PET OF THE WEEK · AMITYVILLE

Most adoption listings promise you a cat who will curl up on your lap. This one does the opposite, and it is the more honest listing for it.

Beau arrived at the Babylon Animal Shelter on May 29, 2025, at seven or eight years old. He is still there — sixteen months on.

He came in frightened, and the shelter does not pretend otherwise. He takes a considerable amount of time and patience to warm up. He is not a fan of being handled, and the staff are plain about that being allowed.

“Beau prefers a quiet, understanding environment where he can enjoy human company from a respectful distance,” the shelter wrote, “slowly learning that the world isn’t so scary after all.”

What he does want is specific, and worth reading closely if you have a calm house.

Another cat. Beau genuinely likes other cats and would do best with a steady feline companion to show him how the house works.

Catnip. It brings out the playful streak the fear usually hides.

A hiding place. Give him a secure corner and he will supervise the whole room from it, perfectly content.

Company without contact. In time he likes being in the same room as his people — near them, not on them.

The shelter calls it a unicorn home: an experienced, ultra-patient adopter who does not need a lap cat and is willing to offer a quiet sanctuary instead.

That is a narrow ask, which is part of why a gentle senior has been waiting since the spring of last year.

Beau is #5-224. He is FeLV and FIV negative, current on vaccinations and parasite prevention, neutered and microchipped. The shelter is at 80 New Highway in Amityville; the adoption staff can be reached at 631-643-9270.

If your house is quiet and your other cat is kind, ask for him by name.

Photo by Amy B., Babylon Animal Shelter.

Sources: Town of Babylon Animal Shelter · Adoptable animals at the shelter