A terrified young cat who once hid behind a toilet and tried climbing the wall to escape human contact is slowly learning what safety feels like after being taken in by a longtime foster in Washington, D.C.
Arizona Goodtree, who has been fostering animals since 2019, recently welcomed Cedar, a rescue cat whose past explains his fearfulness.
“Cedar arrived at my home a few weeks ago in January 2026,” Goodtree told Newsweek. The feline was transported through City Kitties DC, a group that brings cats from overcrowded shelters to the capital region, where volunteers take them in.
A Heartbreaking Backstory
Cedar’s background, Goodtree said, was unusually clear. “I was really fortunate to learn a lot about Cedar’s background. Usually, it’s a mystery, but someone at his original shelter slipped a note into his file explaining where he came from,” Goodtree added.
Cedar was rescued from Hillsville, Virginia, a small town in the southwest of the state. “He was living in a colony of about 80 cats in a trailer park. When the human residents were evicted, there was no one left to care for the cats, so City Kitties transported many of them to D.C.”
Going Into Hiding
In a series of photos Goodtree has shared on social media, Cedar pressed himself behind a toilet, staring out in alarm and even attempting to scale the wall to get further away. His reaction, she said, was heartbreaking but not unusual for cats who have never lived indoors.
“When Cedar first arrived, he immediately went into hiding. His first hiding spot was behind my toilet, which honestly broke my heart,” Goodtree said. “I couldn’t help but think about his quality of life before this and how poor it must have been that a cold metal toilet pipe would feel like a safe place to rest.”
She added: “Seeing him hide was heartbreaking, but it’s also a completely normal reaction for a foster cat. Cedar has never lived inside a home before. He has spent his entire short life fighting for scraps.”
The Lifeline of Fostering
Goodtree shared Cedar’s story on her Instagram, @imperfectcatmom, where she has more than 60,000 followers eagerly following the stories of Cedar and other foster pets she cares for.
“I started my cat Instagram account eight years ago when I adopted Dunder, purely for fun. It was basically my own photo book; I never expected anyone else to really pay attention,” she said.
“The response has been amazing on so many levels. The most meaningful part is receiving DMs [direct messages] and comments from people who say they’ve started fostering because of my page. I can only foster one cat at a time, so knowing it’s inspiring others makes me feel like I’m making a much bigger impact.”
Shelter Animals Count says 3 million cats entered U.S. shelters in 2025, and fostering fills an essential gap for already overcrowded shelters.
“As shelters continue to face ongoing capacity pressures, we encourage the public to adopt, foster, or volunteer to support vulnerable cats and dogs in their communities,” said Christa Chadwick, senior vice president of shelter services for the ASPCA. “Even with 4.2 million cats and dogs adopted nationwide last year, thousands of pets are still waiting for loving homes.”
Despite a heartbreaking start, there has been breakthrough for Cedar. “As sad as it was to see him so scared, it also made me smile, because it was clear his quality of life was about to increase dramatically. I plan on spoiling him rotten,” Goodtree said.
Seeing Cedar struggle, she enlisted the help of her other foster cat, Dunder.
She placed Cedar’s bed with Dunder so it would absorb his scent, then returned it to Cedar’s hiding place. A few hours later, something had changed. “Cedar was lying in the bed—his first time out of hiding—calm, confident, and stretched out in the middle of the room. He even let me pet him for the first time,” Goodtree said.
Now, Cedar’s future is looking brighter than ever. “My guess is that in just a few short weeks, this cat who once hid under my sink for three days will soon be claiming a king-sized bed, and doing it with the confidence of someone who pays the rent,” she added.