Where did everyone get their cat from?

[I_love_cats]

I am curious as to where everyone got their cat from. I adopted all of my cats from the Humane Society where I volunteer and I am happy with my cats. Alot of people say getting a cat from a petstore is a bad idea. Here, in Toronto where I live, there is a petsmart that has cats and kittens for adoption. Would you recommend getting a cat or a kitten from a petstore or is a bad idea. Please let me know what you think.

[Nomilynn]

I voted "other" because I have three cats and I got all three of them differently! :)

I got Bassett outside a grocery store from a cardboard box (someone was giving them away)

Tilly I got through a shelter at PetSmart

Nutmeg I got through an adoption agency at a pet food store.

[Uabassoon]

I got Tibby from a shelter and Corkscrew from a friend who got him at a shelter.

[Chinadoll]

I voted other because all 3 came from different places

Scout-stray I found outside my apartment door in desperate need of TLC.

Gigi-suppossedly my boyfriend's kitty. His coworker's cat had kittens and he brought her home. He thinks he's taking her from my apartment when he gets his own apartment. Soooooo NOT happenning.

Bixby-my mother bought him from a petstore because she said he was too beautiful to go home with anyone else. She told me she found him because she knew I was only taking in animals on emergancy cases only. I got the truth out of her soon enough...he was too well cared for to be a stray and he was too cute to let go.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I adopted Storm from the Humane Society. He was very sick at the time and I didn't realize it. I'm glad that I adopted him because some people wouldn't have wanted to spend the extra money on a new sick cat. We have a very special bond. He was about 1 year old when I got him. He actually picked me and got my attention at the shelter by sticking his paw out of the cage.

I adopted Pepper through a pet organization called Care. He was at a pet store called Petco. He was the only long haired kitten there and was very friendly and purry. He lost his mother when he was very young so he was bottle fed. He was only 9 weeks old when I got him.

I adopted Sunny through a pet organization called Unconditional Love. I saw the ad in the newspaper and left a message telling them that I was looking for an orange male kitten. A lady called me back and said that they had an orange male but he was about 6 months old. I went down there the next day and it was love at first sight. He turned out to be 8 months old but that was fine with me. He's brought a lot of life into my household. :)

[C.C.'s Mom]

Both my kitties are rescues.

Rudie was in a shelter living in a box for about 3 years. He was scared, skinny and looking miserable. Nobody ever gave him a chance because 'he was not social'.
He's the most loving cat I've ever had. I love him so much! He's my big boy - happy, always chatting and in a good mood.

Eddy was in the same rescue. She was given away by an old lady whose other cat passed away and she didn't feel like keeping Eddy as an only cat. She and Rudie were best friends at the shelter, so we took them both.

My sweetie Maya is from a shelter !!
She chose us !!!
We got her after that our first cat Sydney was gone to the Rainbow Bridge !!
We are very happy with this little loving rascal !! I advise everybody to get hteir cat from a shelter !! Usually , you won't find any pure-breeds there ; but if you care to save a pet , go the shelter !! You can make an unhappy pet VERY HAPPY with doing this !!! Maya loves us very much , and so do we : she is a real friend and sweety !!!

[jenluckenbach]

I voted shelter, but some were different.
Amber and Sterling came from the local "kill" shelter.
Ashley, Calvin, Fern, Rutherford, Monte and Willow came from local no-kill shelters.
Biddy and Lucas were strays.
and Jasper was a kitten from a litter on it's way to a shelter when a kind lady intervened and took him to our common vet and the people at the vet called me.

[neko1]

Neko and Pumpkin were from the shelter, Cookie was a feral cat that we caught. She and a bunch of other cats lived outside my fiance's old job. Tama my abyssinian was given to me by a client at the vet's office where I work. When he was a kitten her husband accidentally stepped on his foot and fractured a bone so she had to bring him in every 2 weeks for a rebandage. Every time she brought him in, I wanted an aby more and more. It turned out that her son had violent allergic reactions to the cat and she knew that I loved abyssinians so she gave him to me. I hope to post pics soon of his little cast.

[-Panther-]

That would be shelter, I'm "an animal rescue worker". And all my cats are from there :)

[Kirsten]

That's an interesting question, and I find it very positive that so many came from the shelter.

I got Luna from some friends of my family; they had a litter of five kittens when I lost my Katz, and since I decided to get a new cat, I promised them to take one when they're old enough. And I made a very good choice with Luna! :)

Kirsten

[Former User]

We got Casper and Kitty from a woman who my husbands colleague at work knew. Her cat had 3 kittens and they were heading to the shelter. We had not planned on taking cats just yet, but we coulnd't let this opportunity pass us and we took them. The 3rd kitten also avoided shelter, the woman who's cat got those kittens, her mother then took the 3rd kitten. Happy ending to that then.

