Question of the Day - Tuesday, July 5

cassiopea

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Hello everyone ~ Happy Tuesday!







How did your kitties come into your life?



 

Camelot was adopted as a kitten from a farmers store. Morgana was born in my den on a big squishy chair, via a pregnant stray/abandoned cat I brought in that night from our barn - I knew she was preggers and wanted her inside, and Smokey (Whom I named the mom. She was living with us for a few months now) happily entered and nestled herself. Morgana was an only kitten, no siblings.


And a love kitten, as Camelot and Smokey managed to canoodle together before Cam got his snip snip and with hopes of getting her done too *Yay for me, the responsible owner cough* so I knew I didn't need to go to the Maury Show for a DNA test when Morgana came out pure white like him. Sadly, long story short, Smokey ended up not surviving the birth even with Vet intervention and I ended up raising Morgana from a tiny pipsqueek.



Anyhoo, had my father-daughter now for a few years, and Morgana is pretty much considered my own furry baby girl 
 my child!
 

Now slowly peeking around to possibly adopt a new kitty at a shelter, but that is a topic for another day.



 
 

sivyaleah

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I know some already have heard my story (probably a few times in fact) but for the sake of newcomers to the site, here it is again.

Casper, our boy, was adopted at 9-1/2 years old about 5 years ago from an extremely good friend of mine. My friend was in the process of selling his home in NJ, and was currently living in NY. He was only able to come home on weekends to check on Casper and the house.  Neighbors were keeping an eye on him - he was indoor/outdoor during those years.  My friend finally realized that this wasn't a good situation for Casper and knew we were considering adding a cat to our home.  It took many months before he finally came to us but once here, acted like he was always our cat.  There was no acclimation needed at all, and he also adjusted to being an indoor only cat easily.  In fact, we think he was relieved.  He's just over 15 years old now and honestly it feels like we have had him all 15 years.

As for Cocoabean she wasn't our first choice when looking for another cat.  We had contacted a local rescue after seeing a purebred Ragdoll up for adoption. After much back and forth, establishing if the cat was really purebred (she was - we saw all the papers from the cattery) and finally, meeting her - well it did not work out. That cat was in bad shape emotionally and we didn't think we were up to rehabilitating her (she lunged at me at a meet and greet, with no provocation).  After telling the rescue woman that we wouldn't take her after all (and, thanks to several people here at TCS, we helped get the Rag back to the breeder for rehab), she suggested a beautiful long haired Tortie  she was fostering,  recently rescued from a neighboring town right after Hurricane Sandy.  She warned us that she was extremely timid but very sweet.  She brought her over to our home to meet her and well, for me it was love at first site.  It took my fiance longer to bond with her because she was indeed, very shy and nervous for many months and seemed to have a fear of men in general.  She's been with us 3-1/2 years now and her personality has completely done a 180.  Her and my fiance are totally in love with each other now LOL.  She's funny, chatty, confident and very sweet and loving to us and Casper. She had to have been someone's pet at one point as she's too well socialized to have been feral.

Here's a couple of very recent pix our furbabies 
 

allycalico

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Our 1-year-old calico Tika was something of a surprise.

Right after last Christmas, we adopted a sweet 5-month-old black kitten from our local shelter, but within a week we recognized something was wrong. She barely ate, would only drink when prompted, and was clearly developing a URI (sneezing, eye goop, etc.). We took her to the vet, who gave us some antibiotics and an appetite stimulant. Her symptoms worsened over the next two days (at this point, the only  "food" she'd approach was tuna water) so we took her to a second vet. The second vet said the same thing (URI, give it time, etc.) despite the fact that she hadn't eaten more than a couple of bites since we got her. That vet even suggested we return her to the shelter, which we didn't have the heart to do... After a trip to yet a third vet, who finally took us seriously enough to do some tests and an ultrasound - we were told she had an enlarged gallbladder and was likely suffering from FIP. The outlook was bleak and we lost her a couple days later. It was an awful time, and I was feeling extremely guilty over the whole ordeal.

Not even a week later we got a call from one of the vet techs from the last office we went to, saying that someone dropped a little 6-month old calico stray, and she thought we might want to see her. We were kind of iffy about it, since what happened with our first kitten was still very raw, but decided to "just go see."  She was a spunky little thing with this raspy meow and when I bent down to pet her the first thing she did was headbutt my hand. We ended up taking her, of course, and she's been my best friend ever since.

Our new kitten Shiva was a planned purchase from a breeder since my boyfriend had been wanting a bengal since forever.  
 

Draco

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I got both of mine through a shelter.

Monet was unintentional- but I was seeking companionship at that time. Saw him as the only kitten left and went home with him.

Cassie I was more prepared for.. I inquired at a different shelter if they had any deaf kittens for adoption. they told me they had one. So I adopted her.. but she's not deaf at all. they made a mistake, but that's OK, I still love her to bits!
 

raysmyheart

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I believe that my Speedy was Heaven-sent.
 I really do believe this. 

I took care of my Dad , he was totally disabled 10 years until he passed in 2010 and told him when saying goodbye,  I would take the best care of his beloved cat Rachel.  Rachel had to be put to sleep because of  pain from terminal illness in 2012.  When I let her go, I felt like I had lost every last tie to my Dad and became very upset and sad.  I walked into Petsmart because I love to see the kitties at the rescue there.  This was two weeks after Rachel went to Rainbow Bridge.

