Gotcha Stories!

I posted a question asking Lauren what her kitties' "Gotcha" stories are in her spotlight thread...

...so I started to think that it would be really sweet it everyone told their kitty's gotcha story!

I'll go first!!!

Leo(nardo): When I got my first apartment, I decided that I wanted a cat. So, one hot summer day, I went out looking for one. So I was looking, looking, looking and I ended up at this place that is now owned and run by PAWS Chicago but at that point, was simply affiliated with paws and yet run by another group. So I was there looking at cats and some womas asked me if I was interested in adopting and I said yes. She asked me how old I was, I said 18. That opened up the floodgates. She started yelling (not talking, yelling) at me about how teenagers are SO IRRESPONSIBLE and how no one under 25 should be allowed to have a cat and how she won't adopt to anyone who's in college and it's because we're all just terrible, immature people with no money and she went on and on and so I asked where I could find a cat if not at her shelter. She told me I may as well go to the pound. Which is precisely what I did later that day...well, not th epound but the SPCA (Anti-Cruelty Chicago), which is every bit as depressing as the pound. All the cats were asleep in their cages except for one...my Leo, who was then called Gabriel. He just sat there, very calmly, watching me, and then he let me hold him. This 3 year old, semi-feral neutered tom, let me snuggle with him. The lady said he had soc issues and I told her I was up for the challenge and adopted him. As for the Paws lady...she obviousy didnt know that the person who runs the whole PAWS Chiago aoperation is a close family friend of mine. I shot Delia a letter about this woman and two things happened: the cat nazi lady got fired and her rescue group turned the shelter over to Paws.

Lola: pitiful, unsociailiazed oprphaned kitten at my shelter who wouldn't merge with any other litters. Need I say more?

Gracie: She was originally supposed to by my foster, immediately following Lola's death. But the night I got her (which was RIGHT after Lola passed on), she put her paw on my hand and told me it would be ok, so I knew she needed to become a permanent fixture in my house. To this day, I think Lola sent her to me to take care of me and she does an amazing job. She came from New Orleans and didn't come through the shelter I work for, but she ended up with another cageless no-kill after the big conglomerate Chicago/New orleans trip.

Raphael: Yesterday, I just couldn't take seeing him standing next to the door of the adoption floor crying his little heart out (and tearing his fur out, having soft stools and losing weigh for no apparent reason but stress). I resisted the urge from October to now. He was a kitten TH picked up in winter 1998-99 and he's since been returned to the shelter 3 times and he just gets so heartbroken.

I really truly think I have gone bananas. I'm 20 years old and I'm supposed to like things like bars and parties and shopping, but instead, I pour all of my non-school and non-flute time into cats. I'm pretty sure I'm just completely out of my mind, but in a good way.

They are all lovely stories. I did post mine, but I'll stick them in here aswell, then I can go into more detail.

Sleeves - Mark wanted a budgie...no idea why, when we went into a pet shop to look at cages etc we saw this little grey fluffy kitten inside a tiny cage, he was falling asleep while sitting up. I called him Sleeves (I was obsessed with this name) and sent all my family a picture of him saying I had taken him home. They all went nuts Anyway that then changed Marks mind and he wanted a cat. He heard of someone with kittens and dragged me their, with me shouting 'you can't keep a cat indoors nobody does that!!' lol How niaive was I? So we went to see these cats and I fell in love with the orange one. The lady was a drunk and told us all kinds of rubbish about the kittens already having their vaccinations and she was letting them outside into the garden on their own at FOUR WEEKS!!!
So anyway we took Sleeves because she was just crazy and irresponsible, we then found out from the vet she said she had taken them to that they had never been there, and that obviously no shots had been given, also that he was a boy and not a girl like we had been told. He still eats from his pink bowl to this day though bless him.

Nismo - we decided Sleeves was a bit bored during the day and it might be an idea to get him a friend since he was still pretty young. So a friend of mine from work said her friend had kittens, but we couldnt see them until we went to take one away as the Mumcat was very overprotective. I was pretty worried about seeing them because I wasnt sure if there would be one for me, but I walked into the room and Nismo jumped onto my arm, then let me cuddle her whilst purring the loudest purr Ive ever heard. She also let Mark cuddle her, and the lady said that she was the crazy one!
She is nuts but Im so glad she chose us I love them both so much and they adore each other aswell. I don't think I could have matched to kitties better

That is so swett! And a great idea!

