2024: The Year PETA Struck Gold for Copper and So Many Others—Where Are They Now?

Published December 6, 2024, by guest blogger Helen

Helen here. That’s right—I’m a PETA rescued cat and when PETA kneaded someone to recap a few of its most exciting in-house adoption stories of 2024, they knew I was the perfect feline for the job. Knowing how litterate I am—they chose me, last year’s adoption blog superstar and next year’s calendar cover girl! Not to mention—#SpoilerAlert—more than one of the newly adopted animal companions below may or may not be looking over my shoulder as I catalog these tails. (Pipe down, Copper, you’re stressing meowt!)

This year, my pals at PETA helped hundreds of my furry (and feathered and bristly) friends get adopted—including dogs, chickens, pigs, and the best of all … cats!—who were rescued by Community Animal Project (CAP) fieldworkers, including one of my very own humans. See what just a few of them are up to now …

10+ Animals PETA Rescued in 2024: Where Are They Now?

1. Ezekiel

I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that 2024 brought a lot of changes. For one, my humans moved us all—them and me and Brandi, my senior tortoiseshell BFF—to a bigger home. I assumed this was so that B and I could have even more space to be awesome. Not quite. More room apparently means more family members (while still obeying the terms of the lease, of course), something my humans made clear when they brought home this loaf called Simba.

Simba was 6 months old when PETA first met him. Unable to afford the expense of sterilization herself, Simba’s The Lion King–loving “owner” turned to PETA for help. CAP fieldworkers transported the long-haired cat for free to and from one of our state-of-the-art mobile clinics for no-cost neuter surgery. But then, a few months later, the person meant to be Simba’s ride-or-die called PETA again, this time after deciding she was too busy (*insert sobbing emoji*) for the sweet-natured tabby. Once again, PETA stepped in to fulfill Simba’s kneads.

When my guardians—one of them being PETA’s resident sprouted grain bread–loving staffer—agreed to take Simba home to foster, naming the gallant guy after a certain favorite, always-vegan loaf seemed like the only thing that made sense.

I’d like to tell you that this was the only time my guardians foster failed in 2024, but I gave up lying for my New Year’s resolution. (Truth: These people should be foster fired.)

2. Copper

My other 2024 New Year’s resolution was to be nice. I learned to groom Brandi without escalating things to a WWE faceoff, I learned to share my toys with Ezekiel, and I even stopped trying to lick the vegan butter off my humans’ Ezekiel toast. But when—just ahead of Christmas—my guardians walked through our front door with a canine called Copper, I figured I must’ve done something to get on the naughty list.

As I know from my own PETA rescue story, oftentimes, it takes a village. And for Copper—a beagle who was chained outside 24/7 near Galax, Virginia, with no shelter and, judging by his protruding rib and hip bones, nearly no food—that village consisted of a good Samaritan, caring Twin County Humane Society staffers, a remarkably compassionate local animal control officer, and two PETA fieldworkers. After being rescued, with his bodyweight nearly doubled and his spirit fully renewed, Copper needed PETA’s help to fill one very important village vacancy: guardian.

When my long-haired human was asked to write a blog post that would tell the world (or at least the East Coast) that the silver-muzzled fella was available for adoption, she did one better: She convinced my short-haired human to bring Copper home to foster. I’m sure you can guess what happened after that.

While Ezekiel is all about leveling our home’s girl-to-boy ratio, I’m still playing hard to get. I am, however, appreciating the benefits of calling this tail-wagging hound family—like his pre-dawn yodel-like hollers, which mean I get breakfast extra early.

3. Grappa

Remember me saying 2024 was a year of changes? Most of it—like mixing things up with the additions of Ezekiel and Copper—were good changes. But some changes included loss, like saying goodbye to our late, great caramel-injected queen, Brandi. But, before several chronic conditions started to catch up to the great ambassador for torties everywhere, something kind of wonderful happened: A second ginger-and-black beauty joined Brandi’s and my girl gang.

When PETA first met the 6-month-old agile gal—who was lovingly dubbed Sporty Spice after showing off her parkour-esque moves—it was in rural southeastern Virginia. After a well-intentioned resident began to feed five free-roaming cats on her property, she became concerned about the cats’ fleas; their vulnerability to the dangers of cars, other animals, cruel humans, and disease; and the inevitable litters that would mean future generations would suffer. Overwhelmed by all of this, along with the cost of feeding five hungry mouths, the good Samaritan decided to call PETA for help.