[Vermontcat]

I checked "other" because I got my cat when I saw an ad in the newspaper for Free Kittens. I had just finished college and had my own place and I was ready to get a kitten of my own. The ad said they had 4 black and white kittens, 2 males and 2 females and I had always wanted a black and white female. My then boyfriend (now husband) and I went over and picked her up and took her home. She has been with us for 14 wonderful years now! I think that it proves the saying is true " The best things in life are free!":D

[Cookiebaker]

We got Marigold kitty from the local human society. They had brand new kitties for adoption that were SO cute. We kept looking at them but couldn't decide on "just one". The lady finally said, "oh we have one more but she's not much...she's been here forever...we didn't PTS because she was pregnant and had kittens, and we had to wait until the kittens were weaned." We went into this other room (where she was all by herself), and took her out of her cage. She was so friendly, and cuddly, and didn't want to go back into her cage. :( We talked it over for a couple of minutes and it was decided. We went and got some basic supplies (food, litter & box, toys, collar etc) and picked her up that afternoon. They usually charge like $40 (I think) plus the cost of fixing, but they only charged us for fixing her. She's the best kitty ever, and I am so glad that we rescued her!! :D

[kohala]

I voted "friend", as a friend did turn me on to her. Actually, though, she was 3 months old and about to be given to the humane society when several of my friends told me about her. My Dad had just passed away, and they felt I should have a companion. She lived in Pacific Beach with her birth family, near where my friends had their boats at Campland-on-the-Bay. Annie, a delightful lass from Sligo, Ireland, took the kitten to her boat on a night I was going to stay over. The next morning, when I went to her boat, I saw not a kitten, but a little cat. I was going to reject her (I can't imagine doing that to any being now, 16 years later!), but she came up to me, meowing desperately, so I took her inland with me. She stuck to me like fur, putting her paws over my forearm when I would lie down, as if to say, stay with me, rest, stop running around so much, hence my recognition of her profession, "therapy cat". A year and a half later, she bonded instantly to Dadcat, and we have been a happy, healing, loving family ever since. The End! ;)

[Cataholic]

Wow...I am so psyched to see so many rescue situations...

I got Tex when I moved to Massachusetts from a no kill shelter call Neads...which is actually an organization that raises/trains/teams assistance dogs...kinda cool. They send out a newsletter that I still get 10 years later.

Then came Georgia. I had moved to Cinti to go back to school, and taken Tex in for a vet visit. I had made an off hand comment to the vet tech that I wanted another b/w..since I was going to be in school so much, Tex 'needed' a friend. A week later she called and said, "We found a friend for Tex".

Then Tennessee came from the school my mom teaches at...he was on the playground, being abused by the kids. I was studying for finals..and mom called...away I went.

Alabama and Dakota were from my girlfriend who rescued their mom -a deaf all white female in the middle of a rain storm on a highway...nice, huh? I said, offhandly (something I must stop doing).. "I will take any b/w mommy has"..SHE HAD TWO!

Minnesota came as a result of that same friend. Her boyfriend said "there is this cat at a shelter that looks like it belongs to Tenny and Dakky (uh, they are both males, and much older- so how does he think they 'belong' to T and D?). I went, I saw, I have.

I would do it all again...and probably would have bought a bigger house! :D

[Felicia's Mom]

My vote was for "other." Felicia was from a pet store. Beau was from a breeder.

[All Creatures Great And Small]

xx

[weeze]

I live in Toronto also and I got Minnie from someone for free but I adopted Baby from and Animal Hospital/shelter called Banks Animal Hospital. Everyone there is so amazing. For a small fee you get the cat plus all their initial shots, spay/neuter and microchip. I guess its kind of similar to the Humane Society...

[NoahsMommy]

Noah: We got him from a co-worker who had TWO cats with litters a week apart! :mad: At least we got our special little guy out of that situation.

Noel: We got Noel through "Life Rescue" at PetSmart while shopping for cat food. ;)

Basil: We got Basil while shopping for cat food again, through PetSmart.

Gotta stay away from that area of PetSmart!! :D

[moosmom]

Mollie Rose, my tortie was born in a barn at the Bill Wilson House in East Dorset, VT. While my daughter and I were there visiting the house, my friends who run the house told me kittens were born 8 weeks before and asked me if I wanted one. Not being a cat person, I hesitated. My daughter finally convinced me. There were 4 to choose from including the Divine Miss "M" and her twin (I saw them in the barn laying next to each other head to head. I couldn't tell them apart). Mollie Rose glanced up at me upside down and I was hooked. Amy wanted me to take both girls so they'd be company for each other. But not being experienced (that was 8 years ago) I didn't want to take on too much.