Phenom's gotcha story. I had been wanting kitten for a very long time. So I begged and beged and begged and begged some more. Finally Lee gave in. There were circumstances though. It had to be a she and it had to be gray. We I went looking one saturday afternoon. I went to Petsmart and there was this sweet playful little girl who was playing with all the little kids that were visiting her. So i hurried home to get Lee and told him I had found THE ONE!! He told me if she was the one I wanted then to sign the papers and that he would get to name her. It was a deal! So i excitedly filled out my life history and the past 10 addresses!! The rest is history. I took her home and now she is my Phenom!!

Quki showed up on our property just shortly after we moved in. She hung around for a week so I decided to see if she was friendly. She was so I checked for identification. There was only one tag on her that read Queen Kitty and that was about it. Looks like we have a keeper here. There are many strays in our area and my guess is that she was dumped or didn't like her living conditions. I waited two weeks to see if anyone posted signs but there were none. I took her to the vet, had her altered and vaccinated.

Buzz was part of a feral colony here at our work. One of our workers captured him for me. He was only 4 weeks old but very sick. He had a staph infection in his eye. I took him to the vet and they fixed him up. I later heard that when the TNR people took the rest of the colony all of Buzz's litter mates and cousins died from distemper. There were only 3 adults that were brought back. My husband bottle fed Buzz until he was old enough to eat on his own. Niki my Border Collie also played a roll in raising Buzz. She would stimulate him so he could go potty.

Emmy and Missy were adopted from the Dog-O-Thon event I went to in 2004. I was not planning to get a kitty until I saw them. There were many kittens euthanized just the week before so I just couldn't let it happen to those two.

Ashly you all may know was the work of Eddie and MaryAnne. Eddie contacted me asking if I could take in another kitty and of course I agreed to do so. MA drove all the way from Oregon to bring her to me. We all had a great visit that day.

Well, since I've been a FeLV+ haven for the last few years, I haven't picked out a cat, I've taken in whoever needed a home. Our first kitten was Jericho, My ex found him on a construction site and he just cried and cried until Brian picked him up- that's when I got the phone call "you want a kitten?" Unfortunately, when we took him to the vet to get all fixed up, he tested positive for leukemia. They asked us if we just wanted to put him down, but I don't believe that just because a cat has a disease they don't deserve to live for however long they have, plus the ex and the cat had super-bonded. Jericho ended up hanging on for over 4 years. The cat did not, however, like me very much, and I was feeling a little sad because I wanted a kitty too- I was the cat lover for pete's sake! I went a searching for other FeLV+ kitties and found the Animal Rescue Center on Petfinder and contacted the director and went down to her house where she a room in her basement for the positives. She had about 12-15 at that time. I picked out Teddy and Buster was not going to take no for an answer! Nadine would call me when she had other positives, Sapphire and Charlie came from a shelter in Michigan, Dale and Junior came from California, Tally came from NY, her previous owner and I both drove 12 hours round trip to make the pass. Carmella & Martin came from a outdoor colony that The Rainbow Connection was trapping and altering and releasing, putting up the friendly ones for adoption, and Simon was found in the woods. All but Sapphire and Simon are over the rainbow bridge now. i would have more right now, cause there are always positive babies that need homes, but Simon is a little jealous beastie and does not like other cats, especially when they come near me

What a fabulous thread, especially for Valentine's Day!!

Ophelia is our fate kitty. Earl and I were talking one Sunday evening about how nice it would be to have a pet to come home to. He grew up with cats, and said that he really missed having a cat around. Next night, as I was getting ready for bed, I heard the distinctive sound of a kitten in distress. After searching for where the kitten was (outside), we figured out this kitten was inside the wall in between our apartment and the neighbor's. No question about what to do next - we busted a hole in the wall. The rental deposit was nothing in relation to a life. We talked about finding the kitten a home, unless it was a black and white kitty I joked. Well, about 8 hours and very little sleep later, the most beautiful little black and white kitten bravely poked her head through the hole. A plate of tuna helped get her inside our room, and while she paniced and ran to hide I knew she found a home. I don't know if she was truly a feral or if she suffered some cruelty, but I know it took over a month for that little ~6 week old baby to trust me enough to touch her.

