How did you acquire your feline(s)?

[mystik spiral]

Pretty boring - I adopted Holland from the Denver Dumb Friends League. We always had dogs when I was a kid, and after living in a condo for several years I really missed having a pet, and refused to have a dog in a condo with no yard. I had always been allergic to cats, but kittens never really bothered me, so I was hoping that getting a kitten would help me be less allergic once the cat was full-grown.

Holland was one of the (if not THE) oldest kittens in the kitten room, she was 5 months old and had already been at the shelter for 2 months.

What kind of cute little kitten doesn't get adopted for 2 months?!? Holland, that's who. She was afraid of everything while the other kittens were playful and energetic.

But I fell in love with her.

The end.

 

[goonie]

3 of mine were 'railroad kitties'. my DH works for union-pacific. one of the 3 they found in a boxcar. the 4th we found at the condos we were living a few years back. she was an adult & spayed, her owners moved without her. then i brought home one of my strays i feed at an office parking lot every night. she was pregnant and had 4 kittens a week later. i had all good intentions to find homes for the kittens but couldn't find any good enough so we kept them too. that was four years ago.
i've had cats all my life but i never got to pick one out somewhere and say 'i want that one'. they always just seem to find me.

 

[my4llma]

Lynxx

we found in a plastic bag, in the parking lot of my mother's work. It was the hottest day of June that year. He was 8 weeks old. He lived like a king here for 9 years. I miss him so much.

Luna was thrown from a pick up truck, on the highway right in front of us. She was in some type of carrier, it looked like a childs toy. That's probably what made it so she didn't have serious injuries. She was 12 weeks old.

Midnight was found crying outside my mother's friend's house. Later we found out the original owners were going to sell him and his siblings. They had people coming to look at them. That spooked the cat mother. She moved them, and they got lost in the move. Midnight was the only 1 out of 4 kittens to be found. Since my mother's friend couldn't keep him, she knew we were looking for a kitten for Luna, she told us, and we got him that night. He was 3 weeks old, a little ball of fur with eyes. He was so little he fit in the palms of our hands.

 

[ldg]

We're in a rural/farm/woodsy area, started feeding one stray that was raiding the garbage can. That was 2001. Took her to be spayed - turns out she already was.

But she turned on that "cat homing beacon." We got involved with TNR - and apart from Lazlo and Sheldon, the first two kittens we adopted from that first litter that officially got us involved in rescue (2002), the kitties we kept were the special needs kitties.

Spooky and Tuxie are also siblings of Lazlo and Shely, but Spook we adopted out badly.

She was abused, and she came home as a special needs kitty.

Tuxie wasn't adoptable - such a little meanie. But it was such a frozen winter, we put him in boarding. He got really sick, and had bonded with Gary... so home he came. Thankfully, it worked.

Otherwise we released the older ferals, and adopted out the healthy/adoptable cats.

Flowerbelle Gary rescued from the vet's parking lot. A couple found her in a liquor store parking lot, brought her to the vet. Gary happened to be there. Reception told the couple they'd have to take financial responsibility for her. They decided to go put her back. Gary decided to give them a piece of his mind and take the kitty.

Ming Loy and her sister were rescued by garbage men who heard mewing in the garbage. They took them to the county shelter (a horrible place then!). We were already networked then. The shelter called and gave us an hour or two to get there as they were going to kill them - they have cerebellar hypoplasia (makes them "shakey" kitties). The vet staff named them Neuro and Logic. "Neuro" we renamed Ming Loy when we brought her home, and a vet tech adopted Logic.

Billy isn't special needs... but he was VERY bonded to his brother, and we weren't able to adopt them out together.

So in he came.

Chumley we would have released, but he was so food aggressive he drove the entire colony away. So he came in. He was going to be put in the foster network, but turned out to be FIV+, and they don't work with that. So in he came.

 

[mbjerkness]

Lucky - I stepped out my door and heard a kitten cry. I looked down and there she was. The vet said she was an hour or so old. We searched didn't find any others.

Gus - was a feral that was hanging out with his Momma. I came home and saw a Tomcat trying to kill him on my lawn. I kittynapped him and put him my basement.

since he loves food he wasn't too hard to tame

 

[greycat2]

RB cat

Sphinx - He was adopted from a kill shelter along with Kuce. He was a surrender and was to be pts soon. His favorite volunteer was happy to see him go to a forever home. He was with us for 2 years before he passed on (He was 18 when he crossed over).

Current cats

Kuce - Was adopted from the same kill shelter and the same time as Sphinx. She was also due to be pts soon. She is still with us and just turned 18 years old. She had been diagnosed with CRF last year.

Luvbug - We adopted him from the streets. He showed up with a few other cats nearly starved to death (2lbs underweight). He came to live with us 10 days before Sphinx passed over. He was diagnosed with a grade 2 heart murmur last year and was upgraded to a level 3 four months later. He'll be 11 in July.

Lil' Jag - We found her as a 3.5 month old in Nov. of 2004 in the tire wll of my brother's Jaguar Coupe - hence her name. Kuce took to her as though she was her baby kitten ith Luvbug being big brother. Relatively healthy (other than Anal Gland issues) so far. She'll be 7 in August.

Buster- was also a stray that adopted us where we were renting. He was also being cared for by another lady who could keep him inside because she had to many cats inside. He stayed with us and is calming down (he still has the need to be outside but only during the day.) He's around 5-7 years.

 

[ducman69]

Wow, everyone has all these amazing stories of random encounters. Glad to hear so many stories of literally life and death rescues!

 

[trouts mom]

I'm ashamed to say it, but I got Trout from a pet store

I would adopt the next one though now that I am so aware.

 

[luvmyparker]

MJ and Parker (brother and sister) - My roommates brother owned these two from the time they were kittens. He had them first at his apartment with his gf. They broke up and he moved back with his parents and sister (my roomie) and brought two of their 3 cats with him. I was also living there at the time. He was 'caring' for them at the time but not how I saw fit. I began taking over feeding them, playing with them and giving them water, since most days he forgot to do that stuff.

Parker got a URI and was very, very sick. This guy couldn't be bothered to take him to the vet. So I took the little money I had and took him myself. A few days later, he decided he was moving in with his new gf and couldn't take the cats. He asked if I wanted them and I said "YES!!!". Some stuff went down and we I went back to live with my folks for a while. During this time Parker and MJ stayed with my roomie. A window without a screen was left open one day and MJ fell out and ran away. (Still miss my little Princess

) Parker has been with me since.

Buddy - I was looking at the pets on kijiji (I do this daily lol) and saw this little guy that looked just like Sami. My roomie decided she wanted him and the woman brought him over a couple days later.

 

[cheylink]

Originally Posted by Trouts mom

I'm ashamed to say it, but I got Trout from a pet store

I would adopt the next one though now that I am so aware.

Why in the world would you be ashamed for finding Trout at a pet store?! You rescued him, and look how good of a catch he was

!

I was lucky enough to find a listing for free kittens on Craigslist within an hour of the posting. The next day I met a guy with a duffel bag at a train station, it was surreal! He opened the bag and there was this tiny kitten, maybe 8 weeks old, who clinged to me as soon as I picked her up and that was it.......The story of Maia and Cheyenne began!