How did your Furry Owner come into your life?

How did your furry owner/baby come into your life.

Pads as i explained in my hello section (i'll keep this brief as full story is over there) came into mine when i found him in the road (i thought he was a dead cat in the road) and took him to the vets and had him fixed up (no owner ever found).

So how did your furbaby come into your life?

Welcome!!! Good Question.

My Sweetie came into our lives when someone dumped him on our road. My neighbor brought him over at 6am to my then teenage daughter to keep so he didn't get hit in the road. I was in the shower and my daughter came in and said there is a kitten in the garage,  I thought she was joking. 8 years later and we have a very beautiful cat.

My others Dante, Cimba and Dutchess were born to a feral mom in our backyard.  I took them in when they were small and worked with a Vet that does TNR and the Humane Society. I fostered the kittens and had mom spayed. I adopted Dante because he was my runt and very close to me. Dutchess,Cimba and Cleo went to PetSmart for adoption.  My daughter adopted Cleo, now she is Zoe.  Cimba and Dutchess were there for two weeks.  I visited them every night after work.  My husband felt bad and adopted them both for me. 

Best presents ever!!

I had a beloved cat who had been an 'only cat' for almost 18 years, and we were used to having a single cat, so when she passed I intended to have another single cat. I saw a beautiful black kitten on the SPCA website so hubby went to look at her while I was at work.  He called and said "What would you think of adopting two instead of one?"  Turns out Zoe's brother was in the cage with her and hubby just couldn't bring himself to leave him in there alone and just take one.      So we got Zoe and Rico.  

About six months later, our friend who worked for the SPCA told us about a tuxedo kitten who had been there for three months.  He hadn't been chosen for adoption and was in danger of euthanization.  We weren't really in the market for another cat but....she brought him to her house to unofficially 'foster' him so he wouldn't be put down, and of course we took one look at him and fell in love.     I don't know why no one else adopted him but I'm glad they didn't, Ozzy is the biggest love bug ever.  He fit right in with the other two and we call them The Three Amigos.  

Then when our friend died a couple of years ago, we took in her four elder kitties.  Sadly, they were older and ill and three of those four have passed on now.  Hannah, a spunky 11 year old, is still with us.  

So we've got three five year olds--two males and a female, and the eleven year old female.  

KittyMomma1122 said:

 
 I visited them every night after work.  My husband felt bad and adopted them both for me. 

Best presents ever!!

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Awww.  That's great.  

My first two cats as an adult were thrown into my lap by surprise.

I had always had a cat as a child, but living on my onw in an apartment wasn't ideal for a cat, who would be alone all day and be unable to go out. So I decided I would have a cat as soon as I would have a house with a garden. So I got married, and we bought a house. After 8 months, we had finished work on our house and garden, and I wanted a cat. Hubby and I were at the sauna, and while we were in the Turkish bath, we discussed getting a cat from a rescue. Suddenly, out of the clouds of steam, we heard a voice: would you consider rehoming two adult cats?

It turned out that this woman, who had 2 cats, wanted to move in with her new man, who also had a cat. The cats did not get along at all, and the woman's cats were used to going outside, while the man lived in an apartment where they could not. So she was looking for a good home for her cats, where they would still be able to go out. Moving into her house was not an option, as the man could not cope with the stairs.

So the very next day, we adopted Steffie and Tuppence, 5 and 4 years old. Tuppence died a week before her 14th birthday, and Steffie lived to be 18½.

Our next 2 cats were toms from a rescue we adopted when the girls got too old to defend their garden against the younger cats in the neighbourood.

Catweazle was 5 years old at the time, and Jiskefet 6 months.

Catweazle is still alive, he will be 16 in March.

When Tuppence died, we adopted Tosca, a feral kitten, from a rescue. She knows and loves us, but she has always remained semi-feral, a free spirit.

Jiskefet died at 2½ years old in an RTA. I did not want another cat, Iwas heartbroken, as Jiskefet was the light of my life,  my soul mate. But as I buried him, I heard a voice ordering me to be at a certain rescue at 11am the next morning. Thre was a cat waiting in the window sill, and though I saw every cat in the rescue, none of them captured my heart. But Ricky, the cat in the window sill, had decided to come home with us and walked straight into the carrier. There simply was no denying him. He needed someone to love him, and we needed someone who needed us. Ricky soon stole my heart as firmly as Jiskefet has done, and I am convinced he chose us for each other. We lost him last September to a complication of undiagnosed and hitherto totally subclinical HCM.