Casey is white and buff color and weighs 18 lbs. I got him 7 years ago from a friend whose cat had kittens. Casey's mama was killed by a car at 2 weeks old so he was hand fed. He's the most lovable of them all.

Maya Laquita Linn came from a rescue organization out of Puerto Rico. I was volunteering with a rescue group in CT and they were helping the Puerto Rico group save dogs and cats (there IS no animal control over there, all animals roamed the streets). Maya, her brother and mama were found in a taped up box near a dumpster at the San Juan Airport. She is a seal point lynx torbie with white (or at least that's what they judges at cat shows tell me). She has won all kinds of ribbons in the Household Pet division including 4th Best Household Pet Kitten nationally!!!

Carly the Curly Girl was rescued from a breeder who lost her home. She is an American Curl Tiger Tabby.

Little Mews Faberge (aka "shorty) is the most perfect calico Munchkin I ever laid eyes on, that was also rescued from a breeder. I saw her at a cat show one day cowering in the corner of her cage. I asked the breeder if I could foster her in an effort to socialize her. She said yes providing I keep showing her. Well, shorty spent the first year of her life in a cage. She was never allowed to play with other cats or even be held and petted. She is now all mine!!!!! And she is the sweetest, most loving cat since she's been with me :rolleyes: .

And last, but certainly not least...MooShoo!!!! He is a Sphynx who was rescued from a very bad breeder. This woman left her cats and went off to judge a cat show, leaving her cats in the care of her mother, who had Alzheimers. All of the cats had a herpes virus in their eyes that went untreated. There were a total of 7. Out of the 7 rescued, only Moo and another sphynx, Pixel, survived. (that's where I got my loathing of breeders, although I know it's not the norm) Both cats are blind and have had chronic health problems. They were also exposed to FIP, which I wasn't told of until I had unknowingly exposed my other cats). He is also a national winner that placed 13th nationally as Best Household Pet Kitten. MooShoo is like a little dog who LOVES going for rides in the car (weather permitting of course), walks on his harness and cuddling with me in bed. I wouldn't have it any other way. :D

[Glacier]

Well let's see...
Glacier came first and I crawled under a deck to get him. His momma had given birth under a friend's deck and she didn't know what to do with him and his littermates. She kept the momma and I found homes for the other three kittens.

Pete was next. I am a social worker and he came from foster parents I used to work with. His momma was a barn cat who just disappeared one day--as barn cats are prone to. Pete was only three weeks old. I had wanted one of the kittens, but never planned on taking him that early.

Dominique was found wandering a busy street by a teenager I worked with. She lived in a group home and couldn't keep the kitten. I said I would find her a home and just kept her!

Ivy came from our local humane society when she was about a year old. She had been adopted from there as a tiny kitten and was returned when the couple broke up.

Polly Paws I pulled from our local kill shelter just before she was to be PTS. I had been in several times that week looking for a friend's missing kitty. I had played with Polly a couple times and a soft-hearted by-law officer called me just before her time was up and said he would reduce her bail if I could get there before six pm (closing time and when the vet come by) . I drove like a nut, but I got there in time.

Onyx also come from our local humane society. He was about six weeks old when he was left in a sealed box in front of the shelter with his sisters. The other two kittens had unusual markings and were adopted quickly. But no one seemed to want plain black Diamond, as he was called then. So I agreed to foster him when he was four months old, after two days I decided that he was never going anywhere!

[AdoreMyDogs]

Minion's past owners must have moved out of my old apartment complex and, not wanting their cat anymore, left without him. I guess you could say he was a stray. Here's his story:

"Well I did it, I took Minion" (http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14342)

I don't think that he ran away from his previous home, as he does not have any interest in going outside at ALL. I was just in the right place at the right time when I found this kitty of my dreams :)

[zookeeper]

We adopted Campino from the Winnipeg Humane Society. He was 10 months old and had been at the shelter for 2 months. They found him on the streets. When I first layed eyes on I knew he was coming home with me. I had had an orange tabby when I was 5, never had a cat after he passed away and Campino looked so much like him, that I knew he was meant for me.

I took him out of his cage and we went into the visiting room and played with him. He was very aggressive, and we were told not to give him catnip as he would become more so.

He was very loving with me and my FH but attacked visitors and our roommates. :rolleyes: But we saw past his rough exterior and loved him even more

He has now been with us for 2 years and is a big ole cuddle bug

[yumyum6970]

We adopted Yum Yum from the animal shelter when she was 2 months old..Duchess we found her in the local newspaper for free..we just had to go get her from her owner.