At the Sam Simon Center—PETA’s headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia—the girl group was finally safe from the horrific fates that await most homeless cats. And just as every ’90s girly had her favorite Spice Girl, the group’s only tortoiseshell—with her unmatched headbutting skills and caramel highlights, which reminded my guardians of our spicy tortie, Brandi—had my family signing up to foster the sweet-natured kitten quicker than Baby Spice could sing, “If you wanna get with me, better make it fast”!

Once Brandi (right, above) started teaching little Sporty her boss-lady ways, we knew we had to make it last forever (and that family never ends). “Sporty Spice” was changed to Grappa—an ode to the original queen of tortitude—and our home’s girls vs. boys equilibrium was more harmonious than the Spice Girls’ number one hit.

4. Garth

PETA had been visiting Tyson since 2017, ever since two fieldworkers were driving by and spotted the terrier mix tied to a pole with a wire crate for a “shelter.” Tyson’s owners agreed to let PETA neuter him and transport him to and from his appointment—all free of charge—and they allowed fieldworkers to bring the sweet dog flea meds in North Carolina’s scorching summer months and straw during the frigid winters, but for years they refused to bring charming Tyson inside. They also denied fieldworkers’ pleas to be granted the chance to find him a home indoors where he’d be treated as a beloved member of the family … until one day, they didn’t.

After visiting Tyson as often as we could, each time asking his owners to let us give him the love and life he deserves, his owners finally caved. Overnight, Tyson went from this …

… to this!

The same fieldworker who won over Tyson’s former owners also won over his own family—he gushed so lovingly about the delightful dude that Tyson’s rescuer’s mom insisted she adopt the dog herself. Tyson promptly became Garth, and Garth promptly became his new guardian’s whole world.

I was crazy about him the first time I met him.

—Garth’s true forever guardian

5. Amy Swinehouse

I know what you’re thinking—but don’t worry, my humans didn’t adopt the pig, too! But PETA did come to her rescue also in 2024, and she laughed, “Wee, wee, wee,” all the way to her perfect, permanent home!

Thanks to a “rehoming” ad on Craigslist, Amy Swinehouse was acquired on a whim by someone unable to provide her with permanent care. Fortunately, when that guardian had to move and was unable to take Amy along, she kept things offline and instead called PETA for help.

PETA transferred Amy to a wonderful foster home, then began to spread the word: The 1-year-old gal was available for adoption. Amy is “as sweet and social as they come,” PETA announced. “She’s ready to be a treasured member of her new family,” they said. “[S]he’s not just a stylish snout—like all pigs, she’s keenly intelligent,” PETA boarsted. Well, apparently, Amy’s foster guardian couldn’t agree more. She called up CAP’s vice president and instructed her to call off the search—“Amy is home!”

Now, Amy gets all the bananas, gentle scratches, exercise, and opportunities to root she could ever want. This gal knows it in her body and soul—she is home.

6. Gordon

Earlier this year, PETA workers and a team of veterinarians “fixed” nearly 500 of my people and dogs, too, for their loving guardians and helped them with basic preventive care. But one little dog—sans guardian—surprised everyone when he checked himself in for care.

When Gordon (as he was later named) showed up at the clinic, he was severely malnourished and suffering from a badly broken hip—and being left behind would have meant a slow and painful death on the streets. There was only one option: Little Gordon made the big voyage with PETA back to my hometown.

After one surgery plus endless love and care, CAP found Gordon a loving home with a PETA supporter living in Massachusetts. From timid and sad-eyed to smiling, tail-wagging, and confident, Gordon now spends his days hiking, canoeing, and snuggling on the couch with his new loving guardian.

“There’s so many [dogs] who need homes …. Definitely adopt from a shelter.”
—Gordon’s guardian, Vicky

(Did we mention she’s a PETA supporter?)

7. Henrietta

Like Henrietta herself, this bird’s PETA rescue story is short and sweet. For years, PETA has tried to help Buck, a pit bull who’s forced to exist outside 24/7 in rural North Carolina. His owners don’t allow fieldworkers to do much apart from bringing straw for his doghouse when temperatures drop and providing flea and tick preventative during the sweltering summer months. But when Buck’s people became overwhelmed after taking on nearly 10 chickens, thankfully, they called my people’s people for help.

While there was a coop on the property, its many holes and lack of food meant that these hens didn’t stick around. It took fieldworkers two separate visits to round up most of the birds—but one feathered friend remained. Fieldworkers all but worked around the cluck—and it turns out that for Henrietta, the third time is the charm!

After a quick stop-off at PETA’s shelter, the same wonderful guardian who opened her home to the rest of her family adopted Henrietta, too.

