Noah and Dotty are best buds

Ventura—This month, Cassie's Cats and Kittens features Noah, who is orange and white, and Dotty, a black-and-white "Cow Cat," who are best friends looking for the "purrfect" home together to continue their friendship.

THE duo has well-suited personalities, is affectionate best friends, and plays with the same level of intensity. They get each other.

Dotty, the gregarious one, is the perfect lap Cat, while Noah is timid and needs some time and space in his new home to warm up and feel safe.

Both would thrive in a home with Cat-experienced parents who currently have no Cats but can potentially do well with older children.

Noah and Dotty arrived at the Lounge in good physical shape; Noah has a weepy eye; both have good appetites and use the litter box well.

Dotty likes dry cat food and certain wet foods, while Noah enjoys wet food more.

The pair became best buds when Noah became curious when they saw each other through Dotty's gate and started playing. They had supervised play dates with a volunteer who taught them how to interact with each other.

Dotty is approximately two years old and was originally rescued from Kuwait when he and his littermates were found and brought to rescue there, which connected with a rescue group in the United States.

"Eventually, four of them made it to a rescue out in Simi Valley with which we partner," Cassie's Cats and Kittens founder Jennifer Thompson said.

She said Dotty was adopted before and returned.

"The other rescue he was originally with found him a good home, and he went there for approximately seven months," she said. "The family decided it wasn't really working out, and he wasn't a good fit for their home."

She said Simi Valley Rescue knew he was being returned and didn't have a place for him, and Thompson with the Cassie's Cats Team gladly welcomed him to the Lounge.

"Dotty came to our rescue in August 2023," Thompson said. "I saw a video of him before we met him, and I knew he was athletic and had lots of energy. When I met him, I saw all those traits right away."

She said Dotty is a very nice Cat who relates well to humans.

"We noticed at first he had a hard time making Cat friends, and he came on way too strong," she said. "The way Dotty likes to play is very rough and tumble. He's a big, young male Cat, and a lot of the Cats here were getting scared, so we kept him separate."

She said a volunteer helped Dotty learn how to play with another Cat and understand a Cat's signals when saying that's too much.

Dotty met Noah, and the pair became best friends.

"Since then, Dotty has become friends with several other Cats here," Thompson said. "Dotty can make friends with other Cats, but it has to be a particular Cat with a certain temperament."

Thompson doesn't feel safe sending him home to a house with Cats.

"We don't know how he'll respond to just any Cat, and it won't work out with certain Cats right away," she said.

Dotty might do well in a home with Dogs; Thompson noted that in his first home, they had a Dog.

"We think with a Cat-friendly Dog that would be willing to play a little bit hard, but not in a dangerous way," Thompson said. "It's a balancing act to find a Canine friend that matches his energy while making sure Dotty doesn't feel threatened."

Thompson said they're looking for a home without children or potentially a home with older children ages 12 and up.

"We're looking for a home that has experience with Cats," she said. "Cat people can read body language and see you're getting overstimulated."

Dotty and Noah get into kerfuffles, but they're only playing hard.

"We have no qualms about leaving them together," Thompson said.

Dotty, the athletic one, can push through a screen door or window, and he shouldn't be left to his own devices.

The Kitty can jump six feet straight up, and Thompson said they had to place mesh above his gated room because Dotty could jump and get out.

"If he sees a Bird or another Cat on his property, if there's a way for him to get out, he's going to try," Thompson said.

Like all Cats, Thompson said all Cats have an instinct to scratch.

"We teach our Adopters about trimming claws and giving the Cats ample opportunities to scratch," she said. "No house is immune, and it's about teaching your Cat where it's okay to scratch."

Noah, the shy Kitty, is a year old and came from the same Simi Valley Rescue about a year ago.

Noah's new home needs time to let him warm up to new surroundings, while Dotty will feel right at home quickly.

After playtime, Thompson said Dotty would insist on lying with his human on the couch or bed.

Adopters who want best buds Noah and Dotty to continue their journey should start by visiting the Lounge and meeting the duo.

"So, we can get to know you and what your home is like," Thompson said. "Step two is filling out an application. Sometimes, we request photos or videos of the home to see if they have toxic houseplants or windows without screens. Fifty percent of the fee is sponsored, and for the right home, their fee is waived."

The fun activities at the Lounge continue. On July 14, there will be an Arts and Crafts with Cats event featuring diamond painting.

"It's kind of like painting by number," Thompson said.