Our next addition was Precious, 16 years old and stone deaf. Her owners were emigrating to Australia, and they intended to take her with them, until they realized she would probably not survive the journey and subsequent quarantine at her age. She became the matriarch straight away and ruled the roost for 2½ years. She and Steffie died within a few months of each other.

I had been living with my boyfriend for 2 months and I was really sad because I missed my mom who lives in another country so we had been talking about getting a kitten but he said he was "allergic". One day this girl I worked with came to my job with a kitten and it was gorgeous so I asked her where did she get it and she said people were giving them away at the supermarket. I could not leave work so I asked her to get one for me take it home with her and I would pick it up after work. On my break I went to the supermarket got kibble, litter box, litter, and I didn't say anything to my boyfriend. When I left work we went to pick the kitten up and Anthony didn't know anything. The girl gave it to me and said she was giving me the kitten that she had gotten for herself because it was scratching her too much. I took my baby girl I'm my arms and showed her to Anthony. He wasn't very happy at first but when we got home and we saw she had fleas he helped me bathe her and automatically fell in love with her. We both did. She was 8 weeks old. He was unemployed so he took care of Maia and I had an overnight shift and he brought her to say hi to me every night. She became very spoiled. 2 months after I got Maia I started going to college so we thought she was going to be lonely with me being gone all day so we decided to get a baby brother. I searched in craigslist and there were a lot of prospects but Anthony wanted a different color than Maia so when we saw this beautiful orange kitten playing with a qtip we fell in love. He was being fostered by a lady who found him and his sister after a car killed their mom. She had neutered him and and gotten all his shots. He named him Foley after a friend firefighter who died on 9/11. So we took a 2 and a half hour drive to get the little orange kitten. She had gone out of town so she left him with her neighbor that worked in the animal hospital and is where we went to pick him up. He was very shy and scratchy. He was in the bathroom for 2 weeks I believe until Maia and him got to be friends. Or so we thought. He is a month younger than her but bigger and stronger so when they play or wrestle he has the advantage. He bit her hand and got an open wound. She couldn't walk with that paw and I freak out eeasily so I took her to the vet. emergency appointment ouch. She got a shot and antibiotics and after that he never hurt her again. We're so happy with our babies. I'm so glad we got them both.

My boyfriend got Mo in 2004 as a gift from his previous partner and housemates when they were all students. Mo was a package deal with my boyfriend. If I wanted Mo, I had to take the human he was attached to. We moved in together September of 2013.

Last year, I wanted a cat too and we've always wanted a buddy for Mo, but the boyfriend's old roommate doesn't like cats so even Mo pushed his buttons. I scoured PetFinder and local rescues for 3 months. The first cat I had in mind was an ex-feral from my hometown, but the foster home decided to keep (and they still have her now. I'm grateful they have a blog so I can still watch over her!) because she was so skittish and wound up getting very comfortable there. The second cat we had in mind had URI symptoms and my boyfriend said he didn't want to deal with a cat with a runny eye (just cat cold kind of stuff since he came from a shelter as a kitten), and best case scenario, Mo would have been up to date on shots, which he wasn't. I wished him the best, and he now has a home elsewhere.

The next rescue that called, I had seen on their Facebook page that a family of foster cats was being displaced because the foster family was going on an extended vacation so I offered to visit them first, but a second foster home had sent me information on two other young kitties. We drove downtown with a carrier in tow and met a black mama cat with a few white hairs on her chest, along with her four remaining "kittens" (who had turned a year old the week before, and the other kittens, a tabby and a blue had long been adopted), two who looked just like mom, one tux, and one black smoke. The two black kittens were playful beyond belief, just over the top rambunctious, jumping and running, already rubbing up all over us. The tux was hidden in a cubby hole, super scared. He got dumped out of the cubby and promptly ran back in. The smoke, this tiny little thing with what looked like big eyebrows, crept out from under the dresser and started playing, then later realized she was exposed and ran back away.

In the end, the little smoke finally came out and stayed out so we could pet her. We were at the foster home for an hour before we decided definitively this was the one we wanted. We changed her name from Dogmatix to Kismet. And the rest, they say, is history. Oh, and on that note of my boyfriend not wanting a cat with a runny eye? Now we have a cat who eats plastic and has two infrequently runny eyes. Sure showed him.