Trent was acquired when we thought we had lost Ophelia 2 days after we found her. She had actually just found a VERY good hiding spot to sleep in where Earl couldn't find her. So we went shopping to drown our sorrows and ended up...at the pet store in the mall. This was before I knew about pet stores, but I'm glad we went there that night. Trent knew we were his people as soon as he saw us. He played as hard as he could to get our attention. He snuggled when we asked to see him. He remembered us after we walked around the mall to make a decision and did everything he could to get our attention again. He came home that night. As soon as he meowed at home, out popped Ophelia. And we had two kittens.

*Begin shameless plug* Ophelia's story and many other rescue stories from TCS members can be found at www.savesamoa.org, which was started as a result of a rescue effort from around the country by TCS members. We would love to make your kitty (or dog) famous by hosting their rescue story too! And there's even a TCS kitty as our Featured Rescue Story (not Ophelia ).

I love gotcha stories. Here's mine:

Katie was found as a tiny kitten roaming in the yard of a British woman living in Belgium with no mama cat in sight. Unable to keep her, the woman put an announcement on armed forces radio seeking a home. I was stationed there in the Army, and heard the announcement. Although several people called about the kitten, I was the one lucky enough to bring her home. Katie was my first cat and a real learning experience. She's still with almost 13 years later.

I got Gracie a few months after my sweet tuxedo boy, Willy, succumbed to kidney failure shortly before his fifth birthday. I had decided it was time to find Katie a new feline companion and thought the best match would be a young, male cat - definitely not a tuxedo because it would remind me of Willy A friend who was caring for a colony of feral cats in her neighborhood invited me to come and see a kitten she'd rescued (the only one in her litter to survive) without telling me what the kitten looked like. She also wasn't sure
if it was male or female. I ended up with a tiny, female, tuxedo kitten - the exact opposite of what I was looking for, but exactly what I was meant to have.

Peter was one of litter of seven feral kittens rescued from a local neighborhood with their mother. He and his littermates were the first group of kittens I helped socialize when I began volunteering with a small TNR/rescue group. I had no intention of adopting another cat, but there was just something about the little gray and white guy that cringed at human contact and hid behind his mother, that really tugged at my heart. He was the most timid of the bunch. I was actually relieved when he and his sister, a pretty solid white little girl, were adopted togther. They ended up being returned just a couple of weeks later by a family that claimed Peter was viscious. (I'll never understand that) Anyway, as I held the little guy and tried to calm him down, I knew I couldn't let him go again.

Claire is Peter's littermate(the pretty little girl who got adopted with him, then returned) That was actually her second home. She'd been adopted once before, but was returned a couple of days later because all she did was hide in the closet. Claire was adopted again not long after I brought Peter home, but was returned for the third time when her family decided to move and leave her behind. She was adopted a fourth time by a kind local priest who
was finally able to bring her out of her shell and spoiled her like crazy. Sadly, he died unexpectedly less than six months after adopting her. Rather than let her go to yet another home, I decided (with a lot of support from the wonderful folks at TCS), that she belonged with her brother, and me.

So there you have it - my sweet, funny cat family!

Oh, boy...I'm gonna have to come back to this one when I have more time!!

This past spring, John's mom's cat had gotten pregnant and I had always wanted a kitten - our family had always been a dog family - everyone was allergic to cats.

So that summer when she had them - we always went over and saw them - they were so cute - there were 5 of them but 2 of them died at birth

There were 3 in the litter - and Harley was the tiny rut of them - and I was in absolute love with them all. There was an orange, white and black one (Harley) I never had any intentions on bringing one of them home ever.

One day at work I was talkin to John and we just all of a sudden decided to go to his mom's and bring one home!

So we went over there after work and John told me that I could pick which one we brought home I put them all 3 in a line and I decided that whatever one came to me first and was lovey was the one I was going to pick.

The other 2 went running around - and here comes this little wobbly headed little guy, couldn't harldly walk straight and hold up his little head- and meowing and purring like crazy - how could I not choose him!? He melted my heart right away.

