A volunteer with Friends of Wingecarribee Animal Shelter (FOWAS), Sue had decided to take a quick look at what cats were available for adoption when she stumbled upon the duo.

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Now, six years later, Alice and Lucy are very much part of the furniture at the Fraser household, often spending their time under and around it when visitors arrive.

Sue, whose previous cat had passed away only months before, felt a responsibility to step up and take in the siblings after what had been a short yet eventful life.

"I was there one day delivering dog bones and thought I'd just have a look at the cats while I'm here because it had been nine months since we lost our other cat," Sue explained.

"I found out that they had been stray kittens that had been brought to the shelter when they were very small and they were adopted.

"Unfortunately the people who adopted them had a baby about six months later and they didn't feel like they could handle both the cats and a baby so they surrendered them back to the shelter.

"I felt they needed someone who knew a bit about cats. I knew they couldn't be outside in the sun for example and they were just so adorable.

"I just decided that we would adopt them, I didn't bother consulting with my partner, I just decided that we would!"

Having only moved to the Southern Highlands in 2014, Sue quickly became involved with FOWAS, having long been passionate about promoting adoption.

"When we moved here I didn't know anyone so I was looking for a charity or volunteering job that would get me out into the community and meeting some people," she told the Southern Highland News.

"I actually saw the FOWAS posters in a shop window and thought that would suit me. So I became a member of FOWAS and somehow I ended up on the committee, as you do.

"There are so many lovely animals out there who, through no fault of their own, have ended up at the shelter. There's a whole lot of reasons why animals end up at the shelter.

"They can be wonderful pets and you are giving a second chance to an animal that otherwise might not have one."

While pets can sometimes be a handful, there are countless personalities on show at the shelter.

Having originally been strays, Alice and Lucy are quiet but are proving to be loving companions.

"They're both quite shy and I think that's because of their circumstances," she said.

"Lucy is a bit bolder and as she gets older she's getting a bit more friendly, she'll come out when there's visitors. Alice very rarely comes out, she'll usually just go and hide somewhere.

"They've both become very affectionate, I don't think they were used to being handled or having a lot of company but because I'm home all the time and now my partner's home as well they get a lot of attention."

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