I was looking at the cats and when Speedy turned her head to look at me, she had the deepest blue eyes.  I would say to my Dad everyday, your eyes are "blue, blue today, just like the sky" which I could tell made him very happy.  I do feel my Speedy was sent by my Dad and I feel his constant presence around me through Speedy.  I know it sounds crazy, but I feel so comforted by my father through this cat.  She is extremely mild-mannered and sweet. 
 

Mamanyt1953

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My roommate and I had discussed my getting a kitten, and she was agreeable, so I settled in to the routine of purchasing the necessities, and beginning to set back money for shots and spay/neuter.  Not long after that, our mutual friend, Teri, called to say she had a cat!  A neighbor was moving, and asked her if she wanted Boots, who was, the neighbor said, spayed and up to date on shots, although a bit overweight and needing to slim down,  Teri said yes, and two weeks later the "spayed" cat gave birth to 5 kittens.  Teri knew I wanted a kitten, and called me at midnight to tell me about them.  The next day, I drove to Kinston and picked my girl out.  She was the only one of the litter who hissed at me, and I loved her teeny attitude!
 

Kat0121

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Lilith and Sophie came from the Humane Society. I was looking for one (I saw Lily on their website and went to meet her). She was in a room with 2 others. Their brother who had been adopted and was just waiting to be picked up and their sister who was very timid and when I went into meet Lily, would not come out from the chair she was hiding under in the far corner of the room. 

They had been rescued from an abandoned house in town with about 20 family members. Likely a backyard breeder who was evicted or foreclosed on and left the cats behind. 

Lily and her brother were playful from the beginning. I had a bag of Temptations that the shelter worker gave me for them. When she brought me into the room, she waved her hand towards the little one hiding under a chair and said (verbatim), "You can just ignore her. She isn't friendly like these two are". I was so mad. How dare a shelter worker dismiss an adoptable animal to a potential pet parent like that? The minute she said that, I was determined to NOT ignore her. As I played with Lily and her brother, I talked to Midge, the little one in hiding. She saw us playing and saw them getting treats so she became curious. I tossed her a few treats and she ate them and slowly worked her way over. Then she started playing with her siblings and let me pet her. She became comfortable enough with me that she went to eat from the dish that was next to me on the floor and didn't bat an eyelash when I started petting her while she ate. 

After a while of playtime, treats and pets, I went back to the front desk where the same woman who brought me into the room with them was working. She asked me how it went with Lily and if I wanted to take her home. The next thing I knew, I heard a voice say, "I'll take BOTH of them". I looked around to see who said that and then realized that I said it without thinking. It just came out. (I think the Cat Goddess took control long enough for that to come out!) The woman was shocked that I would want Midge because according to her, none of the shelter workers or volunteers had been able to bond with her. I found out later that she had been there all of 2 weeks. When she said that, I was glad that I said I'd take her. Who knows how many other people she would have dismissed that poor little girl to. Midge became Sophie and I'd rather live without one of my limbs than without her. She is my feline soul mate which of course takes nothing away from the amazing bond that I have with my sweet baby Lily who is queen of the castle and I adore her with every fiber of my being. 

The same goes for Henry who is a gentleman in every sense of the word. He even wears a tuxedo since he has a small white spot where a bow tie would be 


I found Henry while looking at the website of a local no kill shelter. When our eyes "met". I knew he was supposed to be with us. Then I read his bio. He had been surrendered with 2 siblings at the age of 3 months. His brother was adopted out immediately leaving him and his sister behind. 8 years later, they were still there, watching cat after cat come in and go out. No cat deserves that. We went to meet him. He curled up on DD's feet and started nibbling her toes. That was Saturday. Monday I went to get him. I quickly found out that he had not been socialized while he was there. He was in his safe room for 8 months out of his own free will before he would venture out into the house despite the girls and our dog paying him very frequent visits. I give all 3 girls all the credit in the world. The accepted from the first second. even Lily, the queen diva take no prisoners 7 pound alpha cat was very kind to him. I think that they knew that he needed them as much as he needed me. He is now running free in the house, has his favorite napping places and can often be found snuggled up in my bed with his pal Sophie. 

I found out much later that he was very bonded to his sister but  his leaving was the best thing that could happen to her. She was VERY timid around people and would not approach anyone ever. He was her protector. When he left, she finally blossomed. She was in the room with another cat that she was bonded to who was being adopted and when no one was looking, she sneaked into the carrier with her friend. The adopter didn't notice until they got home. She called the shelter and after doing a head count, they figured out who it was. The shelter offered to pick her up. the woman said no- if she went to that length to stay with her friend then she belongs with us. She is still there and doing very well. 
 
 
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artiemom

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raysmyheart, you story struck such a chord in my heart. My story is a bit similar. 

Here is Artie's and my story.

It was 2012. My dad died 1/3/12. I am an only child. My dad lived with me. I was so blessed to be able to have that time with him. We talked about everything under the sun. I was able to get to know him as a person. He had so many things medically wrong with him, yet he was so upbeat, and kind. He lived with me up until 2 days before he died. That was when it was just too much for me. He was conscious up to one day before. I had to put him in the hospital. Hospice did not work out. 