He had already had someone that wanted him - but it wasn't a good family and I knew he would end up on the streets and I wanted to make sure he made it into a loving family He stole my heart right away!

The other 2 went to very loving homes, so it all worked out for the best

He's been a momma's boy ever since I've brought him home! And of course - beacuse I wasn't totally into the whole 'getting a cat thing' in the first place - and now Harley is totally MY cat! He's turned me into a total cat lover - he's my soul kitty for sure

All of my kitties have been rescues.

Sphinx (RB cat) - He was a senior cat we adopted from a kill shelter (along with Kuce) on my birthday in 2002. He was sitting in a cage all by himself with 'the look of take-me-home'. He let me hold him (which the staff said he rarely did). So we took him along with Kuce (both had a number and a nickname) and when he came out of his carrier he took to our apt. like he owned the place. He was just so regal the name Sphinx stuck. He lived with us for two years (longer than the vet thought he would) before he was pts from cancer in 2004 at the age of about 18-19 years.

Kuce - our other rescue from the same kill shelter as Sphinx and our other senior cat (she's about 12 now). She is currently the alpha cat - having taken over from Sphinx. She was sitting in the back of her cage at the shelter looking so miserable. She has come out of it quickly and has taken the initiative of ruling the roost. She has a few health issues but they are manageable at this time.

Luvbug - he came to us 10 days before Sphinx passed on. He was a stray from our apt. complex with a few other cats but he was the tamest one and he wanted to be loved so bad. He is about 6 years now and is the 'middle' child. He was already altered when we took him in and has such a cute mew - he sounds so much like a kitten than a 17 lb big loving boy.

Lil' Jag - we found her in the tire well of my brother's car around Thanksgiving 2004 at the ripe young age of 3 1/2 months. She was instantly taken in by Kuce and was 'mothered' to this day. She has blossomed into such a young fiesty but loving lady.

Tosca was originally named Emma, in the shelter in which I now work part-time. I desperately wanted to have a cat - I can't live without them in my life somewhere, and we eventually managed to find the time to take a trip to the shelter. We loved all of them, but she was being kept in the staff rest room all by herself. She was so thin and so quiet and so very very shy. She was being kept separate because they weren't sure she got on well with other cats and becuase she was so small, it was likely that her first experience with the others would be a bad one. Rune took one look at her and fell in love. She HAD to come home with us and I'm so glad she did. She went from being a pitiful little scrap of fur, to a happy, healthy and cuddly ball of fluff - and we both just adore her. We're going to take another trip out to KV to get her a little playmate now that she's had the company and is missing it so much. I'm not going to complain, the more the merrier!

Tosca came and showed me that there was a lovely place to be in life.... I arrived at the shelter in August... and I never really left!

I think I've told these stories before, but here goes.

I got Sam from a boarding kennel. My landlord had been after me to get a cat for a couple of years. I resisted, thinking that I was a "dog person". A new neighbour moved in upstairs (I'm in an old house, on the second floor, there is an apartment in the converted attic above me.). She'd always wanted a pet, but her mother is allergic, so moving away from home for the first time, she wanted a cat. We decided to "share" a cat. She had a friend who worked at a kennel, and said there was a cat there needing a home. That was Sam.

He is longhaired, big, dignified, and a dedicated lap cat. His family gave him up for adoption at age 5. He was at the kennel for 3 months, and apparently never left the cage where they kept him, they couldn't even get him to come out and play. The friend brought him over in a carrier, she opened the door and a big grey streak ran out, and up the stairs. He rolled and rolled and rolled on the carpet, I think he imagined he'd never see a home again.

For quite a while he split his time between our two apartments, we left both doors open, and he'd sleep half the night with her, half with me.

I felt the need for a second cat, partly because I thought he should have company during the day. I started talking about bringing another cat home, but my mother was very ill, and I needed my spare time to help Dad care for her. And Mom said, "I hope nobody is going to be looking after a cat instead of me".

