Lucia Lopez, a former intern at the Susquehanna Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SQSPCA), recently drove a nearly 400-mile, round-trip journey to return to the SQSPCA shelter and adopt Ocean, a sweet special needs cat.

Despite his physical challenges, Ocean moves around quickly thanks to the help of the shelter staff and his specialized wheelchair meant to build up his strength and coordination. Lopez continues to use the wheelchair, and she even brings Ocean to work, where he plays with other animals waiting to be adopted.

A recent graduate at the SUNY-Cobleskill Animal Science Program, Lopez cares deeply about animals and helping those in need.

“Whether it was my personal pets, pet sitting for neighbors, rescuing strays or feeding feral cats,” she told the Binghamton Homepage, “I grew up around animals most of my life, and their welfare is something I have always been very passionate about.”

Ocean’s story shows us that all animals deserve happy, healthy homes.

“Ocean is proof positive that, with a little patience and understanding,” said SQSPCA Executive Director Stacie Haynes, “animals with special needs can find their ‘furever’ homes, too.”

What’s New…

white cat named Ocean