Did you get your kitty sight-unseen?

Love your story!!!

Originally Posted by Cearbhaill

I picked mine out at the humane society.

I went looking specifically for an orange tabby boy, and saw the two of them
wrestling in a cage together- they were just adorable! I had been thinking
about getting a kitten for months- why I decided on this exact morning made
no sense at all. I just woke up saying "today is the day".

At this particular shelter, you take a number *after* you have viewed the
available animals, but before a counselor helps you. So I had to sit in that
waiting room holding my number, just KNOWING that someone in line ahead of
me would take one of them thus breaking up the brotherhood. That was the
longest 20 minutes of my life.

When it got to be my turn I handed them the identifying information and said
"I want them both, they're now BOTH spoken for, don't you dare give one of
them to anyone else!". That was the first morning they had been up for
adoption, having been turned in and neutered the day before, and it was just
a miracle that I showed up that morning in time to keep them together.
Somebody did an excellent job of raising them as they are lap loving people
cats and not afraid of a thing- happy, outgoing, and healthy.

It has been true love ever since.
They are incredibly bonded, even for siblings, and I really thank God
everyday that I was able to get there in time to keep them together.

Their closeness made me kind of fear for what would happen if something ever happened to one of them- I was afraid they would mourn terribly. So as the overplanner that I am, I went back and got the black boy "Loomis", knowing that the younger I added the third the easier it would be on all three of them. "Loomis" turned out to be looney tunes, but he has calmed down remarkably and I love him to death too.
They all get along beautifully.

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Is this a new siggy a day now, Susie?

Originally Posted by LokisMum

Is this a new siggy a day now, Susie?

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I have tons, so yes, I switch often!

I found my Loki through the Bengal Cat rescue. His mom hated the cattery and tought the kits to run and hide from humans - therefore making them not exactly friendly and tooooo shy to sell. The first and only time I met Loki before he came home with me was in a room at the cattery - I decided to sit in the middle of the room and waited to see what would happen. All he would do was circle me at the farthest edges of the room. After a little while I decided to pull his tail just to see what would happen - all he did look at me like hey lady what you do that for, but face it even if would have smacked me he still would have come home with me. Face it I had already decided that he was mine - way before I met him! It's the best decision I have ever made. Loki shy not for a minute - he has turned in to a demanding yet extreemly loving sweet boy who I could not live without!

PS: Loki's mom also found a pet home and last I heard was very very happy not like in the cattery.

How do you store them all? And whatever happened to the baseball kitties? Ball season isn't over yet.......... Haven't you ever heard the phrase "Mr October"!

Originally Posted by LokisMum

How do you store them all? And whatever happened to the baseball kitties? Ball season isn't over yet.......... Haven't you ever heard the phrase "Mr October"!

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I have them all stored in my Photobucket acct........as for baseball, I love it but I have to be fair to all my siggies!

Originally Posted by Hell603

I found my Loki through the Bengal Cat rescue. His mom hated the cattery and tought the kits to run and hide from humans - therefore making them not exactly friendly and tooooo shy to sell. The first and only time I met Loki before he came home with me was in a room at the cattery - I decided to sit in the middle of the room and waited to see what would happen. All he would do was circle me at the farthest edges of the room. After a little while I decided to pull his tail just to see what would happen - all he did look at me like hey lady what you do that for, but face it even if would have smacked me he still would have come home with me. There was no way I would have left without him. It's the best decision I have ever made. Loki shy not for a minute - he has turned in to a demanding yet extreemly loving sweet boy who I could not live without!

PS: Loki's mom also found a pet home and last I heard was very very happy not like in the cattery.

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Love your kitty's name!

Originally Posted by kittylover4ever

I have them all stored in my Photobucket acct........as for baseball, I love it but I have to be fair to all my siggies!

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Good for you! But am partial to the baseball kits................

Originally Posted by LokisMum

Love your kitty's name!

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Great minds think alike

I got Ophelia & Lily sight unseen. I had no clue on Lily's personality. I knew Ophelia owuld be a challenge, but her alternative was not so pretty. Ophelia's issues have been a sour part of my life, but her snuggling up to me & purring at night is well worth it. Although, I swear, I am going to die 10 years earlier after all the stress the little trukey has been causing me.

Of course, Heidi, my nagging shelter volunteer is kicking in. "Don't pick a kitty based on looks, pick a kitty based on personality. Your cats don't care if the new addition is purple with pink polka dots, they care that the cat will be kind to them & they will, in return, be kind to the new cat." Although, I know you are taking this seriously.

Good luck! I say find out about the personality...and that's my only advice.

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Of course, Heidi, my nagging shelter volunteer is kicking in. "Don't pick a kitty based on looks, pick a kitty based on personality. Your cats don't care if the new addition is purple with pink polka dots, they care that the cat will be kind to them & they will, in return, be kind to the new cat." Although, I know you are taking this seriously.

Good luck! I say find out about the personality...and that's my only advice.