I thought she was a good balance of chill and playful, and how cute is it to have a cat with eyebrows!? The mom, two black siblings (a brother and a sister) have since been adopted, but the little tux has yet to shine to anyone. I hope he gets a home soon - he's been waiting almost two years!

DH and I adopted Bailey, our (now) 12 year old Border Collie from the Humane Society in May of 2004. Just in time for 2 back to back hurricanes to come through Florida (Frances and Jeanne) and make a mess of things. 


I adopted Lilith and Sophie from the same Humane Society that I got Bailey from. I got them on February 12, 2014. My valentine's day present to myself. I could never have cats before because DH was allergic. I went in for Lilith and ended up taking her and Sophie, her sister. 

 
Sophie                                                                                                                                                              Lilith

Henry is the newest member of the family and he is a permanent foster from a local shelter. He was there for all 6 years of his life. I decided that he deserves better than that and he's been here with me since last Monday. He's doing a little better every day. He was my birthday present to myself. This is his photo from the shelter along with his bio. 



Chico is a six year old boy who has lived at the shelter all of his life. Although he was shy around people for several years,

he has recently decided to trust people and he has become very affectionate and sweet.  

Chico would make a great companion in a calm adult household. All he needs is a chance.

Jonah was adopted from our local Hunane society, we actually got the time wrong and got there to look at cats right before closing JUST in time to be able to adopt him! It also was the first day he could be adopted (he had just been fixed and couldn't be adopted until then, 48 hours After surgery I believe it was.
Asia was rescued from outside, she was about 2 weeks old and the time and some neighborhood kids said they found a litter of abandoned kittens trapped under something (I think it was a flower pot) she was in a few homes for about a week and then finally found her home with us

@PinkDagger
Can't you take the remaining kitty? One more won't make that much difference would it? Alternatively you can ship him to me.

I got my first cat after my daughter took back her puppy I'd been looking after for her. She left a hole in my life so I went to the cat shelter and was chosen by softy a lovely black and white kitty. She was in my bed the same night. Then I got gentle, a misnomer if ever there was one, a tabby street cat age 2 months. They got on well right away. I didn't know about integration. Then I got lotto who lived to be 20. He came via the cousin of a boy who my daughter was dating. He'd gother married and wifey didn't want him. He was 3 months old and very cocky. The girls tolerated him. My softy went to rainbow bridge age 2-1/2. Gentle went age 16 of sudden renal failure and lotto 1-1/2 years ago. I was very ill after that and ended up in hospital.I was very weak when I came out but after a month was ready for another kitty. I got whisky from my vet. An 8 month old abandoned siamese and a month later I got blighty, a black and white 2 month old street cat. This time I did integrate them. Once they were together whisky would hold poor blighty down with a heavy paw and wash him about ten times a day. They are both males but blighty thought whisky was him mum and suckled and whisky would lie on his side and let him. When he reached 4-6 months whisky put a stop to it. It was amazing to watch and hear the sucking and purring and the paws kneading. They have a lot of love for each other.

My first cat was my brothers. Her name was Animal and I was 4 years old when my oldest brother came home with him in the bike basket following his newspaper route (he was 11 or 12, wow. How many 11 year olds today
have jobs?). She was the prettiest torbie you ever saw. People stopped their cars to stare. She was tortie on her bsck, had a white throat, half her face was ginger and the other half pure black, and her nose was white and pink. She had ginger "eyebrows" and her paws all ended in ginger with white paws. Her tail ended in ginger rings. If I ever get an old pic of her ;there was only one ever taken , I will post . Tragically she was an indoor outdoor cat and despite my pleas to keep her inside when it became obvious she was losing sight and hearing, she lost her life when I was 19 and she 15, when she was hit by a car. I've no doubt had she recieved proper vet care she'd have lived to be 20 or older. In those days vet care for cats was practically unheard of, sadly. She was ferocious and sweet.

