Cat Adoption Stories Contest! Prizes for You AND Your Favorite Shelter!

June is Adopt-A-Cat month and TCS is happy to take part in the effort to raise awareness for adopting cats from shelters and rescues! 

Have you ever adopted from a shelter or rescue organization (fostering)? Then this contest is for you!

We have a double prize here, by our generous contest sponsor Imperial Cat  

Our winner gets an awesome cat scratcher by Imperial Cat (specific model may vary) - 

And they also get to choose a cat shelter/rescue to donate this awesome prize to - 

A box of of smaller scratching posts designed for small spaces and ideal to be used in foster cat rooms and shelter cages!


So, how can you get this scratcher for your cat AND help shelter kitties too?

Participating is easy!

1. Post to this thread and share your cat adoption story! A picture of the cat is always nice, so add one if you can.

The last day for submissions is midnight of Thursday, June 11th. We will then run a draw including all eligible entries. 

Prizes can only be shipped within the continental USA. 

Does a pet store adoption-a-thon count?

nansiludie said:

 
Does a pet store adoption-a-thon count?

Click to expand...

 There is usually a cat rescue or shelter behind those, so yes

Thank you.

My cat Whiskers, my oldest male. He is my sweet cow-colored kitty. I went to look at the kitties as I was heartbroken since my previous kitty passed away suddenly, I wanted a companion for Chispa, a stay tuxedo kitten I adopted a few months earlier. I adopted him from a Petsmart adopt-a-thon, he was a little kitten then, only about 2 months old according to his papers. He was very shy at first but he settled in nicely and he has been my companion ever since. He's 9 years old now, adopted him on Feb. 12 2006, that's President Lincoln's birthday. View media item 276592

Cocoabean is our rescue happy tale (yes, pun intended!).

My BF and I had been contemplating adding to our 1 cat household for months before we got her, but knew that whomever we picked had to have a certain type of personality.  See, our resident cat, Casper, had never lived with another cat and he was bordering on being a senior at that time. We didn't want to risk stressing him out more than necessary so the new kitty had to have a fairly calm way about them.

One day, I saw what claimed to be a purebred Ragdoll on PetFinder, listed with a local rescue "S.A.R.A." (Summit Animal Rescue Association).  I contacted them via email and filled out the required adoption info.  

Julia at S.A.R.A. contacted me right away.  Our application was a good one and she set up a meet and greet with the Ragdolls owners.  Well, once we got there it was pretty evident that the cat was NOT well socialized in the least, although she came from a reputable breeder.  We found out, that the cat had been shuffled around due to their daughter's child being allergic (we didn't believe it as its too common an excuse).  The couple made like they adored Mia, but we could tell this wasn't really the case - the wife didn't touch Mia once and the husband was rough housing with her.  Once the cat lunged at me, for no reason (well, there's always a reason but none due to me) - I was sitting on the couch several feet from her - this sealed the fact that Mia would not join our home.

The next day, I called Julia and told her my concerns.  She agreed, that it was not a good fit (btw, it's also what brought me to TCS) and with her help, we actually got that cat back to the breeder for rehabilitation.

In the interim, Julia told us she had a lovely, long haired Tortie that had just been rescued in her care, not sure of her age but thought between 2-5 years old (we split the difference lol).  She said she was very shy, but well behaved, and maybe we could meet her? According to her, she was also very well socialized to the point of loving being groomed - certainly no feral, but a kitty that must have had a home at some point.  I agreed, and she brought her to our home one night soon after.   Well, I fell in love immediately.  Elmora, as she was then known, really seemed like she needed a loving, quiet home which we could provide for her.  Julia warned us it might take a while for her to acclimate and well, it sure did.  We had her in a "safe" room for about a month before allowing her free range of the house.  We waited until Casper stopped hissing at her door and once that happened, we allowed her to take her time exploring.  Their first meetings went ok as they both knew each other was there but we made sure to do everything "by the book" for introductions.  Once out, and feeling more comfortable, it took some time for her and Casper to really feel ok around each other, but eventually they started to bond.  

It's now over 2 years later, and you'd never know Cocoabean was ever a shy cat.  She has become very outgoing, talkative, and she's quite smart.  She does still have a little trepidation when people come over but, she stopped hiding eons ago.  In fact, she's much more calm with things that Casper gets worried about - like thunderstorms.  When the 2 of the play fight, it's so adorable to watch.  We love seeing them groom each other and hang out relaxing in close company.  She's been great for Casper, as he is more active since she arrived and I think her calm nature about a lot has rubbed off on him as he no longer hides during bad storms. She continues to evolve - this past year she's become even more loving with us particularly, is much more active about soliciting us for attention.  It's a beautiful and fulfilling thing to experience.