I remember that summer, I told my dad I wanted to get a cat. I knew he was getting very lonely being homebound, except for me taking him out. My dad thought about it, said no, because he was afraid of falling, or having to pick up vomit. I remember him telling me, " When I go you can have one cat, two cats, three cats, a hundred cats; but you have to wait until I go".  

It was February when I started feeling very lonely. The apartment was so empty when I came home from work. I needed someone/thing here. I really thought about it, and decided I was ready for a cat. 
I am allergic to cats, so I was unsure how I would do with one.

My cousin has 2 cats. His wife invited me down several times to visit, play and hold them. I even rubbed my face in their fur..no problems..promising.   I went to PetSmart, into the shelter area, played and held several cats, and did not wash my hands or face until the next day. I was ok.. It was time.

It was a Sunday in the beginning of March. On a whim, I contacted the Humane Society. (they handle things very differently now) The person who answered, heard my story, and said that she had one particular cat in mind. She had several in her house. I went down there at 11:30AM. I heard his story. 

Artie was owned by an elderly couple. One by one they both passed within a month of each other. The last one in December of the previous year--a few months ago. The daughter tried to sneak him into her apartment; however she already had a cat and a dog. That worked for a bit. Then the landlord found out and gave her an ultimatum..she had to give up one of the pets. She was in tears when she brought Artie to the Foster mom. She even came with a new litter box, some food, some litter, and a hand crocheted baby blanket. 

OMG.. the story really hit me hard. It seemed as if there was some divine intervention going on. The only thing, I was looking for a 5 year old cat. The foster mom told me he was 7 years old. I thought that was a bit too old for me. She insisted I see him because she had a 'feeling'.

When I saw Artie, my heart dropped. He was orange--orange and white tabby!!   My last cat was an orange and white female tabby!!!!!  Again..seemed like a match made in heaven..it was so meant to be...

I agreed to the adoption, except I did not have my checkbook with me!! I had to run to PetSmart, get all the necessities, set it up, and return for Artie. At 3pm I signed the paperwork. At 3:00pm he was in his forever home with me... 

Although he turned out to be a year older.. My heart was broken. He was 8 years old... But I had fallen in love with him. The similarities in both his history and mine were so similar..I had to take him..

I took him home, showed him where everything was, let him walk around the entire place.. No, I did not isolate him to one room. 

I had planned to go to another cousin's house for supper that night. I had to go. I left the apartment at 4:15, wondering what I would find when I came home. He ran right into my dad's room.

I was home at 7PM. Artie was hiding in my dad's room. That turned out to be his room; that turned out to be his 'safe' room for a long time. 

That night I was exhausted, emotionally. A lot had happened to me since my dad died--nothing good; all stress. 

I was lying down on the coach, covered with a quilt. I left Artie alone. 

I was so ecstatic when he came out of his room, came right over to me. I did not move, I was afraid to...

He walked on top of me, settling on my belly, and immediately started kneading, and purring!!!

I was almost in tears!!! I was so happy!! and to see him so happy was even more joyous. I was afraid to move, at all. Finally, I was extremely slow and gentle with my hand. I wanted to see how he would be if I touched him. I did. Artie did not move at all. He stayed with me...

I seriously think it was a predetermined match. It had to be.. Call it Karma, call it in the stars, call it a match made in heaven (as I do) call it whatever...

Artie just wanted love.. and he know I wanted it also.. 

I swear my dad sent him to me..

And I never changed his name. Artie is his original name...

that is our story..
 

muffy

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Hello everyone ~ Happy Tuesday!







How did your kitties come into your life?

One day a stray cat showed up in my yard. I brought some cat food the next day and before I knew it I had a whole colony of feral cats. A family of 8 of them became tame and I was able to bring them inside and I adopted them. Each of every one of them became the love of my life and I was so lucky I was able to know them. Muffy is the only one I have left and she is 17 years old and has kidney disease. 



 

Camelot was adopted as a kitten from a farmers store. Morgana was born in my den on a big squishy chair, via a pregnant stray/abandoned cat I brought in that night from our barn - I knew she was preggers and wanted her inside, and Smokey (Whom I named the mom. She was living with us for a few months now) happily entered and nestled herself. Morgana was an only kitten, no siblings.


And a love kitten, as Camelot and Smokey managed to canoodle together before Cam got his snip snip and with hopes of getting her done too *Yay for me, the responsible owner cough* so I knew I didn't need to go to the Maury Show for a DNA test when Morgana came out pure white like him. Sadly, long story short, Smokey ended up not surviving the birth even with Vet intervention and I ended up raising Morgana from a tiny pipsqueek.



Anyhoo, had my father-daughter now for a few years, and Morgana is pretty much considered my own furry baby girl 
 my child!
 

Now slowly peeking around to possibly adopt a new kitty at a shelter, but that is a topic for another day.



 
 

donutte

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I know two of them are no longer with me, but I'm not quite at the point where I don't think of them when this kind of question is asked.


