Petite, now-spayed Areyah is even more frightened than her sister Sansa. The eight-month-old kitten is a dilute calico. Some people who’ve loved calicos, might say that’s because calicos are sensitive, intuitive and very good at reading humans. Maybe Areyah felt her humans’ irritation intensely. Maybe hearing yelling cut deeper into her heart. Maybe Areyah felt less loved.

The shelter staff, who’ve learned to know these sweet older kittens, feel that they would be wonderful indoor companions. They desperately need to feel safe. They need to believe that it’s all right to exist. They need to know that they’ve never done anything that deserves punishment.

Until someone has won the love of a once traumatized pet, she may not know how it feels to be a hero.