So, without further ado even though most have seen pix of her many times, here's a fairly recent one.  Enjoy!

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I have two rescue cats.  The 1st, Eclipse, we adopted a year ago from a cat rescue.  My daughter fell in love with him when he laid down in her lap and slept for an hour or so.  He was 10 weeks old and was found in a dumpster.   After numerous calls and nos from DH we left the cat at the adoption center.  When we got home we showed pictures and pleaded and finally got a yes from DH and adopted him the next day.  Eclipse is a sweet cat and put up with lots of attention and loving but was really interested in the neighbor ferals.  So the talking and pleading re cat #2 began and DH said no.  After a couple of months of looking for a cat and talking, I decided to take in a foster to see what it would be like to have 2 cats.  I saw a Foster needed Urgent for 'Fluffy' who was in a high kill shelter.  Something about her touched my heart. So we applied and a month (Valentine's Day) later she arrived.  Told DH a week before she arrived.  It took some time to introduce the cats, although they had other ideas - nose kisses through the door when it was opened a little bit. Fluffy was the first to approach and start grooming Eclipse. After 2 months when a 3rd person requested a meet w/Fluffy I was heart broken.  I called the Foster people and asked if I could keep her if they decided not to adopt.  So she is mine and is still coming out of her shell.  Fluffy has started giving head butts and nose kisses to me this week.

Fluffy and Eclipse have lots of fun together, chasing each other around the house and hanging out in the catio together.  When it's time for a rest they can be found in the cat trees near people or bird watching upstairs.  They are very different personality wise, Eclipse is quiet and Fluffy very vocal, Fluffy likes fish and Eclipse is chicken and turkey guy, Eclipse likes balls and Fluffy likes the stuffed catnip toys, Eclipse likes to walk on a leash and Fluffy is happy to sit in their tent.  DH really likes the cats and talks and plays with them.  Fluffy is a little cautious around him because he is noisy. She still startles easily.  Fluffy is 10 months old now and still growing.  She may wind up larger than Eclipse LOL.  

I firmly believe that my first cat picked me. She was only two weeks old, but boy, she was a smart kitten! Her and her sisters were found in a trash can at Fort Lee in Virginia. I was six, and for the longest time, I had been begging my parents for a kitten. We a dog, who was already 10 years older than me. I loved her, but I was (and still am) enchanted by cats. One look at Sugar, I knew she as mine! She looked at me and meowed as to say, 'MINE!' And she was so protective of me! She hated when I was out of her sight! She followed me everywhere! I can only imagine how annoying she was when I was in school! She died at 6 from kidney failure. I miss her, but I know that she's not in pain. Thank you, Sugar Bear for 6 wonderful years!

I love all these rescue stories. I can't enter, as all my rescues have been straight from the streets - you could say I bypassed the middleman :lol3: Good luck to all those who can enter...and keep these stories coming :nod:

As a vet tech, I have rescued many cats throughout my career.   The cat I will tell you about, is named Jack.       Jack was born 4 years ago in a shelter by a cat who was not a very good mother.    I adopted him right away, along with his brother Kisses and his sister, AJ.  I bottle fed these guys (and one gal)  ll of their kitten-hood.  Eventually, they grew up, and went separate ways.  (Aj is a mother of 3, Who now belongs to an older couple in a different town.  Kisses is one of our oldest males, picking fights, even after I had him spayed.)   Years later, when Jack was barely four, I noticed him one day coming back from a mouse hunt, and he was limping.  I rushed him to the vet clinic (which I now work at)  and the vet took and x-ray.  Before I knew it, he was in surgery, having a shot gun bullet and his leg removed.   Now Jack, three legged,  still lives on my farm.  I love him, even though he is different.   Sometimes I wonder if he even remembers having four legs.   But who will ever know?

Great idea for a contest!

All of mine were brought in directly off the street, so I won't be entering either. I'm going to enjoy reading all these happy stories though.

My rescue cat is Diamond. A lady walked into my vet's office and said. “Someone dropped this kitty off outside”, put him on the counter and left. Before anyone could stop her, she was gone. Two people there rescued him, one paying for neutering (I reimbursed her) and the other giving him a home at her 40 cat rescue ranch ( I gave her lots of cat food and toys.) The rescue ranch lady estimated his age at five months and thought that from the way he was acting - affectionate but wild – that he had been on his own for a while after being someone's kitty.