8. Rusty

After more than 10 years in isolation, anyone would reserve the right to be a little rusty at the whole living-the-good-life thing. But not this sweet senior. He was more than ready to make up for lost time!

Each time fieldworkers took notes about their visits with Rusty, they couldn’t help but highlight how cheerful and eager the aging dog always seemed to be. Like my friend Hollie, who said, “Holy goodness Rusty is a wonderful little fella.” Or Ashley who wrote, “Love, love, love this sweet boy.” Or my human who noted during a visit that “[Rusty] is as sweet as ever.” Or Ashley (again) who announced that Senior Vice President of PETA’s Cruelty Investigations Department Daphna Nachminovitch “is now a member of the [Rusty] fan club.”

So, my fieldworker friends took a page from Rusty’s book—he wasn’t giving up, and neither were they. Their shared hardiness paid off. One day earlier this year, Chris—the first PETA fieldworker to meet Rusty—received the life-changing call everyone had hoped for: After roughly a dozen dangerously scorching summers, Rusty’s owner finally agreed to let PETA find him a guardian who would love, love, love this sweet boy so much, they’ll treat him as part of the family.

And where do spunky, spry senior folks go for retirement?

Florida, baby.

9. Saoirse and Delilah

When these cats’ guardian passed away unexpectedly, their extended human family refused to take them in. Some—like the Gossip Girl–obsessed fieldworker who dubbed the nameless girls Serena and Blair—might call this a fustercluck, but for PETA fieldworkers, unfortunately, it’s called a Sunday afternoon. Fortunately, the family remembered that PETA had spayed the orange tabbies and transported them to and from their appointments, all free of charge, and called fieldworkers for help.

Realizing that the 5-year-old girls were overweight and shaken from losing their beloved guardian of many years, the PETA fieldworker—who drove roughly four hours roundtrip to scoop them up from the folks who were relinquishing them and the very same one who rescued me!—brought the pair home to foster. With a lotta love and fewer treats, Serena and Blair were quick to prove they’re feline fine.

When PETA’s director of human resources, Natalie Hawkins, first got wind of these girls’ stories, she pounced like Serena with a catnip toy. Just like the Spice Girls, Gossip Girl isn’t for everyone, so it was understandable when Natalie and her husband renamed the fetching felines Saoirse and Delilah.

The twin tabbies gained a third family member as well: Mabel the beagle, who—before becoming Natalie’s BFF—spent nearly seven years intensively confined to a concrete-and-metal cage at laboratory supplier Envigo’s now shut down dog-breeding factory.

10. Timothy

My long-haired human has this weird thing about German shepherds … she thinks they’re, like, great or something. So, when she and a fellow fieldworker convinced Timothy’s former owners to relinquish the black-and-tan dog to PETA for a chance at a home indoors, I knew I had to act fast. (“[C]ool with cats”? Are you fur real?)

While the “cat-only queendom” was short-lived, I did successfully throw my guardian off Timothy’s scent. I must’ve launched his scent all the way to New York, because the next thing I knew, my human and Timothy loaded up the car and set the GPS to Upstate.

OK, I might’ve been hissitant to join Timothy’s fan club, but even I’ll admit that his rescue video was a doggone tearjerker. No one deserves to be kept outdoors 24/7 in a pen. But my human and her coworkers did their best for Timothy: They provided him with a sturdy, custom-made doghouse; brought him insulating straw in the freezing winters; and ensured he had water to drink and shade overhead in the sweltering summers. Until one day, Timothy didn’t need a doghouse or straw—PETA was able to provide the spirited guy with a loving family instead.

Timothy and his happily ever after were so enamoring that Newsweek even covered the hairy hunk’s story! (I gotta find out who does this dude’s PR.)

PETA’s work to fix overpopulation—in my backyard and beyond—has never been more vital.

By spaying and neutering thousands of dogs and cats every year, operating one of the area’s few open-admission shelters, and not only facilitating in-house adoptions but also carefully screening potential adopters instead of just giving animals away, my humans and their PETA tribe are helping to end animal homelessness—thanks in large part to generous donors and supporters.

And for animals like Buck who are still forced to exist outdoors and without love, PETA’s persistence—the very same that saw Rusty find his “retirement bliss”—will remain constant.

You can’t have Copper or Grappa, but if you’re searching for your own BFF, look no further than PETA’s list of animals who are ready for a loving, permanent home:

Adopt an Animal Companion From PETA!

Or visit Petfinder.com or your local open-admission shelter.

Click below to learn more about PETA, CAP, and how you can help animals:

How to Help Dogs and Cats