Have you ever had a pet that was MEANT to be a part of your family?

When my family went to go adopt our 2 current cats, Ripley and Cali, EVERYTHING HAD to happen in the way it did in order for us to have gotten them. If ANYTHING would have been different, we would have 2 completly different cats.

After my brother picked his cat out first, my sister and I then would pick our cat. My brother wanted a black and white cat, so after along time looking, he picked out his cat. Since the cat he picked out had a sister that needed to go with him, my sister and I decided to take her.

When we were filling out paper work to adopt them, they came out and told us that they both had a bad case of URI. They said that we could either, still take them but leave them at the shelter untill they got better, or we could go and pick out 2 other cats. We decided to go and pick other cats.

When my brother went to look again, he decided to look at another kitten he was eyeing earlier. He REALLY liked this kitten because he looked EXACTLY like his black and white cat, JC, who died 2 years ealier due to old age.

Because this kitten had other brothers and sisters, we decided to also look and them too. When we got to the "viewing" room, my brother still had his eye on the kitten he initially wanted. But at the last second, when it was time to make the decision on what kitten he wanted, he supprized EVERYONE by NOT picking the kitten he had been looking at, but, instead, picking his sister. I am SOOOOOO glad that we have RIPLEY!!!!!!

Ok so now that Jason had picked his cat, it was my sister and I's turn, again, to pick our cat. We wanted a cat that was approxmatley the same age of the kitten that Jason picked. So Amber and I looked for one. We looked for awhile, but the cats they had were either too old or not available for adoption. After looking for along time, I saw a couple in the "viewing room". There were 3 kittens in there with them. One of the kittens in the room was the kitten we named CALI. I fell in LOVE with her. The INSTANT I saw her I KNEW she was our cat. She had only become available for adoption a few MINUTES before.

As the couple was coming out of the viewing room I was EXSTATIC that they didnt pick the kitten I wanted. As I was standing in line to get a pass to visit the kitten, the couple that was in the viewing room, were standing in front of me. The lady REALLY wanted to get the kitten I wanted, but her boyfriend wanted to get the calico. So, luckley for us, she let him get the calico.

Ripley and Cali are best friends and our house would NOT be the same with out them.

So that is the story of how we got Ripley and Cali.

Oh I forgot one more thing: If we would have gone to the shelter either one day before, or one day after the day we went, Ripley and Cali would not have been available.

I think our dog, Benji was meant to be part of our family. We had tried to adopt TWO other dogs before him that just didn't work out. If things had been a tiny bit different we wouldn't have him now.

yep!

when i got my first 2 cats after leaving home, they were a brother and sister that had been abandoned by their mother, a stray cat. they were hand reared by a wonderful lady.

i saw them when they were 1 week old and picked a grey tortie who i called maisie. i also decided to take the black boy who i named sinbad. so when i collected them at 8 weeks old, took them home, very excited. let them out of the carrier and maisie was not the same cat! the original had a pale ginger flash on the top of her head and this little girl didn't! i thought that i may as well keep her and maisie truly was my baby. she slept curled around my neck. she loved me to hold her like a baby. she always slept under the covers with me, the list goes on. it was mean't to be. sadly when they were 3 years old she was killed by a car one horrible night.

then when i decided to get a dog i was dead set on getting a bitch, no way was i getting a dog. the last rescue center i went to, i saw 2 lurcher girls, sisters. the center said they couldn't be separated though and i couldn't really have 2 dogs. so my friend said 'what about leo?' leo was this scruffy lurcher sitting miserably in his bed. a note on his cage said that 'whilst he may look boisterous in the kennel..' boisterous! any less boisterous and he would have been comatose! so we took him out to the paddock where he proceeded to run around like a spring lamb. so i ended up with a dog, not a bitch. funny thing was that from the start and right up to the end, he would pee like a girl. just squat and go! i swear he'd heard me say i wanted a girl!

and then tabby. picked a black and ginger kitten from a litter of 6 and then the owner told me that this 4 week old kitten didn't like kids. i reckon the truth was that a friend had decided they wanted the kitten. so i picked tabby instead. blooming glad i did too!