The lady with the rescue ranch had a rule. To live inside, an animal had to have either physical or psychological problems that made it difficult to live outside. She has eight indoor cats. So Diamond had to be an outdoor cat. She had twenty-five cat shelters outside and she said that the first night he was there, he took the number one shelter, the one closest to her door. At five months! He is extremely ascendant. Definitely a top cat. She liked him and wanted to keep him for her own.

However, even though she lives in a rural setting, Diamond found his way to the road and liked to play there. She decided it was just a matter of time until he was hit by a vehicle so she started looking for another home for him. I knew her outside the vet's office and I would discuss cat behavior with her. She convinced me that my other cat Boris needed a companion and that I should take Diamond. She said that he always wanted to get inside and she thought he was likely to make a good indoor-only cat.

I met her at the vet's office and took Diamond home. He enjoyed being inside, but he was wild. He had no bounds and when he would become focused on something he was hard to discourage. I had to put my breakable items up. It took several years to calm him down, but now he is a fairly well-behaved cat. He is devoted to me and I am happy that I have been able to give him a stable, loving home.

Here are pictures.

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All 3 of my kitties are rescues. Lilith and Sophie came from the Humane Society and Henry from a local shelter. I first saw Lilith on the HS website and went to go meet her.  She was supposed to be my birthday present to myself last year. I had wanted a cat my whole life but couldn't because my mom hates them View media item 276701
Lilith when she first came home                                                                                                               Lilith now, You can see the white tufts at her cheeks grew in

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Sophie when she first came home                                                                                                              Sophie now snuggled in my blankets


Henry's shelter pic and bio                                                                                         Henry now. His blanket was being washed. His fur is so much softer and shinier since I changed his diet


This is Bailey the just about 13 year old Border Collie who was also adopted from the Humane Society. The windows behind her look into Henry's room. When the door is closed, Lilith smacks the glass with her paw to get his attention and they then try to head butt each other through the glass. Then she cries until I open the door and let her in.  

I had been scouring Craigslist for months looking for 2 kittens. We had lost our 2 cats within a month of each other to coyotes and our family was really missing them. We decided that our new kittens were never going to be let outside when we adopted again.

I kept watching Craigslist and the few times I found kittens only one was available or they were already adopted.

Over this time period I kept seeing an ad for 3 semi feral one year old cats from a rescue group. There were originally more in the first listing but months later there were three that no one wanted.

They had been found in someone's basement at 7 weeks and were bounced from foster home to foster home.

I always felt sad seeing the ad but I was also scared of the idea of them being semi feral.

One night I made up my mind that I was going to at least try to foster them. I read up on feral cats and sat my 3 kids 11 year old twins and a 13 year old down and watched Youtube videos with them so they would understand that these aren't snuggly cats like they were used to.

Well it's been just over a month and we have made so much progress in this short time. I have adopted them as ours instead of fostering.

They are rather timid but are slowly coming around. They are such a joy to play with and watch. I think one of them may never allow us to pet her but the other two are starting to allow a little affection.

Awesome entries - keep them coming! I love reading those heartwarming stories and the pictures add a lot too, so try and add one if you can!

I work at an animal shelter, specifically with cats. It's so exciting when that one cat, that has been waiting and waiting, finally gets a home! Thanks for this awesome contest!

On to my cat's story. Part of my job involves visiting local city shelters and pulling cats into our rescue. On one visit, in April, I found Cadbury. At the time, I still lived with family, and they didn't want a cat in the house. So, he was pulled from that shelter and taken into ours, with the intention of being put up for adoption soon. Before that happened, we got our apartment and I was able to bring him home with me instead! He is 1 year old and the most AWESOME cat. Because I "found" him in the 1st shelter, and was able to learn his story from them, I feel like I've "known" him all his life, and he has always been mine. He was brought in as a stray to the city shelter we pulled him from, fed by the office staff at an apartment complex, coming and going on his own, for 2 months before being called in. He had a fight wound on his ear and tail, but besides that turned out very healthy. Because it was right around Easter when I found him, and he was aged at about a year, his "birthday" is Easter 2014. This is my chocolate Cadbury egg.

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What about people who adopted strays, thus preventing them from going to a shelter?

I've adopted two cats from shelters.. but since Monet was my very first cat, I'll share his story. I thought about not sharing it here since it's pretty.. well.. sappy. lol.

It was about a year after I've moved out of my parent's house. I had just lost my job and was forced to work as a security guard at the time. Security was The. Worst. Job. Ever.Finances were tight, thankfully my parents were able to help with the rent for a year. I was really depressed and hard on myself.. who knew how stressful it was not to have any money and relying on your parents? Honestly, I did have thoughts in my mind to take "The easy way out".

