Neeko

My story

To adopt this cat from Black Cat Rescue, please fill out a profile https://blackcatrescue.com/adopt-cat-boston Neeko is a 2 year female cat with a lot of personality. Here’s what her foster volunteers say about her: How would you describe the cat's general personality? Neeko is a: intelligent, social, independent, Feisty, black cat!   Does the cat enjoy being pet? Neeko enjoys being pet on her terms   If yes, on what parts of its body does the cat like to be pet? Under the chin and on top of the head   Are there any parts of its body that the cat does NOT like being touched? Anywhere that is not on top of the head or under the chin is off limits   Does the cat come on your lap? No   Does the cat like to be held? No   Does the cat sleep in your bed? No   Does the cat seek your attention? Yes! She’s an attention seeker and will rub up against your legs while you’re standing or walking around and sit very very closely incase there’s any food that needs to be cleaned up or toys that need to be hunted!   Does the cat like to play? Neeko LOVES to play she has endless energy!   What are the cat's favorite games and toys? She loves all things toys, -Feather on a stick -Toys that crinkle /have catnip mini mouse toys Self started balls with a string in the end Scratch boards (make sure to have a few through the house)   How vocal is the cat? Not very vocal   What kinds of sounds does the cat make? Neeko is not big into purring or meowing we’ve never heard her purr and a meow pops up every so often but we rarely ever hear her!   Does the cat scratch a scratcher? She does not scratch the scratch board. Although she does have 4 of them. Neeko is a cat that needs a low stress area due to her getting overstimulated in certain situations. We’ve found that scratch boards create a low stress environment for her to sit on-top of to calm down. We have a few placed next to each other in our apartment living room that she utilizes and it’s really helped give her a space that she feels is uniquely her own.   Does the cat always use the litter box? She’s very good with the litter box.   What food and frequency is the cat currently eating? Fancy feast wet food   Is the cat picky about food? No!   What is the cat's favorite treat? Anything! She loves salmon treats of any form and loves her churu’s   Does the cat ever swat (claws in) at you? If so, under what circumstances? Yes, Neeko is not fully used to the idea of being pet / picked up. Therefor when we try it’s usually disputed with a swat (claws in)   Has the cat ever scratched (claws out) you? Yes   Does the cat ever nip (teeth without breaking skin) you? Yes   Has the cat ever bitten you (breaking skin)? Yes     To the best of your knowledge, how does the cat react to new people? Social? Fearful? She’s very social Neeko loves being around others and will smother you with her classic leg rubs!   If you have observed the cat with other animals, please describe how they get on? No I do not know that she would like that.   Does that cat have any cute/quirky traits that aren’t covered by the previous questions? Ugh. So many. Neeko has to be one of the cutest cats I’ve ever laid eyes on. From the way she sits backwards to listen to what you have to say. To the little white hairs that poke out of her silky black fur we adore her and her huge personality. While playing, look out for her “helicopter spin” you truly can’t miss it. As vulnerable as she sounds she’s not afraid to be near you and be exposed! Miss Neeko likes to lay belly up In the middle of the room, exposing her beautiful and unique white spots all over her underside. She also is very welcoming every-time we come home with a quick but necessary “leg scan” where she rubs intensely against your legs getting all the textures and smells she can possibly capture in the moment before letting you more forward into the room. She also has a little grey patch of hair under her bottom lip that makes it look like she has her mouth open 100% of the time! It’s adorable.  Last but not least you can’t possibly say no to those big beautiful eyes!   In your opinion, what is the best thing about the cat? Why should an adopter choose THIS cat to adopt? Neeko is overflowing with personality, playfulness, love and adventure she will need a very low stress environment to thrive, with caretakers who will accept her past and continue to work with her to give her the life she deserves. The best part about fostering her is seeing the progress in real time! With the right amount of work, persistence & grace Neeko will thrive forever in the right environment with a caretaker that has time and patience for her sweet soul.       What are the cat's challenges and how have you found to best manage them?   Neeko’s challenges are: -not being able to fully trust hands or feet which leads to the issues of being pet or picked up. -Food. She will break into any bag or container of food that is left out even if you think it’s sealed. Think again! -eye contact she will sit very close to you and stare at you until you look which leads to some uncomfortable moment as eye contact is very intense for cats (don’t look) - scratching baseboards and frame of doors   As far as managing these few things, medication has helped a ton, Neeko is on Prozac and gabapentin to help calm her down and regulate her nervous system. We noticed a HUGE difference seeing her unmedicated vs medicated. Another big thing is understanding how cat body language works. From the smallest things like her eyes dilating to bigger signs like a puffy tail and a growl Neeko’s done it all! if you pay attention you can catch this behavior before it goes south. To de-escalate these situations things such as toys help (keeping a basket of toys in corner of the room helps us redirect that behavior).   Neeko’s extremely food motivated, when she gets a little feisty we find that playing with her and offering her treats directly after really helps show her that good behavior is always rewarded! Giving no reaction & dropping what you’re doing to walking away into another room in a time where she is swatting, biting, or stalking us around the house has helped us a-lot so she doesn’t confused us with toys and doesn’t get the gratification of “play” when she tries to “play” with our hands and feet. This also shows her that “bad” behavior is not tolerate and not rewarded this last bit has been the biggest saving grace of them all. To learn more about adopting this cat in Massachusetts, please visit www.blackcatrescue.com or fill out an Adoption Profile at https://blackcatrescue.com/adopt-cat-boston.  October 5, 2025, 1:09 pm

If you have any questions or would like to adopt Neeko, please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.