A 9-year-old cat reached an all-time low after her owner died, and her carers at an animal shelter were worried she would not find a forever home.

Katniss was taken in by the Associated Humane Popcorn Park Shelter in Forked River, New Jersey, in June 2023 after her owner died.

Katniss was initially very shutdown when she arrived. She took the loss of her owner very hard and stopped eating and drinking.

“She just kept to herself when she arrived and wanted to hide away from the world. We can’t say we blame her. Imagine going from a loving, peaceful home to an unfamiliar place where you don’t know a soul?” the shelter shared on Facebook in a post that garnered 1,500 likes. “The depression took a real toll on her health too, and Katniss wasn’t eating well and she was declining.”

“Our staff pulled out all the stops and did all they could to boost her spirits and eventually, Katniss began looking toward the future and putting her past behind her,” the post said.

When she arrived at the shelter, Katniss wasn’t eating or drinking. She became dehydrated and underweight, so the shelter provided medical assistance and a prescription diet. They also moved her to a special area of the facility called Kitty City so she could have more space.