Oh my yes, that would be our cat Elliott.

I had a cat that I got when I was very young, she was pure white and I named her Maggie.
Maggie lived a very long life...she died just 2 days shy of her 19th Birthday.

Maggie went through everything with me, Jr. High, High School, getting married.
When I got married my Grandparents wanted me to leave Maggie with them...NO WAY, she was my baby and where I went she went.

When Maggie died I honestly thought I'd never get over it.
I always tell people that Maggie was my first child because that's what she felt like to me...my Child.
I decided that day that I couldn't ever put myself through that kind of loss again...but two days later we got Gracie and (Lizzie RIP )
When my friend called me about them the first thing out of my mouth was "If either of them are white I can't do it."
They were both beautiful orange girls, so we took them and love them to death.

Fast forward a few years and my Husband and I now have four "Skinkids" , Gracie, Lizzie and along the way we added Annabelle to the cat family.
We had to have a bigger house, so we looked and looked finally narrowing it down to two houses.
The house I wanted and the house my Husband wanted.
Well as I tend to do I caved and we bought this house...the one my Husband wanted.

Through all the closing stuff, cleaning, moving stuff in, doing some remodeling, landscaping...I never once saw Elliott.
We had lived here for three days, I looked out the window and there he was.
A very young, very dirty but still you could tell he was a pure white cat...he turned his head and looked at me and this feeling just came over me.
Now don't laugh, but that feeling I got was as if Maggie sent us to this house so we could find him and give him a home.

So Elliott came to live with us, he went from an 18 month old, 10 pound, dirty stray cat to a three year old, 17 pound beautiful boy with an indoor only home and not once have we ever regreted bringing that sweet boy into our lives...he was meant to be ours, Maggie sent him I just know it.

Originally Posted by Graciecat

Now don't laugh, but that feeling I got was as if Maggie sent us to this house so we could find him and give him a home.

So Elliott came to live with us, he went from an 18 month old, 10 pound, dirty stray cat to a three year old, 17 pound beautiful boy with an indoor only home and not once have we ever regreted bringing that sweet boy into our lives...he was meant to be ours, Maggie sent him I just know it.

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that was a beautiful story and i share your belief that maggie had a part to play in elliot joining your family. reading that made me smile.

It took me from the end of May until the beginning of November that year to talk my Husband into bringing Elliott inside.
He made some good points as to why we shouldn't bring him in, but when I told him that I believed with all my heart that Maggie had sent him, he had no answer for that.
The only thing he did say was "I know you miss Maggie, but that's not her."

Of course I knew it wasn't her, it was just that feeling I had that I couldn't shake that she sent him.
Elliott or for that matter, Gracie or Annabelle will never replace Maggie.
I love them all very much, but Maggie will always have a very special place in my heart

My Sister had Adopted a Dog at the Pound but she tried to kill our Cats and was mean. She took her back to a no kill place. She said she would get a Cat instead. We had alot of Cats then but my Sister wanted her own. She went to a Pet Store and saw a Litter of Siamese Mix Kittens. All were Seal Point except Coco. I gave her the money and said get a Siamese looking one. They were all gone except Coco who is Black and White. That was 16 years ago and Coco has turned out to be one of the best Cats we ever had. My Sister didnt want her anymore so I took her. I was not there when my Sister got her.

Yup! That would be Fiona.

My sister and I moved in together and she was adamant about not having animals. She said it was allergies. 3 cats later and her "allergies" have not shown up. (she later admited to beign slightly afraid of cats)

I said we could always get a dog that was low allergy like a poodle (which I love) I worked on her till she say the wisdom in having a pet

We went to the shelter just to see what they had.....and we saw Fiona.

