“Whenever Happy comes to me for a cuddle I whisper my thanks to him for all he has done for Maya.”
Thus began Naomi Shrenzel’s story about her son Maya and their kitten Happy, a story of how the kitten and the boy changed each other’s lives, a story that won $50,000 for the Brooklyn Cat Cafe, a grant that will help the Cafe continue to change the lives of humans and animals in our community.
Maya began suffering from panic attacks when he was in fourth grade, attacks that got so bad that Maya stopped eating and drinking; his health deteriorated to the point that he was at risk of hospitalization.
“When Maya was distracted, he was much calmer,” wrote Shrenzel, “so we decided to try feline friends.”
“We visited the Brooklyn Cat Cafe and saw a group of five kitten brothers. We fell in love and brought our foster boys home. They were tiny, fitting into one carrier. Four brothers quickly ran out to explore. The lone kitten left was Happy, the smallest and weakest of the bunch. Maya’s heart melted as he joined Happy on the floor to coax him out of the carrier. In that moment, our child, who needed such patient, gentle caretaking, began his own journey as a caretaker.”
Both Happy and Maya thrived, the mutually beneficial relationship helping them both grow stronger and more confident. Now in 10th grade, Maya recently experienced a night-time panic attack, but gone were the fearful, desperate reactions from the past.
“’I remembered to do my breathing and I went and got Happy, he stayed with me,’ Maya said with pride.”
You can read Maya’s full story here, and the story of the Cafe’s 2023 win here.
Each year, Petco Love in partnership with BOBS® from Skechers® sponsors a campaign that calls for pet adopters to share how their adopted pets have changed their lives for the better. This is Brooklyn Cat Cafe’s fourth consecutive win, and the Cafe is one of 25 nationwide winners from thousands of entries.
“What makes our rescue work rewarding is that cats like Happy find homes where they not only thrive, but also make a positive difference in the lives of the people who love them,” said Anne Levin, Executive Director of Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare Coalition and Brooklyn Cat Cafe. “There are far too many sick kittens like Happy still on the streets of New York City. This lifesaving investment from Petco Love will help us to save many more lives and provide needed services to other rescue groups trying to do the same.”
Since its founding in 2007, the Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare Coalition, the nonprofit that runs Brooklyn Cat Cafe, has rescued nearly 10,000 cats, creating nearly that many happy endings for New York City’s at-risk cat population. In addition to the cafe and adoption program, BBAWC also offers We offer low-cost spay/neuter services for owned pets as well as surgical and medical services to rescuers working with homeless cats.
Follow the Cafe and its adorable feline inhabitants on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