Lucky - He was a rescue from the street. Someone had tied him to a car, and my father, who was walking one of our dogs, saw him when the car was stopped at the light. He managed to get the driver's attention before he sped off, this poor little kitten of only a few months was very close to dying. My father took him to the vet, who said he had a great chance at making a full recovery. Then called my mom to ask what he should do. As if he actually expected my mom to say anything other than "get him neutered, get him declawed, and bring him home". Yes, we used to declaw, it was 1999, the internet didn't tell us it was a bad thing yet. And so, he came home to us. I carried him around on a pillow until he recovered. People always said we rescued him, but he really rescued me :nod:

Maple - She was born in my birthday in 2002 in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario. Yep, she's an immigrant :) My friend's cat had a litter of black kittens. She knew I loved black cats and since they were born on my birthday, it was a match made in heaven. She was fixed and declawed up there before coming here at three months old (she's the last cat that we have had, or will have, declawed). So in June of 2002, she got on a plane - the only cat of any I've had in my entire life that has been on a plane! - and came to live with us. I keep reminding her how much Lucky and Ali Cat and all the others growled at her when she first came to live with us, seeing how much she growls nowadays.

Sara - Coworker had adopted a second kitty. She often told me about the problems she was having with her, going on for a few weeks or so. She apparently got out of her apartment and into another one in the same building. And, she peed on a pillow in the other person's apartment. Ultimately the landlord at one point said she had to be out by the end of the week. So, coworker asks me if I can take her, tells me she's spayed at declawed. Talked my mom into saying yes (the coworker had said they'd have to throw her in the woods if they couldn't re-home her and mom wouldn't have any of that. So, we took in four-year-old Sara in 2006.

**We had 9 years go by before getting anymore cats. That had to be a record for me. We never went more than a couple years it seemed before having one (or more) come into our lives**

Oscar and Oliver - On a Friday in July of last year (July 10th, I believe), a friend re-posted a picture on Facebook of some kittens that a friend had found at work (the Chicago Botanic Garden) in the mulch. It was actually the mama and her litter of five. Two kittens got adopted rather quickly, and then another one got adopted the morning before I went to visit. I had decided that morning I was going to adopt at least one. I'd figured if there were still three left, then I'd take one (and leave two behind - couldn't bare to leave just one by itself). And if there were two, I would take both. In hindsight, if three had been left, I probably would have taken all three! But as it was, before I left the house, I was told there were only two left. I said they were MINE and don't let anyone take them. And we met up around 2pm on that Saturday so I could meet them. She took the kittens to her home, and she picked up the mama the next day (she'd taken to hiding on Saturday). I actually called for an appointment before I even saw them, and said I had two kittens that needed to be seen by the vet ASAP so I could bring them home. The earliest I could get was Tuesday. So, the lady held them at her home until noon on Tuesday, when I picked them up. And then on that day, July 14th, I brought them home!

**We lost Lucky on November 12th, 2015**

Penelopy - Losing Lucky, as most of you know, completely gutted me, in a way I never expected. I felt the need to honor his memory by giving another kitty a home. So, in my searches for another kitty at one of the local shelters, I found black kitty with big pumpkin eyes that just stood out at me. And not long after, found an article that said black cats had a harder time getting adopted (I actually did not know that before then). I am 100% sure Lucky had a part both in me seeing her picture and then the article shortly afterwards. I went to visit her on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Poor thing had a cold. On Monday, I emailed just asking how she was doing. I'd already filled out an application to adopt her. On Tuesday, I got an email saying she just finished her antibiotics, and was ready to be taken home that day if I wanted. As you can probably imagine, I never moved so fast to get my butt there to pick her up. And so on December 1st, 2015, Penelopy, lovingly referred to as Pea-Pea now (though Penelopy is still her proper name) joined our home.

**We lost Sara on April 28th, 2016**


So, we have four kitties now. Maple, Oscar, Oliver and Pea-Pea. Think we'll be sticking with that for a little while. I'd love to give more kitties a home, but I have to keep the financial aspects in check.
 

denice

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Patches was rescued by a coworker.  She had a neighbor who always had animals that weren't cared for.  She had a young cat with a first litter that she had outside.  When they were 3 or 4 weeks old the mom cat rejected Patches, probably didn't have enough milk.  By then they had brought mom and kittens inside but they put Patches outside because Mom cat wouldn't take care of him.  My coworker was a middle aged woman who had never married or had kids so she had a number of animals.  She would've kept Patches but she really wanted to find a home for him.

I got Patches in June and Alice the following fall.  Alice was part of an unwanted litter.  She was a late summer kitten, 2 months old in October.  I thought Patches needed some feline company so I took her.
 
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cassiopea

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catlover73

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Starbuck my oldest cat is now 9 years old. She was adopted in the winter of 2006  I adopted her when she was 6 weeks old.  She was abandoned out  a car window of a moving car at around 4 weeks old.  A friend's family was out walking their dog when this happened and she was taken indoors immediately.  The family that found her had dogs she was not safe around.  They brought her to my friend's thinking they would adopted her but one of their cats wanted to kill her. I told them I would take her and she has been with me since. I honestly believe my Baby-T who had crossed the bridge sent me Starbuck.