She had something hanging off her eyelid, like a flap of skin or something. She was so tiny and looked really bad. But she was so full of life and love! She immediately came over and started to purr and wanting to be petted, by not just me but Rachel also! ( Rachel was smitten by her because of that)

We had to have her....or rather Rachel HAD to have her. I never said a word....it was all her decision.

Ms. Fiona turned out to have herpes and her eye was a result of that. I had a few vet visits to go to to see an eye specialist (as per my adoption agreement) but she is alright now by the way.

SHE IS THE BEST CAT EVER. She is clean and non-destrcutive, quiet and yet playful and funny. Cuddly and yet independant. She opened the way for me to get MORE....

If it weren't for her my life would be cat-less!

Everyone tells us Leya was meant to be with us! Does that count?!

Leya went blind after her spay surgery and ever since then we have shapped our lives around her and her needs. Which aren't many, but we love her to death! It's sad to think that people are actually surprized and happy we kept her. What would any kind hearted person do?!

When DH and I first started living together we got 2 kittens from the shelter that I worked at. A month later I was volunteering with a spay/neuter clinic when a beautiful 8 week old tabby kitten was left behind by his [long story short] crazy ACO who wasn't treating those animals he'd brought very nicely. I took him home with me still half under from the anesthesia and DH said that he could stay until we found a home for him. Well, in the mean time one of the other kittens refused to use the litter box and was peeing and pooing on the floor, the furniture, our clothes...everywhere. We were renting and knew that wasn't going to fly so he went back to the shelter and Andy became our new baby. He ended up having severe health problems and we literally did everything in our power to keep him healthy and happy. He lived, healthily, to be 1.5 years, which is a good year longer than he should have.

I think Popsie was meant to be with me because when my Mom took me to get a cat we went to the mall first, they were doing an adopt a pet. Well there were two black and white kitties there and I wanted one but someone already adopted them. We were told there was another one still at the shelter though. I think a few days went by before we went to the shelter and I saw Popsie and he stuck his paw out of the cage reaching for me. I fell in love right there and said, "MOM I want this one." At first she said no because Dad didn't want a male cat due to spraying (I don't think he knew if they're neuterd they won't spray.) Anyway, I begged and begged my Mom and she said we could get him but we had to name him Popsie because when she was a kid she had a B/W named Popsie.

i really do think that Monster was meant to be mine. the moment i saw him i fell in love, i knew i just had to have him. when i got him, he was sick. i took him to the vet & got medicine, he had a URI & an eye infection. i was told about a week later that his siblings had died bc the mother wasnt taking care of them & they were sick. i feel like if i hadnt taken him he would have died too.

I also think that Mittens was meant to be mine too. bc my boss picked her out, & she is from a litter my friends cat had. Mittens' mother got out while in heat, & she got pregnant by a cat that lives in the feral colony Monster was born into. they both look very much alike, but they have their differences. we all think they have the same father. anyway, i fell in love with her when she was teeny tiny, & when my boss took her, we bonded. i would walk in the room if i had no customers & she would meow at me & rub up against my leg. she is always purring & just the perfect cat. her & Monster get along great, & since getting Mittens, Monsters bad behavior has disappeared. i think i have a perfect match & they were just meant to be mine, i couldnt picture my life without them!!

Every cat my mom ever adopted was meant to be part of our family, and the two boys I have now were *definitely* meant to be mine. I fell in love with them the day my cousin brought them home, and I was overjoyed when she told me she was giving them to me. They came into my life during a really low point (last year of my drinking) and they kept me going when nothing else could. I can't imagine how I could possibly love them more, but every day I do.

we picked my cat of the steet and fostered it!it is soooooooo lucky i found it! my cat is like my identical twin! one i eye contact and it understands me! i feel so happy i have my kitty!

They both were! My older cat picked me out of a group of people who had crowded around her at the pet store. She sauntered over to me and nuzzled my cheek! (I know, I *know*, pet stores are bad. At the time I had no clue. If I had, I wouldn't have been in there to begin with.)