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Thanks. I'm not basing it on looks, but on...a feeling? Of course, this one does happen to be one of my favorite colors in kitties, but you're right - it doesn't matter if she were purple with pink polka dots. The person I'm working with I trust implicitly, and I know when she says that kitty is a sweetheart, that means kitty is a sweetheart. I don't want to jinx it by saying too much, and because I'm trying to convince my husband that this is the right one for us.

"It wouldn't matter if it was purple with pink polks dots."

I would be the first in line for a purple kitty with pink dots!


On a serious note, I have teared up at so many of these stories about how you picked or got your kitties. Maybe its just "that time of the month" hormones, but many of your stories are very touching. It's nice to be able to come to TCS and be around others who care for their animals so much and not be viewed as a "crazy cat lady" (or at least to have that label to be viewed as a compliment).

Thanks everyone for sharing.

I must have looked at Chester a dozen times on petfinder and passed on him because I was looking for a brown or grey male tabby.

When we went to the shelter there were four tabbies. One was taken, one was a female with problems and the other two were huge males that were brothers and had to be adopted together.

I liked really liked one of the brother but they were so big I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t think there would be enough room in my apartment for them. These two werenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t fat cats but they were the size of a small dog.

At this shelter the cats are in cages. When you want to hold one the attendant brings the cat to you in a small interview room.

Just to be fair I held the female but she just didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t feel right. Then I looked in all the other cages. None of the other cats were even close to what I was looking for. I had my heart set on a tiger cat.

All along there was this one cat that just lay there watching. Every time I walked past his cage I would look at him and keep going. Finally when it looked like I wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t going to go home with no cat I decided to check him out.

He was a boy cat with a girlâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s name and according to his paper work he was afraid of everything. He seemed friendly enough and was glad to be out of his cage. I asked my niece to pick him up and hand him to me. I had decided that if he let me hold him he was the one.

When the attendant came in and asked what I had decided I told her that “Chester is coming home with meâ€. We had already decided that my cat would be named Chester.

As it turns out Chester is a big cat. He is almost as big as the two brothers. He didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t look that big in the small cage. And now that I know him I realize that the reason he appeared to be so friendly was more a matter of his extreme curiosity. He was so intent on checking out the new room he forgot to be afraid of us.

Also he hates to be picked up. I almost never get to hug him.

But now I love him to pieces and think that he was meant to be mine.

I got Tigger by reading about her on her page in the shelter's website. I did meet her, but I was going there to get her or die trying. So it wouldn't have mattered. My husband & daughter went to get Nadette as a surprise for me - and she "picked" them. She's really sweet. And Smudge of course was sent to me sight unseen. Leslye wanted to send me one of the other boys because they had better markings, but had a sense that I would want the "sweetest" one, which he is!

Guess I'll share my story too.

Anya was sight unseen as well. I had been looking at kittens online at all of the local Los Angeles shelters for about 2 months.

I saw Anya's photo one day after I got home from work. I just knew she was the one. It was a photo of her almost smiling with clear eyes and coat, sitting very statuesque, right in the middle of a beautiful yellow crochet blanket. I called the shelter to see when she would be available and a young male volunteer told me if I could get there before they closed that would be good. She had just become available. He insisted that I hurry.

I called Brian who was leaving work and asked him how fast he could get to South LA. He asked why, and even though he wasn't super excited about the idea of a cat, he knew I had my heart set on her and fought rush hour traffic in LA to get there, showing up about 2 minutes before the shelter closed.

When he went inside they couldn't find her records, and then when they did it turned out that she had started sneezing and they had moved her into the "sick kitty section". They asked if we still wanted her. Of course we did!
They had their vet check her out, but by the time they had finished doing that the shelter's computer system had gone down (of course) and they were telling Brian that we couldn't pay for her and take her home. So he left and went out to the parking lot to call me. I asked him to go get cash at an ATM and see if they would accept it.

So he did and the person at the counter said no again, and for him to come back tomorrow and maybe the kitten would be there. There was no way he could adopt with their system down. Brian said he was turning to go when a young male volunteer stopped him and asked if his wife had called earlier about the small grey kitten. Brian was like, "Yes, that's me!" The volunteer smiled and said he was sure something could be worked out.

Brian left about ten minutes later with little miss Anyanka in tow. She's had both of us wrapped around her little paws ever since.

Great story Emily!

Both of my boys picked me. Bit's story has been recounted in his gotcha day thread. http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97070

Scratch just looked at me as to say "Youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re my Mommy aren't you? Take me home please." I had the nerve to look behind me to see if he was looking at someone else. He wasn't. I had no choice.

Was Scratch a shelter kitty, or in a home part of a litter? I can't remember his story...

Originally Posted by sarahp

Was Scratch a shelter kitty, or in a home part of a litter? I can't remember his story...

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Shelter kitty... he was adopted out twice and brought back because he was too shy. The funny thing is he slept with me the first night, and every night since. I have a sneaking feeling that he wasn't too fond of children.

Originally Posted by lookingglass

Shelter kitty... he was adopted out twice and brought back because he was too shy. The funny thing is he slept with me the first night, and every night since. I have a sneaking feeling that he wasn't too fond of children.

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Awwww...

Can you imagine what it must feel like to have been adopted and brought back TWICE? Talk about rejection. Poor little Scratch.