Sonny was adopted in 2010 as an older kitten.  One of my friends was doing some private rescue and Sonny was one of her fosters.  I helped her socialize him and his siblings when he was a baby.  He was adopted out.  Our Claude had recently passed away and my friend called me and told me that Sonny had been returned to her.  She knew I had really bonded with him but Claude was having health issues at the time and I was not ready to adopt a kitten at that time.  My friend told me that if we were not ready yet she would keep Sonny with her until she could find him a new home.  Hubby and I talked and decided we would adopt Sonny to honor Claude's memory.

Apollo was adopted in 2012 from a local rescue.  Tegato (Claude's brother) had recently passed away and I was having a hard time with it.  Hubby and I went to the pet store to get cat food.  There was a rescue having an adoption event. Hubby and I decided to go look at the kitten's.  We were talking to one of the volunteers and Apollo was in an enclosed play area.  He reached out and smacked me and started talking to me.  I asked if I could play with him and he climbed in my lap. I was not sure I was ready for a new baby yet but Apollo made the decision for me.

Casey was adopted in 2014 from a private rescue. He adopted my husband.  We were buying cat food at another pet store at my house that does adoptions for a rescue. They were not having an adoption event that night.  We always go and say hi to the kitties and give them some attention before doing our shopping.  A 7 week old black kitten was in a cage by himself and he was crying.  My hubby started petting him and he calmed down.  We went to buy or cat food and he started crying again.  My hubby went back over to pet him.  Right before we went to check out one the employees who is also a volunteer for the rescue took Casey up front to hang out with her because he was lonely.  Hubby put the cat food on the counter to pay for it and Casey ran up hubby's arm to sit on his shoulder.  Once up there he started purring.  Hubby looks at me and says you need to go get a cat carrier.  Casey came home with us that night.  This is the same rescue we adopted Apollo from but a different location. 

Now for my rainbow bridge kitties

Tabby was adopted after a friend some how wound up with her but could not keep her. Tabby passed away as an elderly cat from kidney disease. I was in a small apartment for a while and did not really have enough space for all my cats at the time.  My friend knew that Tabby was having issues with my apartment and the other cats.   A friend fell in love with Tabby and asked if she could have her.  Tabby was not doing well with the small space and the other cats.  This was a long time ago before people talked about creating space on many levels for cat.  This was a friend I trusted and knew would provide her a better home. Tabby passed away with my friend at her side.  My friend had moved out of state since adopting Tabby.  She did call and let me know about Tabby being ill but there was nothing else that could be done.  I did get to visit Tabby a few times before my friend moved and she was very happy in her new home. 

Baby -T was abandoned in a friend's pick up truck in the middle of winter.  My friend took her into his apartment but could not keep her due to being in a no pet's building.  He called me for help and I asked my then landlord if I could take in another cat.  She was fine with it.  Baby-T took a lot of work because prior to being abandoned she was also physically abused.  It took some time to gain her trust but she became very loving and affectionate. She died from being blocked.  Unfortunately I did not catch it in time.  It took me a long time to stop blaming myself for her death. We did not get to say goodye to her because she passed away during treatment.  Hubby got woken up by the vet's office and the vet was in tears on the phone. She thought she would be able to fix the blockage but Baby-T went into cardiac arrest and they could not revive her.  

Claude & Tegato-  Brothers born April 30, 1995 - My roommate's cat got out of the house and got pregnant.  Claude and Tegato were from that litter.  The rest of the kittens were adopted to other friends.  After Princess was done being a mommy I told my roommate I would pay to get her cat fixed so we did not wind up with more kitten's. My roommate was working but was having a hard time saving up money due to trying to pay off student loans. After my roommate decided to move in with her boyfriend.  I kept her cat Princess to help find her a new home.  A neighbor adopted Princess from me. She got herself pregnant when she ran out of the apartment while my roommate was bringing in groceries.It took us two days to catch her to get her back inside.  She was a stray that found us.  My roommate put up signs in the area/called places about the cat and no one came forward to claim her.  Claude and Tegato both had strokes and I had to help them cross-over. Their quality of life was gone completely after the strokes. I did take them to the a couple vets and they both told me that even with treatment at their age there was no guarantee they would recover. I could not watch them suffer even though I was not ready to say goodbye.  They passed away a couple years apart. Hubby and I were both there told hold them at the end.

Tegre was my childhood cat when I lived at home with my parent's.  We adopted her when she was 3 weeks old after the shelter was completely wrong about her age.  They told us she was 8 weeks old.  My parents took her to the vet for her first check-up.  The vet was a family friend. He looked Tegre over and asked my parents where they got a 3 week old kitten.  The vet was then able to advise my parents on how to properly care for a young kitten.  My mom was a stay at home mom and us kids were old enough to help with kitten care.  My parent's did notify the shelter about the age issue so it did not accidentally happen to someone else. They offered to take her back until she was older but my mom said we had the means/time to take care of a young kitten.  We kept the 3 week old baby and provided her with the care she needed. Tegre developed kidney failure and my family sent her to the rainbow bridge when it was clear nothing the vet could do would fix her.  Our family friend tried everything and even did a consult with a vet her knew at a teaching college to see if there was anything that could be done to help her.  It took me a while to not be in tears talking about her because I never had the chance to say goodbye.  Her illness progressed quickly while I was away at college. I did not feel it would have been fair to her to make her suffer until I could get home to say goodbye.  My parent's were with her at the end.

