The crazy cat lady of the FXExpress team strikes again, here to introduce my foster friend, Cannoli! Since adopting my cat, Maisy, in December, I have become even more obsessed with cats than I was before, and I have been looking forward to getting involved with rescue work. After moving in with my partner at the beginning of the month (and out of the house with two roommates and their two cats), we decided it might be time to open our home to a foster cat.

We first met Cannoli at Philadelphia’s new cat café, Get a Gato, which I would highly recommend checking out. On top of having a paid cat lounge in the back where visitors can hang out with adoptable cats, it is a full café with delicious coffee drinks and Colombian-inspired food. Brena and I were told Cannoli just arrived the day before, and he was clearly pretty shut down, curled up in a ball. At one point he started kneading his pillow to self-soothe, which broke our hearts with its adorableness.

Cannoli kneading his pillow at Get a Gato.

Get a Gato gets their cats from their rescue partner, Fishtails Animal Rescue, and a few days later I saw  the rescue, which I follow on Instagram, posted Cannoli on their Instagram story, stating that he was seeking a foster home. The cat café was too overstimulating for him, and he needed a quieter place where he could decompress and feel comfortable to have a better chance at being adopted. Brena and I knew that we needed to offer. It was the perfect opportunity falling into our laps: fostering a cat we had already met and had a soft spot for (who also has the same coloring and pattern as Maisy!).

Though we have only had Cannoli living in our office for a little over a week, he has already started blossoming. He is so different from the sad, anxious cat we met at the café. He is getting over a little kitty cold and at first did not want to move much, but now, despite his sneezes, he is running after wand toys all around the room and doing parkour against the walls. He’s clearly so much happier, and it’s so rewarding to help him come out of his shell.

Cannoli enjoying cheek scratches on my lap.

He is such a loving cat with the loudest purrs, and he will curl up in our laps and just enjoy receiving cheek scratches (very different from Maisy, who absolutely will not stay in any lap and immediately starts walking back and forth when she is petted). He is obsessed with any food or treats we give him (also different from Maisy, who only likes dry food). He’s just a lovebug, and we are really enjoying getting to know him. If you want the perfect cat, you can read all about him on Petfinder here.

— Hannah Gruen, advertising & events coordinator