Ace’s Story

Ace was a long term resident of the Philadelphia SPCA. He had a small bite incident after being adopted and was returned. He was also special needs due to his diabetes. Sadly, Ace found himself old and bored at the shelter, so when I came in to foster, they handed him right to me. He had been overlooked for so long, that their hope was maybe being in a home environment, he might be happier. So off we went with an 8 yr old, diabetic shelter cat and Ace started his new life!

Once home, we realized he had ZERO cat manners. He just never learned to be a house cat. Litter boxes were out of the question for this guy…it was all pee pads for him. His health was not great, but after many back and forth’s with med changes, diet changes, etc, he started to thrive! We created him a designated area where it didn’t matter if he made a mess (remember the litter issue?)…the pay back was enormous! The love, the purrs, the headbutts and that look in his eyes made it ALL worth it.

We knew we couldn’t send him back to the shelter environment, so after about a year of fostering, we decided to make him ours. We officially adopted him and he finally had a home at 9 years old.

Sadly, in October 2022, Ace was diagnosed with cancer. The vet gave him 3 more months to live and we made every second count. He would sit on my lap outside, enjoying the sunshine (maybe for the first time, ever), he ate well and received as much love as we could muster in a short period of time. But, Ace kept surprising us and it wasn’t until May 2023 that he finally looked at us and said “it’s time for me to go”. He passed comfortably and knowing he WAS loved and he left me with a little message “help more like me, please”. It was then, Ace’s House was born!

Ace was loved by so many! He was a shelter favorite. The amount of love and support he got from ALL of his friends (and family) at PSPCA and with everyone he met, still amazes me. It’s now time for Ace’s House to become a reality so we can help many more like him. Thank you, Ace, for not only loving us unconditionally, but for giving us the motivation and dedication to continue caring for others like you. We will make you proud!