Tasha was my hubby's cat when were dating.  When we moved into together and combined our households it went very badly.  My parent's had lost their due to old age health issues and were debating on adopting another cat.  I told my mom  about the introduction issues we were having and my mom said she would be willing to adopt her. My then boyfriend and I talked it over.  He knew his cat was miserable living with my cats and agreed that she would be happier as an only cat living with my parents.  We did not know it at that time but apparently the vet told my parents that senior calico cats do not do well in multi-cat households.  My hubby really did not know how old Tasha was. She was very happy at my parents house.  She died from a stroke. My poor hubby did not get to say goodbye because he was out of town on a business trip and could not get a flight back fast enough.  We lived in Chicago and he was in NY at the time.  My parents did call and talk to him. They made the decision together to end her suffering. My job at the time would not let me take time off with no notice.  My parent's stayed with Tasha at the end.

Looking back on things it was probably not the smartest idea to try to integrate 5 cats in a one bedroom apartment with no bedroom door.  The only room with a door was the bathroom.  I was not locking anybody in bathroom with no air conditioning. I had to move quickly to a smaller place after the city of Chicago deemed the 2 bedroom basement apartment I was living with 5 cats as illegal. It was annoying because although there was no secondary exit every room had ground level windows that could easily be used as an escape route.   This is why Tasha and Tabby ended up having to be re-homed.  It was not fair to them to be dumped in that environment and I found them better homes that suited their needs.  Baby-T, Claude & Tegato adapted to the new living arrangement very quickly because they were younger and more able to adjust to the tight quarters. Claude and Tegato were still young kitten's and Baby-T had taken on the role of a 2nd mother to them.  My landlord when I moved would not allow me to take another cat and this is why Princess was adopted out to a neighbor.  This neighbor was my cat sitter at that time.  She also had an enclosed space in her yard for her other cat  We suspect her cat got our Princess pregnant when he snuck out of her house two days before he was due to get fixed. I guess you could call it an early version of a catio.  Princess hated being indoors even after she was fixed and I wanted her to have safe outdoor access.  My new place would not have provided her with that.
 

jcat

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Eight days after losing our Jamie to heart disease I went to the local animal shelter (where I now work) to play with the kitties. We'd planned to wait a few months before adopting a (or buying a purebred) pair of kittens, but 9-month-old MoglI had other plans. He'd been found as a feral kitten, adopted out, then returned because he didn't get along with other cats (and, as it turned out, had health problems his first owner didn't have treated and didn't reveal). I got "sent home" to get a carrier and brought him home without even consulting with my husband, who also fell in love with him instantly.
 

Winchester

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BooBoo and Ms. Pepe were born in a clothes basket in our bedroom a little over 20 years ago. Whisper was their mom and Bootser was their aunt. Both Whisper and Bootser are gone now, but Boo and Pepe are still going strong. They turned 20 in February.

Miss Amber Louise was given to us by a lady in town who was worried about her; she was a tiny little thing. Everybody said "she" was a "he", but I knew better. "He" was a "she". Brought her home, took her to the vet and I became the mama to a little orange tabby girl. She is 15 years old and she's still a tiny little thing. For years, she was known as the Phantom Kitty because nobody but us ever saw her. She'd completely disappear as soon as somebody came into the house. Now? Well, we don't know what happened, but she doesn't disappear anymore and, in fact, she has a special attraction to the men in the family. My BIL comes in the house, sits on the couch, and Amber is in his lap. Just that quickly. 

Mollipop came from the vet. We had taken Boo and Pepe in for their check-ups and the hospital had a new litter of kittens. Mollipop became my special baby. I love her dearly. Although Rick still says we should have called her Molli-Stop! instead of Mollipop....she's a bad one, she is. Molli just turned six years old.

Tabby came from our next door neighbor as a wee little kitten. The neighbor was going to take her "for a ride", meaning he was going to put her in the car and throw her out the window into the woods. She came to us instead. She just turned five years old. Such a sweetie. She loves sharing Rick's breakfast on weekends and she's particularly fond of Frosted Mini Wheats. And don't even think about eating vanilla ice cream without sharing it with her. Not going to happen. Just not. (One night we were at the store for groceries and we were talking about what kind of cereal to buy for Tabby. Rick was going to get another kind and I said, "But Rick, Tabby won't eat that; she loves her Frosted Mini Wheats!" There was a woman walking by and she heard me. She started to chuckle and said, "I hear you! You gotta get what the cat wants!" 


Muffin came to us when my mother went into a nursing home. She's a gorgeous buff-colored tabby with the prettiest golden eyes. Very easy-going and, if it wasn't for Mollipop, Muffin's life would be perfect. Alas, Muffin and Molli do not get along and it can get rather ugly. She will be six years old later this month. She also doesn't get along well with Jackie, but at least she can live with her. She and Molli.....oy, it's just bad.

So we have the three geriatric RugCats and then we have the Three Meowsketeers. 

(And then there's The Beast....aka Jackie, the Beagle. She was Rick's parents' dog and she became our Beast when his mother went into assisted living. 
 )
 
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rubysmama

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I adopted Ruby from the SPCA in November 2013.

