PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Two older felines are waiting for someone to scoop them both up to live out their lives together with a new family.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.

Ash and Phoebe are 11-year-old domestic short hair cats who have been with the Berkshire Humane Society for a couple weeks; they are a bonded pair that has to go home together.

Feline/small animal adoption counselor Alyssa Petell introduced us to them.

"Phoebe is a little more on the shy side when you first meet her, but when she warms up to you, she's very affectionate and very sweet. They're both very curious, so any chance they get to look out a window or see what's going on, they will take it," she said. "And Ash has kind of got a goofy personality. He's also very curious, but he's definitely more outgoing."

They came to the Humane Society a couple of weeks ago after their owner could no longer keep them.

"The owner, unfortunately, had to give them up. I guess it was a change in lifestyle, but they've been doing really well in our shelter." 

The two cats came from a home with small children and a dog so they would be good to go to a home to young family that has a dog as well as another cat.

"They did live with children. They also lived with a dog, and they did just fine with the children and the dog," Petell said. 

The two love their food and get excited whenever it's meal time. The shelter decided to give them slow feeders (bowls with obstacles in them) to prevent them from eating too fast.

"We gave them slow-feeder bowls just because Ash gets really excited when you put his food down and he eats so quickly. So we have those slow feeder bowls so he doesn't eat as quickly and throw up and so does Phoebe, but they get really excited about any type of food or treat. They're not picky cats at all. So when you shake the bag, they will come running be prepared. But they are very good eaters," she said.

Ash is perfectly healthy but Phoebe does have hyperthyroid issues and must take a daily pill, but she has been good with taking it.

"She has an overactive hyperthyroid, so she does need to be on a medicine that is daily, but she's very good for it, and occasional blood work just to check in and make sure she's doing OK," Petell said.

While Phoebe is shy at first she can be very playful and just needs a bit of warming up. And Ash is very playful and both are curious about their surroundings. Once they get comfortable in their new home, they are sure to be a great companion.

"Ash definitely tends to be on the more playful side. He is just so funny and super playful and curious. He loves wand toys, from what I've experienced so far, with the feathers on them," said Petell. "But Phoebe is definitely, like I said, a little more shy, but I'm sure she also has a playful side that we haven't got a chance to see yet."

The shelter does have a "buddy" program that discounts half the adoption fee on one animal if you adopt two, but in this case, Ash and Phoebe's adoption is being fully funded by The Danny Boy Adoption Fund, a foundation that supports finding homes for senior pets.

If you think these two cats can be your new companions, you can visit Phoebe and Ash at the Berkshire Humane Society and read more about them on the website.

The Berkshire Humane Society is open Tuesday through Sunday. The adoption center is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

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