My newest addition, Lucky, was found at a crowded metropolitan area train station. He was crying for help to everyone who came down the stairs. Every time a train came by he cringed. He came over to me, nuzzled repeatedly, and let me pick him up without struggling. As it turns out, he needed medical attention for an abscess. If that wasn't meant to be, I don't know what is.

I think they are all

I truly beleive each of my furry crazies were meant to be a part of my family.

With Wicked for example I wasent wanting a Tortie kitten. Because it seemed like everyone and their mom had a Tortie or a Calico. And I prefered a gray. So last summer I had to have my mom load me up in the car (broke my ankle) and we went out to the shelter. I had called regarding a little gray female kitten earlier that day. They told me they couldnt hold her for me but if I got there before anyone else adopted her she was all mine.

Well we got there and she was gone . I was pretty saddened because I wanted a kitten that day but I was really wanting alittle gray one. One of the women at the shelter said they had a litter of kittens that just became available to be adopted that day. I agreed to look at them. There were three completely orange kittens, 2 completely black, and two Tortie kittens. The first one that caught my eye was the little tortie with a perfectly split half black and half orange face. I asked to see her but she fought the worker the whole three steps over to where I was standing on my crutches. I adjusted my arms so I could take a ahold of her but she just wriggled and growled and hissed. The woman told me I would be better off with an orange or black kitten and that the Torties were both skittish.

I didn't want an orange or black kitten. So I asked to try the other Tortie. And that was Wicked. She didn't wriggle, hiss, or growl. She just purred and snuggled against my arm. I was in love. And the rest was history. She and I have been attatched at the hip ever since. If im sitting or sleeping she is right there napping and cuddling. If im up moving around the house she is right on my heels. She's my heart cat.

That would be Smudge. The planets aligned in just the right way with her!

Smudge had been brought to the shelter at 3 weeks old, weighing just 13oz. Single kittens under 1lb generally often get euthanised because it's too hard to find someone who can care for them. Luckily, little Smudge was eating on her own and using the litter tray ok. She wasn't in a very good way, but the shelter superintendent fell in love with her little face and said they needed to find a foster home for her by the next day or she didn't have a chance. I happened to be in that day getting Lily her last round of shots.

One of the staff ushered me into the quarantine room, dumped this pitiful, stinky, dirty ball of fluff into my hands and asked if I could foster her. I couldn't refuse, so we took Smudgey home. It was very touch and go and I didn't think she'd make it, particularly when she lost weight that first week. When she started getting close to 8 weeks old, I started preparing myself to have to give her back because she was reaching spaying age. But she had eye problems, and was still a little runt and not big enough to get spayed, so we'd have to keep her a bit longer.

I found Smudge a home, the girl had come over and fallen in love with Smudgey baby. Then the girl was in a car accident and had to buy a new car, and her own cat was having health problems, so decided not to get another cat just yet.

So we kept her even longer while she waited to be big enough for spaying and her eye surgery. Finally, after about 5 months after we started fostering her, she was ready to go up for adoption. My husband who said we were absolutely not getting any more cats had fallen in love her (as had I and most of TCS....). Smudge was my husband's kitty though. She adored him, and the feeling was mutual. We'd gone through so much with her, that there was no way we could NOT keep her.

She was almost euthanised, it's only because I happened to walk in that day to get Lily her shots that we took her, she almost faded away and died, she almost got adopted by someone else, and if she had have been healthier, she would have gone up for adoption before we could completely fall head over heels in love.

We so very nearly didn't have this little girl, and she has turned out to be one of the sweetest, funniest kitties you've ever met, and we couldn't imagine life without her

I think both my dogs fit this...
I found my Golden Retriever Ginger as a stray running outside my school when I came out after school was over. Now, I had been sick so I had missed some days before that and if I had missed that day I would not have found her... I also am lucky I even noticed her running in the field. Sometimes people let their dogs off leash so at first I thought she was with an owner, but I stood and watched for a few minutes and it became obvious that there was no owner waiting for her... An interesting thing is that the day I found her was exactly 7 months (same day of the month, 7 months later) after our family's dog had passed away. The funny thing about Ginger is that even from the beginning I knew she was ours. I have found quite a few stray dogs in the past but with her I knew that I wasn't going to rehome her, that if we didn't find an owner looking for her she was going to stay. And then, even when I had only had her a few months it already seemed like she'd always been with us!