I'd been wanting a cat for a while and finally the timing was right. I wanted to adopt when I was on vacation so I'd be home to spend time with the new cat. Two weeks before my vacation, we went to the shelter to look around. I knew I wanted an orange cat under 5 years of age.

They had 2 orange cats.  One was a big fluffy male who cuddled like a floppy toy in my arms. The other was a short-haired female who was sneezing or coughing. I left that one alone.

I asked the desk how long they would put a cat on hold for me.  Only 24 hours. The big fluffy male had been there a while, so I thought he might still be there in 2 weeks. He wasn't. In fact, he was gone from their website the next day.

Two weeks later I went back, ready to adopt.  There was only 1 orange cat this time.  A short-haired female. I opened her cage door and she immediately started purring and head-bumping me. I tried to hold her, but she scrambled back into her cage.  I looked at the other cats, but I was drawn back to the orange one. It was near closing, so I decided to go home and think about it overnight. 

Went back the next day, and decided the orange female was the one I wanted.  Because she'd had some recent diarrhea they wanted to do a stool test. I could either bring back a sample, or wait a couple more days to adopt her. I decided to wait.  

A couple days later I finally went back to the shelter and left with a sweet 3 year old female orange cat, along with drops to put her in eyes for an URI.

When we got home, I opened the carrier door, turned to close my front door, and when I turned around again, Ruby was already out of the carrier and starting to explore. It was like she'd always lived here.

Later that night, as I was struggling to put drops in her eyes, I suddenly realized she was the orange cat that had been hacking and sneezing the first time I visited the shelter.  I now say that her hacking was her way of keeping others from adopting her so she'd still be there when I was ready. 
 

foxxycat

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I have an interesting twist of a story.

Floey. I got her July of 2000 or 2001 or 2002? I can't remember the year.It was the same year and same day I had to put down my previous kitty Krash who had complications from an accident-I had her for 4 years but the meds were not working as much and I just couldn't handle all the medication and the pain of her getting cleaned out every 2 to 3 months-her pelvis was smaller than normal so was on lactulose all her life. we used pumpkin but it wasn't enough. Back then I was very young and part of letting her go was guilt because I didn't want her to suffer. So sadly I let her go even though there wasn't anything really wrong with her but oh this is so hard. At least now I know better.

That afternoon I went to the shelter. as I walked into the cat room there was a screeching sound like a baby wailing. and cage rattling. I asked what is that? They dismissed it-said ignore her-its just that cat. I walked up and it was like looking into Krash's eyes. She had the same eyes and tiger stripes as Krash. Krash was part Norwegian part maine coon. Floey is all maine coon. The cats name was Florence. So I asked to hold her. The woman who got her out of the cage was scared because Floey was hissing and spitting. I asked the woman to step aside. I pretty much bulldozed my way into the cage and pet floey. She was still peeved. I picked her up and this big rumbling purr came out of her. I sat on a chair and plopped Florence on my bent knee and she sat here and purred. Everyone was in awe-evidently Flo was kind of pissy to everyone. Hissed. Pooped in her cage. Just not happy. So we sat for 20 minutes or so with me just petting her on her head. I noticed she didn't like being touched on her back or tail so I didn't. then I asked for a toy.

We put her on the floor and she almost clawed my hand off. I said I want this cat. I don't want a docile cat-I want one with character. Floey ate for me and drank her water while I pet her. I couldn't take her home because they made me call the landlord. So I didn't get her until 2 days. They almost let me take her right home but I said its ok. So two days later that fateful day Florence became Floey.

She came to live with me at my apartment. I took her outside to walk in the woods. She stayed right with me and I didn't have to leash her. I just clicked at her with my tongue and she followed me all over the place. she never ran off. She loved being outdoors. So fast forward 2003. October 2003-I moved three times and now renting a mobile home.

I decided to get a kitten to keep her company. I scoured the internet looking at kitten pictures. One story caught my breathe-Foxy was a kitten from a farm an hour west of Augusta maine born in a barn. She was the last kitten. No one wanted her because she was so very scared. I took one look at her and scooped in to rescue her. She purred all the way home but I let her out of the cage and she climbed in the backseat of the car I was borrowing and proceeded to have a nice big stinky. So pulled over-put her back in the cage-clean up the god awful STINKY poo. The funny part is I adopted her in the same town I now live in.

So she came home to my new mobile home rental. Floey wanted to EAT her. She was TICKED off. Hissing and spitting. Foxy became Cally. Cally just purred and didn't even mind. I kept caly in her crate all night and all you heard was purring. So after a few days I let Floey sniff her. Floey hisses but she didn't hurt her. They said this kitten was 12 weeks old-looking back I think she was barely 4 to 5 weeks old and already on hard food. Maybe she was 8 weeks but she was so small-so she became friends with Floey because she is submissive. Floey taught her how to run across the linoleum floor and run and jump on a rug and smash into the kitchen cabinets. She taught her how to hunt and play. I was so afraid Floey would eat the kitten. But Floey because a mommy but a bossy mommy.

At that point I was alone pretty much. Jon came into my life a few weeks later in November. He came over to meet the cats and spent a few hours on the floor trying to get Caly to come to him. He also decided to rename her. Her name became Pumpkin Face. Because she had a bit of black on her face-she is a calico kitty. So Pumpkin Face is what we named her.