I knew needed something to keep me going while I hunted for a new job, a meaning to my life. I had a small apartment, and knew I couldn't get a dog. I had a bird, and I had no space for a caged critter. A friend was talking about her cat.. so I thought, I never had a cat before. Sure, they were disgusting creatures that dig in litter boxes and walk all over your counter while you are trying to cook. The knowledge that they are independent appealed to me since I worked 12-14 hours a day with Security. Why not? If I hated cats, I can always return it. Little did I know my thoughts would be turned around!

So Memorial Day of 2009, I walked into a shelter and saw this little tuxedo kitten. The only kitten in a cage, all by himself. I instantly fell in love. He was passed over many times because he was extremely vocal and loud! Apparently people wanted quiet animals.. and this guy was far from quiet at that time. Living alone and depressed, I felt a noisy cat would bring me comfort and needed company. He was it. First feline I came across- I didn't want to search around for others. Within an hour, papers signed and I took him home and we've been together since!

Monet saved my life. I did not save it myself by adopting him, he saved me. He kept my spirits up while job hunting, he was there when I needed hugs. He gave me the motivation to keep trying and to keep smiling.  He also taught me that cats are better than dogs. 

His baby photo when I took him home:

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me and my boy!

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Most of my cats either came from the streets or were given to me by someone, but I did adopt from a shelter once. 

When I was 15, my very first cat had passed away unexpectedly and I was heartbroken. I really missed having a cat of my own, and after a few months I was ready for a new kitten. I had been reading about different breeds and had fallen in love with the Siamese (the old fashioned, round-faced kind), but there was no way I could afford a purebred at that time. So my Mom and I went to the local shelters and Petsmart adoption days, looking for a cat that resembled a Siamese.

We finally found the perfect kitten, a little blue point female who had both the looks and the personality I wanted. She was friendly and talkative, with a loud voice. Her time was almost up at the kill shelter she was in, so we brought her home right away. We actually thought she was a boy at first, and we named her Niko. By the time we found out otherwise it seemed too late to change it. 

Niko was a wonderful part of my life for over 15 years. She had her share of health and behavior problems, but she was also the companion I needed at the time. I consider myself very blessed to have known her.

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We always had a cat when I was growing up, and I knew my own home needed a cat.  So I decided to get an adult cat that needed a home. I wanted it to be orange.  Didn't matter if it was male or female.

A couple weeks before I was ready to adopt, we went to the SPCA just to look around. They had several cats.  Two were orange.  One was a big fluffy male, who snuggled in my arms.  He'd been there a couple weeks. In fact, they said they'd found him in a cardboard box on their doorstep one morning.  I wasn't ready, and they would only hold him 24 hours.  When I checked their website the next day, he'd been adopted.

The other orange cat was a pretty short-haired female.  She was either sneezing or trying to cough up a hairball, so I didn't bother her.

Two weeks later, I was ready to adopt. And I still wanted an orange cat.

This time they only had one orange cat.  A female. Short-haired.  Three years old.  They told me someone had found her and brought her in.  Poor baby had to have a lot done to fix her up, as she arrived with fleas, worms, broken upper canine teeth, a bit of a wobbly eye, and had not been spayed.  She'd been at the shelter almost 2 months and was ready to go to her new home. 

She was extremely friendly.  She purred and head-bumped me when I opened her cage door.  I picked her up to snuggle, but she scrambled back inside her cage.  I looked at the other cats, but was drawn back to the orange female, who started purring again when I scratched her chin.  

It was getting close to shelter closing time, so I decided to think about it overnight. The next morning we went back. Looked at all the cats again, but I knew the orange female was the cat I wanted. They were going to be closed the next day, and wanted to do a fecal test as she and some of the other cats had developed diarrhea.  I could either take her home and bring back a sample or leave her till the next time they were open. I opted to wait.  Before I left I told her I’d be coming back to get her. 

I half regretted my decision to wait, as I had hoped to be bringing home my cat that day, and the house felt oddly empty, but I also didn't want to be bringing home a possibly sick cat.  So I waited.   And 2 days later I went back to get her.  They'd done the fecal test and assured me the diarrhea wasn’t a concern, and was possibly caused by a new food.  But they did send me home with eye drops for an upper respiratory virus. 

She meowed constantly during the short drive home. Once we were inside, I opened her carrier door, turned around to close the front door, and when I looked back at her, she was already out of the carrier and exploring her new home.

It wasn't until I was giving her the eye drops that it occurred to me that she must have been the sneezing/coughing orange cat I'd avoided the first time I'd visited the shelter.  I guess her hacking had kept others from adopting so she'd still be there when I was ready.