Spirit arrived at the shelter just before Valentine’s Day, limping and in pain.  The 8 month old brown tabby had a broken hip and required a procedure called Femoral Head Ostectomy, which removes the top of the femur, the part of the thigh bone that fits into the hip joint. Spirit came back from the vet with strict instructions to completely restrict his activity for a month, with a long rehabilitation to follow.

And that’s when this lucky feline hit the jackpot. Spirit went into foster care with Bill Clossey, and has been recuperating and enjoying life with this dedicated volunteer, and his wife, ever since. Soon he was playing with low-impact toys purchased just for him, and lounging on Bill’s iPad watching cat videos. He “swaggers like a drunken sailor,” reports Bill, but Spirit is getting stronger and more mobile every day, and is “the sweetest cat I’ve ever met.”

Soft-spoken, patient and kind, Bill has cared for some of St. Hubert's most challenging cats; special needs and behavior cases are his specialty. In addition to fostering, he also has a regular shift cleaning in the cattery, and even buffs the shelter’s floors (the closest he’s ever gotten to operating a Zamboni, he says wryly.)

Bill grew up with dogs and cats, and when he first started volunteering at St. Hubert’s he thought he wanted to walk dogs. But as he spent time at the shelter he found he was more drawn to the cats. “They are amazingly adaptive,” he says. He appreciates the passion that staff brings to their care, and staff loves when he is in the cattery.

Bill and his wife travel a lot, so he doesn’t think it would be fair to adopt right now. But when he’s home he helps out as much as he can. And as a foster and volunteer Bill has made an enormous difference to so many.