Angel-faced Hooper has been well-loved, and he has oodles of love to give. From his days with an extraordinary foster family in New Hampshire to his happy new life at Tabby’s Place, Hooper has had a knack for lassoing each heart he meets.Visit our long-haired love bug for just a few minutes, and you’ll find yourself inside his “hoop,” too.

With an outrageously cute face and one of the sweetest personalities on the planet, Hooper is everything a cat can be, all rolled into one fluffy fellow. If you stop petting him in order to take a photo, Hooper will let you know – instantly and constantly – that he prefers snuggles to snapshots.

With his good looks, chatty chirp and loving heart, Hooper is the kind of cat you can’t help but adore – and he loves to love you back.

So why isn’t such a sweetheart in an adoptive home of his own? The cat who everyone loves does have one enemy: diabetes.

A wonderful family in New England had provided loving foster care for Hooper, and hoped to adopt him. Alas, a diabetes diagnosis broke his foster family’s hearts. As frequent travelers, Hooper’s foster folks knew they couldn’t provide him with the rigorous medical care and tight schedule he’d need. In an act of tremendous love and generosity, these very special people provided for him to come to Tabby’s Place through the Exceptional Circumstances Program. And, so, the gray-and-white guy with the heart full of love became our newest Special Needs cat.

As with humans, so with cats, diabetes means the pancreas is unable to produce sufficient insulin, a hormone that signals the body’s cells to take up glucose from the bloodstream and use it for energy. Without adequate insulin, the glucose stays in the blood, and the body’s cells begin to die of starvation for lack of glucose.

Fortunately, insulin injections are a life-saver for diabetics like Hooper. Presently, Hooper’s diabetes is mild enough that he only requires one daily injection. He feasts on a prescription diet low in carbohydrates and high in protein, which helps to control blood glucose (BG) levels. We currently test Hooper’s BGs every day, obtaining a tiny drop of blood from his ear. These frequent tests enable us to monitor Hooper’s diabetes closely, adjust his medication as needed, and prevent life-threatening complications from high or low BGs. Happily, little Hooper can expect to live a long, full and healthy life with proper care.

In his five years, Hooper has known great love – first from the foster family who cared for him so generously, and now at Tabby’s Place, where we are all smitten with him. Given Hooper’s gentleness, his love of life, and his youth, we are very hopeful that a forever home awaits him. In the meantime, we are thrilled to give this amazing cat the love and tender care he needs. If Hooper is drawing you into his circle of friends, please help to care for him as his loving sponsor.