My second dog Pooch was also a stray. I found him when I was out walking Ginger late one night. I walk her at different times of the evening and night so it was very lucky that I was out there at the time that he was at the location where I found him. He had on a harness an a rabies tag so I figured he was just lost, but it turned out we were not able to find his owners through the info we got--the rabies tags have the phone# for animal control and through them we were able to locate the vet who had given him his rabies shot, which was almost a year before I found him. It seemed like he had likely only been to that vet once and the owner's phone number they gave us was disconnected, and they'd moved away from the address they had for the owners, no forwarding address. I had a friend at the time who is a police officer and animal rescuer and she was not able to find them either. We're pretty sure he was dumped.
Then Pooch was supposed to be a foster dog. I was going to keep him until I found a home. Finally after having him for a number of months I found a good adopter. We talked for a week or two, they sent me photos of their home, yard, and their dogs. They even sent me half the adoption fee ahead of time so I could pay to get him neutered. Then as the 'pickup day' came closer, I started to realize how much I was going to miss him... The adopters never showed up on the day they were supposed to get him, and they never returned my calls or emails. I realized I was so attached to Pooch at that point, and decided that he was no longer a foster dog and so we kept him.

When I was a little girl living in Europe I had found a stray cat and wanted to keep it. My mother hated cats and let it outside where it got hit by a car. I never knew this until 2 years ago! She had told me that the cat had run away. I had an unhappy childhood to say the least. I developed asthma and allergies after that so I never got another cat. I had dogs, rabbits and guinea pigs but no cats. I was convinced that I did not like cats.
Then into my life trotted Boots. He was someone else's indoor outdoor cat but he loved to come over for visits. He would come into my house and lounge on the window. He would cozy on my flannel blanket. Then he would go home.
I started feeling sad when he left.
Then one day on a walk a little bengal came up to me and rolled on his back from some rubs. He was so cute that I wanted to take him home too but he belonged to a retirement home.
So I went online and looked at photos. I saw one cat that stood out but she was 9 months old and the description said she was shy and nervous but would talk eventually. So I moved on and fell in love with a ginger tabby in foster care. No one would answer my emails and but I was all ready for him to be mine. Eventually I decided to go to the shelter and could not settle but I kept seeing the shy girl in the cattery. A nondescript brown tiny domestic mix tabby. We took her into the room and she hid under the bench. I picked her up and looked into her green eyes and fell in love. I knew she was mine because when we had to put her back in the cattery with the other cats, a big alpha huge male tried a bully move and she looked dead at him and he backed down. I said to myself this cat has a heart of a lion in a tiny little 5 pound body. She came home and after one day of under the bed, she started warming up and now we are inseparable. I slept with her every night and when I had cancer she comforted me every night. I had to sleep in a hospital bed at home and she curled right up next to me all day and night. It may sound weird but Mary and I are soulmates in many ways. She was rescued from the streets into my life to heal so many hurts of my past. She talks to me, she comforts my daughter when she is sad, she waits at the door for me, she sleeps on my back, right next to me or hugging my arm. She is patient, she adapts to everything and I have never had one issue with her. New food? No problem. New litter? Bring it on. I could never have asked for a better cat. We got a mate, Olivier(buff tabby with copper eyes) who came to me a fell at my feet. Another bundle of love. Sadly we lost him and mourned him.
She led the way to Olivier who led to my two boys who on a whim I picked up from a shelter. My car drove me there on its own! Two orphan boys in a litter of 7. 5 girls and 2 boys.They were on their way to an adoption event so I knew time was of the essence. They were tiny, especially Seldon the runt. They were so cute their picture was used in photos.

There you have it.
We are one big happy family.