My next cat was Tootsie. Classic tortie with green green eyes. Her body was almost Devon Rex with fur--largest ears I ever saw. She fetched and was the original Ninja Cat, and condidered me her mommy. I got her when I was at college--an ad in the school paper said if kittens weren't claimed they'd be put to sleep. She was the runt. They'd been feeding her spaghetti. The day I took her to my dorm room (lol), in a box for a 4 cup coffeemaker...holes cut in...on a campus bus...against all regulations lol...that night she climbed from her box to my bed...aw...she was barely 4 weeks old, hanging off my bed. I had to teach her how to drink. I snuggled her in my fleece bathrobe that night, and it became hers, forever. Tootsie died if mammary Cancer at age 7. She was so brave. Nothing could be done. She was buried in a pet cemetery in a little blanket made from that same bathrobe. [emoji]128549[/emoji]

Robin is my current kitty and came from a cat my neighbors at the time cared for, but she was part of a cat colony. That colony had dozens of kittens a year, and almost all were hit by cars (it was near to a busy road). I'd go catch the bus and several times a month Id see a dead cat or kitten by the road...or part of one.

In August 2012 I walked home from work and saw 3 of the cutest tiny kittens ever playing next to a business next to my house. Broke my heart in a way, but t the time there was no way (;I told myself) i could have a cat. I didn't know it, but one of them would soon enter my life. I went into a hospital for an extended stay a month later, and returned to find my neighbors had been feeding cats on my porch. I came home from work and there was this adorable pointed kitten. I ignored him, but it broke my heart. He stayed around and the next night I fed him chivken breasts and he ate the WHOLE thing. Soon he would step on my foot and claim me--then he climbed through the broken screening on my storm door! Rubbed his face on my sofa!! (He still loves that sofa lol).

A week later a bad storm hit, and I just could not bear it by thus time to see him (or her, I wasn't sure)come to harm. By this time he had a box but it wasn't enough. Called a lady I knew who happened to kniw a grant helping pet owners. Thank God this lady died and left like a million dollars. Robin had fleas, ticks, and worms. I kept him in a cage in my kitchen for a few days, then he stayed in my bedroom. This was a very scary time to have taken in a kitten, as my house at the time was heated only by a malfunctioning wall gas heater. Id leave him in my room with an oil radiator and pray the wiring held up, I prayed for a better place and by the grace of God a really nice apartment was soon available. It's wonderful to know he is safe where he is. It's a blessing to come home to a healthy, safe, happy cat!!

Well, sooty came into my life by this: When I moved here, there was a cat around. He looked like he had an owner, but I found out he was a stray. I started feeding him soon after I found out, eventually let him in my porch.

But I couldn't let him in the other parts of the house, as I had (still have) hamsters and a dog. But he's quite happy in there. And I got him an igloo, and hung a blanket up by there.

Welcome! 

Mogli is from our local animal shelter. I went there just to play with the kitties 8 days after our beloved Jamie died of heart disease and ended up going home to get a cat carrier. My husband was sleeping because he had night shift, so when he woke up in the early evening he discovered that we had a new cat. Mogli turned on the charm with him, too. :lol3:

He was 9 months old at the time and had been surrendered because he didn't get along with his first family's other cat. The shelter discovered that he didn't get along with any cat, so he's a "singleton".

It's so sweet to read everyone's stories!! I'll share too. lol

My Crybaby (almost 6) was adopted from the "main" city shelter as a sort of graduation gift to myself, lol... I was actually going to adopt an older male, but he didn't get along with dogs. Thankfully, he found a home shortly after. Crybaby was in a "cat condo", and she ignored me the whole time I played with them all. I don't know what made me pick her then, but I'm very glad I did. She's perfect.
Missy (12) was adopted from a smaller no-kill shelter after I lost my Sunflower. Missy is sweeter and more tolerant everyday, I don't think I could have picked anyone better.
My youngest is about 16 weeks. He came from a neighbor's litter, but the kittens were headed for the shelter. It's been amazing (and sometimes frustrating) to witness him grow up so much over the past ten weeks.

Also, my mice and gerbils are rescues too! I'm not sure about the dog, she came with my fiance.

My very first kitty was named Nelly, although I never really considered her mine.  She was a stray cat and belonged to the wild more than anything.  I was in 3rd grade at the time and my sister was in 5th.  We were never allowed to have pets (as we rented, had 6 kids, and were low-income) so we were ecstatic to see a regal tortoiseshell hanging out in front of the house on the corner of our school bus stop.  We would try to approach her but she always ran away.  A while later, the house burned down (the people living there were unharmed and moved away).  The people in it must have been feeding Nelly because she was driven by hunger to tolerate our attention.  I remember feeding her whatever was in my pocket at the time, a fortune cookie (and she actually ate it!  Must have been starving, poor thing.)  

