could make her as comfortable as possible. We adjusted her room setup, her feeding station, and her handling parameters to help her adjust and know that she was loved. She was the embodiment of a lo-fi rainy-day mix – she loved to snuggle up for a quiet nap and enjoyed playing with her rainbow plushy. We gave her different types of enrichment like smelling fresh cat nip from our gardens and using different bristled brushes to brush her fur; enjoying the small moments.
As her health continued to decline, and we reached the point where it was time to let her go. She made a big impression in a short amount of time here and she will be greatly missed. Her napping in the sun, finding us with calming ‘cues’ in her room, and finding her snuggled up in a tiny ball. We had to say goodbye at the end of July 2025, but she will live on snuggled in our hearts forever.
Hoodie
In between losing Tank and Charlotte, we lost another guy who had a very different story. Hoodie, the 6-year-old Lionhead rabbit, came to us as a rescued rabbit. The original family who found him running outside in a field rescued him by scooping him up in a hoodie – hence his name! When Hoodie came to us, he was shy, nervous, and reserved. He preferred to stay in his box and was successful in tricking us into thinking he didn’t enjoy hard floors.
We would don his area with rugs and fleece, comically and lovingly watching him spread them about his area as to create his own nooks and walking paths. It may have been weeks but eventually staff noticed him not needing his blanket forts and being more comfortable on the floor too!
He was never one to seek affection and did not seem interested in meeting other bunnies… until Hunny shared his room.
Hunny was another reserved bunny who seemed offended being around other buns! She would run to retreat or stomp her feet. When space allowed, we kept Hunny and Hoodie in separate habitats but allowed them to share the same room since they were both calm and quiet.
Soon, staff started noticing the two napping as close to one another as they could get in their separate areas, eventually even grooming each other through the bars! After a few bunny dates and supervised playtimes, Hunny and Hoodie began living together as a pair.
Hoodie brought out the affectionate side of Hunny and she brought out his bravery! The two were never far apart which led us to start promoting them for adoption as a bonded pair. Hoodie was social with us and tolerant; he didn’t mind being a model for some of our Holiday Photos – even sporting a little hat or hamming it up at the kissing booth! Although I’m sure he only had eye for smooches from Hunny…
Before we had any adoption meetings with the duo, our sweet Lionhead boy passed away unexpectedly. It started out as a normal June day, but as the day went on Hoodie suddenly became more lethargic and disoriented. Our team rushed him to the emergency vet, who felt there was something neurological going on. He returned home for some supportive care, but passed away in the evening. The most likely theory is that it was some kind of brain tumor or other brain disorder that was either hidden or came on suddenly.
Before the shock could settle, we focused our attention on Hunny. She seemed to do okay in the following days and has been doing well with her friends and new roommate, Eleanor. Although Hunny has still not felt like bonding or meeting new friends, we certainly hope we can fill her heart again with a new adoption and bunny pal. Again, Hoodie left us surrounded by friends, compassionate care, and comfort.
Thanks to our supportive community, generous donors, veterinary partners, physical therapist connections, and our educated and dedicated team of staff and volunteers: our facility in Ashford is able to provide tailored care to a variety of medical issues seen in pets. Our pet companions often deteriorate in shelter environments and can be especially detrimental to senior pets or those with sensitive medical conditions. Many of the pets we care for wouldn’t make it without established care and sanctuary facilities. We don’t care how old they are or if we are their last stop.
Our goal is to help animals and people heal from whatever we can provide help with – and often that is catering to pets with special medical needs.
It’s no dig on other rescues either – they have higher adoption rates and can take in those that are easily adoptable. Being easily adoptable sometimes just means they won’t be in a kennel for long before finding a forever home. For many of our guests, that is just not the case.
What is the case is love and TLC. We are committed to meeting every pet where they are medically, behaviorally, and emotionally as best we can. Our compassionately trained team is key for providing the warm fuzzies they may be missing at home while our dedicated professional partners and staff keep us up to date on the latest developments in medical treatments, modalities, and therapies.
We strive to stay informed in a holistic way, or an encompassing way, so we can set up our companions for the best life possible. Sometimes that’s with a new family, and sometimes that’s being a family member with us until the end. Either way – everyone who walks through our doors is loved even after they leave us.