Fast forward to Jan 2013. almost 10 years later. Lots of changes in my life for those 10+ years.

I got a coworker who tells me about a cat who is homeless=now everyone knows I am a sucker for CATS. So the story was=her owner died and left her behind-the family left her behind-after meeting the cat-she was well groomed and didn't stink-I think it was a BS story but whatever. This cat became known as Honeybee. Honeybee was a love. She hopped up on anyone's lap and licked your hands and face. She was such a sweet cat. So I took her home that night. She made such a screaming in the car and I kept saying to her- Honey-Honey=then I said Honeybee=so that's her name. She came  a few months after we sent Flash to heaven. Flash was my chocolate torti and such a sweet girl but stubborn. She didn't scratch or bite or anything but was FAST. took 4 people to pill her. She was like the wind..so the week I heard about a kitty abandoned we were supposed to get a whopper of a snow storm and I couldn't stop thinking about a poor kitty suffering in a snow bank with no where to go. At first Jon was like no no more. But then he said ok lets see.

That evening my coworker/friend brought in Honeybee in the cage. Floey came to sniff=HISSS and run! Honeybee growled at her. So then Jon took the cage-set it down and let her out=I freaked out-said we have to keep her isolated=what if she has leukemia or something? Jon said psst. Its fine. So he crawled on his knees while Honeybee walked around sniffing. Then I fed her. She then walked into the livingroom jumped up onto Jon's chest and proceeded to curl up and go to sleep. My heart swelled. She was staying I decided. The other girls were not happy. Pumpkin hid as she hates strangers. Floey just snapped her tail at me and looked at me like-what another BRAT?!!

So yes its always been a spur of the moment thing with my kitties. Each one loved so very much. Still miss the 3 I had to let go to heaven when their time was up. Krash-Henretta-Flash. Krash was my first cat as an adult-she was an abandoned cat who got hit by a car-this was the one I mentioned in the beginning. We kept her at goodwill for 2 months while she recuperated. and I stole her with everyone's blessing. long story but she was my best friend.  then Henretta was a cat living in a basement-horrible conditions. she was 12. we had 3 years. she died of lung cancer or some kind of respiratory distress and passed away at home in jan 1 2008.Since this death I am hyperviligent about health issues with the other cats... Then Flash came along-after a visit to the shelter in 2009. She passed in Oct 2012 of nonregenative Anemia who sent me Honeybee.  so yes its been an interesting 2 decades of having my cats.

Floey I am guessing is 17 or 18. Pumpkin Face is 13. Honeybee we guess to be 4 or 5.

I absolutely love reading everyone's stories of their lovelies!
 

micknsnicks2mom

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my mickey
and snick
came into my life during a rough period of time. they made that rough time bearable, and motivated me to make a better life for us. mickey and snick were brother and sister, litter mates. over the years, our lives gradually became better and better. knowing that they were able to enjoy our own house is something that makes me very happy.

my mickey crossed the Rainbow Bridge in april 2013.

my little snick and i continued on together. in october 2014 a shelter adoption coordinator who i had talked with several times contacted me about a cat in one of their foster homes. he was being bullied by another foster cat in the home, and needed to stay in one room away from the other cats. of course, the fosters spent much time with him in his room and cared well for him, but he loved people and really wanted to be able to move throughout the home with them. so i was asked if i might consider adopting him. with my darling snick having CKD, i said i didn't feel i could commit financially to properly caring for another cat......but, would they consider allowing me to foster him -- provided he and my little girl could be successfully integrated. so snick and i fostered our jaspurr from october 2014 until april 1015, when we officially adopted him. jaspurr was so gentle and kind towards little snick -- i believe he knew she was delicate, didn't always feel well. and jaspurr was the purrfect match for both snick and myself; i couldn't have chosen a better match. so i believe that our mickey chose jaspurr for snick and me, sent him to us.

my little snick crossed the Rainbow Bridge in december 2015. i know that jaspurr made snick's final months better for her.

jaspurr and i continued on together, but i could tell that not only did he miss our little snick, he also very much missed the company of another cat in our home. so i started looking for a younger and female cat who i believed would be a good match for our jaspurr. i looked at listings for many cats, but kept going back to the listing for deedee. poor thing had a pretty 'shell-shocked' expression on her face in the photo in her listing, but the description of her purrsonality that her foster wrote was what had me. i just knew that deedee would be a very good match for our jaspurr.

on january 2, 2016,  i went to meet deedee. such a sweetie and high-spirited too! with her in the large crate at the adoption event was our punky (alison), who had just been picked up from the vet's (where she'd been brought to comfort her sister). the girls knew each other and got along well. so i decided to adopt both girls! we were all set up here at home for the girls; i'd been setting things up and kitten-proofing for weeks. so when i got back home with our new little ones, i got them settled in the extra large dog sized crate with the loft/shelf, litter box, water bowl, and snuggly spots. then i brought our jaspurr down and he and i stood outside the screen door between the kitchen and living room, his first look at his girls and their first time seeing their 'dude'. in about one week, our jaspurr and his girls were comfortable with each other, and playing together. jaspurr loves his girls very much, and both girls adore their 'dude'.
 
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