Anyways, Nelly eventually started trusting us more and more as we snuck her food.  One day she disappeared for a few days.  Concerned, one of my cousins left out a box and towel for her to return to.  A while later, she returned, and with kittens! I chose a little black female as my own and named her Midnight.  

I have to admit that they might not have had the best lives.  My parents never wanted pets as it was a struggle to even feed their kids.  Vet visits and grain free canned food were unheard of.  They hunted and got whatever kibble I could afford from the local grocery store with my allowance.  I know that I was very young and did the best that I could at the time, but I still don't like to think about their short, dangerous, outdoor lifestyles.  

Fast forward 6 years later and enter Sasha.  Sasha is a timid, gray female that my brother got me as a Christmas present.  She was 5 months old at the time and my brother got her from a pet store.  I don't know if they partnered with shelters to display rescue cats or anything but I don't know anything about her history.  Well, considering my powerlessness with Midnight and Nelly, I of course became a very protective pet owner.  Sasha is super spoiled and would not even be able to fathom a day without a meal or a roof.  She has stuck by me through high school, college, moving towns, studying abroad, roommates, breakups, and more for 8 years.  She is happily snoring away in a little ball next to me as I type.    


Getting another kitty was NOT on the agenda for me.  As a college student, I moved from apartment to apartment every year.  Recently graduated, I don't have anything stable and don't want to take on responsibilities that I can't commit to.  Enter Kyubi.  Kyubi is a 9 month old stray orange tabby from my family's neighborhood.  My family had been feeding him for a few months but could not commit to ownership.  Knowing that I was the crazy cat lady in the family, they asked me to take him in.  Of course, being the responsible realist that I am, I said no.  I can't afford it.  I don't know where I'm going to live next year. They said that if I didn't take him, he would be going back outside or to the humane society.  He is such a sweet little boy!  What could I say?  

Anyways, here I am, in the middle of hissing, growling introductions.    

@RubricThey are both beautiful but the colour of Kyubi is magnificent.

Stewball said:

@RubricThey are both beautiful but the colour of Kyubi is magnificent.

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Aw, thank you!  And they know it too!  Ha.

Apparently the word "SUCKER FOR HOMELESS CATS" is written on my forehead with a special ink that only cats can see. This is the only theory that could possibly explain how I get cats.... or cats get me.

The last two cats my wife and I got have good stories.....

We lost our cat Milou a few years ago, she was our last of several and we could not risk introducing another cat into our home. Milou had a seizure disorder triggered by stress that got worse as she aged. When she passed away, my wife and I thought we would actually pick a breed and get a kitten, it would be the first "non-rescued" cat I would have ever owned. After a lot of research we decided on a Bengal and started looked for breeders. As has always happened with me, fate of the feline sort intervened.

One slow afternoon at work I was looking up Bengal breeders on the internet and a colleague happened to look at my computer, "Oh!" she said "you want a Bengal? I know of someone desperate to get rid of one she can't take care of." Three days later we brought Makena home.


Makena was 17 pounds of solid muscle with a bad attitude and a short temper. So much for my cute little Bengal kitten. With a LOT of love, patience and understanding he became the most intelligent, well behaved and gentle cat I have ever known.

We received a lot of great advice from a vet to get Makena back on track. Through it all, we gained a lot of respect for the vet for her good advice, and she gained a lot of respect for our patience and dedication. Which explains what happened next. Makena had settled in and we were talking about (finally) getting our Bengal kitten and then the phone rang one evening. Our vet was calling, she had a traumatized Bengal that needed a home, its owner had passed away. Of course it had behavioral issues....

We brought home our sweet little Bengal girl Lilia a few days later...


It has been nearly a year and a half and Lilia is doing well. She is over her trauma and becoming more bold and loving with each day.

I did not get my kitten, but that does not really matter. Two cats with poor prospects got a nice home and they both work very hard to show their gratitude. Makena and I have an incredible bond, Lilia is doing well and my wife and Lilia love to cuddle. Makena, Lilia, my wife and I, could not be any happier. I can tell from the tone of the stories above that everyone here would understand.

Loving all of these stories!