10/21/2026
IT’S BLACK CAT AWARENESS MONTH 🐈⬛ 🐈⬛ 🐈⬛ 🐈⬛ 🐈⬛ 🐈⬛ 🐈⬛ 🐈⬛ 🐈⬛ 🐈⬛ 🐈⬛ 🐈⬛
To celebrate our special house panthers, whether APA Forever Family, or adoptable, we would like for you to get to know them all. So without further ado, we give you our first black beauty…Miss Gladys 🐾🖤🐈⬛
🐾 Meet Gladys — A Beloved Member of APA’s Forever Family 👑❤️
Some cats come to APA and quickly move on to their forever homes. Others find that APA itself becomes home. Gladys is one of those special cats.
Gladys has spent pretty much all of her life at the shelter, and over the years, she has made it very clear that this is her kingdom. But the Gladys our volunteers know and love today wasn’t always quite so lovable.
When Gladys first came to APA, she had a much harder edge. Trust and affection came on her terms—and they didn’t come easily. But with time, patience and the security of knowing she was safe, Gladys began to change. Slowly, she learned to trust the people around her and let them see the loving, playful cat underneath all that attitude.
Today, ask our volunteers to describe her, and you’ll hear words like:
Persistent. Independent. Chonky.
Demanding. Possessive. Curvy. Loving.
Playful. Diva. Queen. 👑
In other words, Gladys is Gladys. ❤️
She knows what she wants, when she wants it and, most importantly, who she expects to provide it. She can be wonderfully loving and playful, but make no mistake—Gladys is in charge. Our volunteers simply work here.
As a member of APA’s Forever Family, Gladys has a safe and loving home with us for as long as she needs it. That means providing her with food, veterinary care, medications when needed, cozy places to nap, plenty of attention—and a shelter full of devoted humans to meet Her Majesty’s demands.
Gladys is also a wonderful example of why every cat deserves a chance. Sometimes the frightened, defensive or difficult cat you meet today simply needs time, patience and a place where she can finally feel safe enough to become the cat she was meant to be.
For cats like Gladys, APA is more than a stop along the way. We are their sanctuary. We are their family. We are home.
And we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Long live Queen Gladys! 👑🐾❤️