The day after Mom's funeral, I found Bailey at Petsmart. She had been found, stray, and pregnant with 9 kittens. She was fostered by the director of the SPCA, and when the kittens were all weaned and adopted out, it was her turn. I met her the day she was put up for adoption. She was curled up in the back of the cage, ignoring all of the other cats who were calling "Pick me!" I asked to see her, they took her out of the cage, she wrapped her paws around my neck, tucked her head under my chin, and purred. They had trouble getting her to let go. So she came home with me.

Sam loved her from the minute he saw her - they rubbed noses through the door of the carrier, and spent the first week trying to get to each other.

I've had Sam 5 1/2 years now, and Bailey has been here for 3.

Twitch was one of the many, many kittens my parents had let be born on out place. She was one of a litter of 4-Cuddles(up for adoption now), Ratty(RIP), & Cow(outside cat here). The first time I met her was when Fafeena had the kittens out from her hiding place at 7 weeks or so. I reached down to pet Twitch & she started Twitching violently. Thinking she was seizing, I ran to the house with her. Mom tought she was gorgoues & we rushed her to the vet...only to find out she was deaf & I scared her! From then on, she loved me. The vet determined her to be only 6 weeks, not 7 like I thought. Twitch, from then on, was the outcast. Her mom didn't feed her, her siblings attacked her. She began getting fed 3 or more meals a day(whenever she was hungry) in the house. She slept under the front step. One day, dad backed the truck up while she was under it. He ran over one of her back feet. To this day it is bowed. I was crying my eyes out & screaming at him that he almost killed my cat, when he told me to shut up. He said if I liked that --darn-- cat so much why don't I just make her a housecat. I thought mom was going to smack him. Three days before Christmas, I feel asleep on my bed with Twitch in my bedroom. I woke up a few hours later & when I couldn't find Twitch I went back to sleep. I woke up in the morning to find her sleeping on my pillow. We couldn't sned her back outside in the Minnesota winter, so from then on, she was my housecat, & my first true love.

Lily was one of a litter of many. Her mom showed up on the place with 5 kittens, 4 were clearly related, but one was definately younger. I bottle fed them & found new homes from some. In the end, Twitch(who at that time hated other cats) fell in love with Lily. She refused to eat unless we brought back her kitten. Lily's brother went to the HS & eventually to a rescue where he got adopted. Lily was the runt. She was a fraidy cat(& still is). She always walked weird from the day she came to us. Someday, she will need surgery to fix her back legs.

Lola is yet another deaf white cat born on the place. Her mother was & is anything but nice. She was a litter of 4--all indentical white kittens with blue eyes & deaf. I caught Lola about a week ago. We can't send her back outside, so she will be housecat #3. She hisses at us a lot. She even bit at my mo a couple of times, but with work she will learn to trust me & to trust Twitch & Lily. It took Twitch 2 years to completely warm up to us, eventually Lola will learn we love her, too.

Lovely stories.

Usva: My first cat in 2000. We considered getting a rescue for 6 months, then we went to visit the local pond. She was just so untouched by the misery arround her: Laying on an old pillow, looking regal despite of her surroundings. Then she cuddled with us. We later found out that she had been saved by my sister's friend: she and her 3 siblings had been abandoned in a forest.

Milla: An other rescue in 2002. We wanted company for Usva and more life in our flat. She was captured with her teenage mom and her brother. The foster family's daughter named her.

Tilli and Timotei: One of our idiot friends' cat had kittens and we took 2 in 2004. Tilli and Timotei are my only cats I've met as small kittens. The boys have 2 sisters somewhere.

Lovely stories. I'm sure i've told mine before...but here goes again.

Lucky: I found lucky (or she found me) when she was 4 weeks old. She ran across the street and was almost hit by the car in front of me. By the time i turned around to get her, she had fallen down into the ditch and was buried in leaves...but man could you hear her talking. Even then she was a princess and was squawking at the indignity of being dirty and wet in the ditch!!! lol When i went down into the ditch she came running towards me (talking the whole time!)

Rambo: i thought Lucky needed a friend, so me and a friend went to the pound looking for a boy who could give princess lucky a run for her money. Rambo was in with his brothers and sisters and as we watched he climbed onto the side of the litter box and lept onto the pile of his peacefully sleeping brothers and sisters and started wrestling with them all. My friend picked him up, and he snuggled right up to my neck and started purring. That was the end of that....it was meant to be!