Of all the cats who have found their homes through the CPW shelter in the last year, Zuko would have to be voted most likely to star in his own TV show. The big-boned 4-year-old is a genuine people-pleaser, and never shy about taking centre stage.

Zuko was fostered as a kitten with his sister, and his first fosterer Elise said she fell in love with him after only one day.

“Zuko was the sweetest little kitten who loved everyone,” she says. “He was always the life of the party, constantly sprawling out on tables, climbing on everyone’s lap and announcing his presence with a guttural meow.

“We discovered that pom poms were his favourite toy, and he would pick one for the day and demand you drop whatever you were doing to play fetch with him.

“Zuko was always at my side. Even when he would venture out into the garden to visit his many fans in the neighbourhood, he would always come in and give us a cuddle before heading back out.”

As Zuko started growing up, however, his personality outgrew his sister’s and the pair began to squabble. Zuko started having UTIs, which are often caused by stress.

With a heavy heart, Elise knew she needed to find a home where he could be the only cat in the spotlight, and brought him to CPW for the next stage of his life.

“A day doesn’t go by that I don’t miss the jingle of his collar, or the headbutts I would get until he got his forehead kisses.”

In October 2023, the big fluffy boy arrived in the New Entrants room, and immediately started adapting himself to the larger audience of the shelter’s volunteer and staff community.

While he had plenty of admirers, the biggest connection he made was with long-time CPW volunteer Lorraine.

Accidentally going home with a cat or two is a known hazard for those who spend a lot of time at the shelter, and Lorraine has been a dedicated volunteer for more than 25 years.

Since the foster programme began, she has provided a loving foster home for a number of cats with special health needs – first Ginger, then Helen and Marla, and most recently FIV+ Tuffie.

Because many foster cats are older or have a shorter life expectancy, the heartache of losing them occurs more frequently, and Lorraine was still grieving for Tuffie after he succumbed to kidney cancer last year.

“I wasn’t really looking for another cat,” she said. But she has a particular soft spot for black cats, and was curious to meet Zuko on her regular shift at the shelter, as he was already famous for his looks and personality.

“He was in New Entrants, and he just flopped down in front of me. That was it.” Lorraine was smitten immediately, and within a couple of weeks, she had fostered him and taken him home.

“He has been chilled from day one,” she said. “He’s the friendliest, the most-loving cat. It feels like he’s been here for years – he just fitted in.”

When I visit to get some pictures of Zuko, he races towards me before I even get through the front door – a one-cat welcome party.

“He’s anybody’s,” Lorraine says. “Literally. Anyone who walks through the door. He’s everyone's friend.

“He will happily walk up to someone walking up or down the street, and he sometimes follows me down to the end of the street.”

Elise was delighted to see pictures of Zuko in his new home recently.

“I’m so happy he is doing well and is being spoiled by his new owners,” she said. “I will love that little weirdo forever.”

Find out more about our Care for Life foster programme here: Foster a cat