Joyce joined us in April 2024 after being rescued from the county shelter. She had been brought in as a stray, and to be honest, we weren’t sure she’d make it through the night. She was severely emaciated, dehydrated, had an upper respiratory infection, and barely able to hold up her own head. It was heartbreaking.

We brought her to the vet the very next day and found out she has stage 4 kidney disease. At first, she had zero interest in food, but with syringe feeding and daily fluids, she slowly began to regain her strength—and her sass. Fast-forward to today: she’s a whole new cat.

Joyce is, without question, the sassiest member of Suncatcher Sanctuary. She doesn’t care for other cats, doesn’t care for cuddles, and honestly… she barely tolerates us. But hey, sometimes she lets us give her chin scritches, and when she chirps at mealtime? It’s magic.

She spends most of her day snoozing in her favorite cat cave like the tiny queen she is. Though this may not be her ideal palace—what with the dozens of other cats invading her personal space—we know she appreciates this chapter of her life in her own quiet, slightly grumpy way. And we love her just the way she is.