Published Mar 6, 2025
Scruffy Paws Animal Rescue / Facebook.com
After three long years of living in a shelter bathroom, Elvis the cat has finally left the building – and the Rhode Island cat rescue celebrated with a big party!
Elvis, a dark gray and white tuxedo male, had been living in the bathroom – that’s right, the bathroom – at Scruffy Paws Animal Rescue in Warwick, Rhode Island. Elvis is one of those cats who hates his own kind, and can’t get along with other cats. This presents a significant challenge at shelters, which have many cats and limited space for isolation. And add one strike against getting a must-be-only-pet cat adopted quickly, since people who adopt rescues typically have more than one.
The cat, estimated to be 8.5 to 9 years old, also had another strike against him: He would get overstimulated if he got too much attention, which usually leads to a sudden bite or swat in a petting session. My newest cat, Dolly, is like this, which would have made it difficult to find her another home. I kept this foster, because I know that most of the time, she is sweet and cuddly. With cats like this, who have petting aggression, you just have to learn to watch their body language closely, and to back off when they’ve had enough. (I promise you that an otherwise nice cat with tendencies to get overstimulated is worth a chance!)
On January 16, Scruffy Paws pleaded Elvis’ case on its Facebook page, with these words: “1054 days at the shelter. How depressing. Elvis continues to live in our bathroom despite the many times we and all of you have shared him.”
The post went on to pump up Elvis: “Elvis just wants love. That’s all. A place and a family to call his own, love, and food. That’s it. Why is this so hard?”
Scruffy Paws had been telling people upfront about Elvis’ limitations, and made the smart rule that he needed to go to a home with no young children and no other animals. And, the poor cat waited and waited, for three long years.
“Just look into those olive green, sad eyes,” the January 16 post said. “Those eyes scream, ‘I am a good boy and I want someone to love me. Please love me.’”
Two days later, the shelter posted about Elvis again with a health update. The cat had a dental cleaning and one tooth extraction. During an exam, the veterinarian also discovered an abscess under a scab on one of Elvis’ paws. He was treated and healed.
Scruffy Paws Animal Rescue / Facebook.com
Finally, something clicked with somebody out there who saw the shelter’s social media posts about Elvis and said, “That’s my boy!” Or, to put it in Elvis Presley terms, someone “can’t help falling in love.” On February 1, Scruffy Paws hosted an “Elvis Has Left the Bathroom Pawty.” Isn’t that adorable?
At the party, members of the public came by and celebrated Elvis, checked out other cats, and enjoyed games and snacks. It was a fitting send-off for a cat who waited patiently for so very long. A local news station covered the party.
Elvis has a lot of fans who have followed his story on the shelter’s Facebook page, so he now has his own Instagram page called elvishasleftthebathroom. It’s adorable. On the page, the cat is introduced as “Elvis the Cat – A Chonka Chonka Burning Love,” another cute reference to an Elvis Presley song. He introduces himself by saying: “I’m Elvis P. Valentino, a cat who doesn’t like cats. After 3yrs in a studio apartment (the bathroom of a rescue), I’ve left to find my forever home!”
We love these heartwarming, long-time-coming stories, and we’ve reported on a few of them recently. Ethel, a blind and toothless tabby, was found wandering a cemetery and brought to the Cat Welfare Association in Columbus, Ohio. She had spent an entire year at the shelter before she finally got adopted. That happened through a serendipitous meeting when a human came to the shelter to visit a friend, saw Ethel, and fell in love. That is often how these happy endings happen! We weren’t looking for a cat, but one just crossed our path and we couldn’t resist.
Another cat and human found each other at a shelter after a very long time – but they were reunited, rather than meeting for the first time! Mr. Mojo, a tuxedo cat, went missing in 2013 when he didn’t return home after one of his outdoor explorations. His human, Erin, was devastated and lost hopes of reuniting with her cat after weeks of searching for him. Weeks turned into months, which turned into 10 whole years! Then, one fateful day, Erin got a call from an animal shelter that had found Mr. Mojo wandering just two miles away. Human and cat had an emotional reunion at the shelter.
On the Scruffy Paws Animal Rescue website, the blog tells several more stories about rescued cats that break our hearts in the beginning, then make us smile by the end. Take the story of Hannah and Miracle, two kittens who were found in filthy landfills, covered in fleas and dirt and crying for help. Miracle was found with her littermate in the bitter cold of winter, but tragically, her sister didn’t make it. The shelter rushed Miracle to the home of a foster, who was already fostering landfill kittens who were found during warmer weather, Hannah and Enzo. Hannah and Miracle have become non-blood sisters and healed from their ordeal together.
Scruffy Paws Animal Rescue / Facebook.com
Another adult cat was found at a landfill in horrible shape. Mr. Heart, a buff tabby male, likely was tossed into a landfill through some heavy machinery, and thankfully avoided serious injury. But, the poor cat, discovered by a landfill employee who called the shelter, had a severe upper respiratory infection, parasites, an ear hematoma, heartworms, and severe dental disease. Thanks to generous donations, Mr. Heart pulled through and is now living his best life with a family who loves him. Bravo!
We look forward to countless more stories like this with a happy ending for lucky cats.
