What made you adopt your cat(s)?

[krazyaboutkatz]

Storm- I went to the Humane Society looking for a kitten but this was during the month of January so kittens were scarce. I looked at the cats that were kept inside and was ready to give up that day. The lady said that there were more in a building outside. This is where the strays are kept. I looked at a very large black cat and held him and was ready to go back inside and look at his paperwork when a gray paw stuck out of a cage. It was Storm and he was really trying to get my attention. I held him and he was very friendly and purry. Well I fell in love with him so I decided to adopt him. That was a little over 6 years ago. Another coincidence is that his cage number matched my cutomer number.

RB Pepper- I needed a playmate for Storm so I decided to get a kitten. I went to Petco and saw five kittens. They were all males. Pepper was the only long haired one and the friendliest and purred the loudest too. I fell in love with him and adopted him through an organization called Care. He and Storm were best friends. Unfortunately he passed away a little over a month before his 6th birthday.

Sunny- I decided to adopt another cat because Storm began terrorizing Pepper and he needed another playmate. I wanted an orange young male. I thought I wanted another kitten but it wasn't quite kitten season yet. I called an organization that was listed in the newspaper and left a message. A lady called me back and said that they had a 6 month old orange male. He turned out to be really 8 months old. I said I'd come by and take a look. I didn't expect to adopt him because I was still looking for a younger cat. Well I took one look at him and it was love at first sight. The lady told me about his personality so I knew he's fit in perfectly. Within a week, he was best friends with both Storm and Pepper. He's brought so much life into my household.

Cirrus- After losing Pepper, I knew that I'd be adopting another cat sometime soon. I was going to wait until the summer and I wanted a young male short haired cat. I was shopping at Pet Club and I looked at their bulletin board and I saw some flyers with cat organizations on them. I decided to write the info down and look some of them up on the internet. Well I fell in love with a cat named Flint. I e-mailed them and filled out info about myself and the lady e-mailed me back the next morning. I decided to go see him the same day. I ended up adopting him the same day. Now his name is Cirrus and he's a very happy cat.

[shais_mom]

Originally posted by Freckles
Staci, I remember this original story. Do they have any pets now?

Not that I am aware of, she got him a yellow lab puppy but he 'ran away' which is pretty funny b/c that is what happened to Kylie's brother too.

Johanna,
Kylie's momma is pure white, had 2 pure white kittens one long haired and one short haired and the other was a male tiger.

[babolaypo65]

I wasn't really planning on getting a cat, but had mentioned that I missed having one.

Anyway, it was late fall (November I think) and getting colder at night. A friend had mentioned several times that a white cat was living in her back yard. She had four cats and couldn't really handle another... I went and met Clive and couldn't live without him!
He came home and that night was the first freeze. He slept warm and cozy on his polar fleece blanket.

(Then about a month later, right before Christmas Clive got sick, really sick, with what turned out to be hemobart. The vet said he'd had it for a while... He nearly died. My friends really pitched in for that one! Bringing different kinds of food to see what he would eat. Helping me with mid day pill giving. And the friend who gave him to me even helped me pay the $800 vet bill.)
Now, its nearly May and he's healthy as a horse, and I couldn't imagine being without him! He and my pup have bonded too!

[Felicia's Mom]

Felicia: I had just lost Cleo and was having a harder time than usual getting over it. I thought getting another kitten would help. At a pet store nearby they had kittens. When I came back the next day, the kitten I wanted was gone (at the vets, not sold). I could have returned later, instead I took the only kitten still there, who was Felicia.

After I brought her home she picked on Shadow my other cat and wasn't friendly to me either.

Beau: After Shadow died, I decided to get a purebred. I chose a Burmese because there was a breeder close by ( didn't want it shipped).
I went to the breeders for several weeks until the kittens were old enough to leave their mother. Once I picked up the one I was planning on buying. He flipped out of my arms and went on. So I picked up the other kitten (Beau now). He sat on my lap so I fell for him and took him instead.

Maya : After we lost our dear Sydney, we went to a shelter for another cat. Maya kept meowing at us untill we decided to take her! Clever kitten, hey!!

Inka : my sister-in-law found this kitten in a cornfield; as she was about to leave for a long trip, she asked me if I wanted her. WHAT A QUESTION HEY!!! OF course I wanted her

[Chinadoll]

Scout -found him outside my apt. door when he was 11 weeks old. He was too dehydrated to move so I took him in and nursed him back to health and he stayed.

Gigi - Joey picked her out from a litter his co-worker's cat had. He brought her to me to care for until he got his own place...she's still here and not leaving!

Bixby - My mother fell in love with him at a petstore. She couldn't take him home and she knew I wouldn't take in anymore unless it was an extreme rescue situation. So she bought him and tried to pass him off to me as a kitten she found. I knew it couldn't be because he smelled freshly bathed and his nails were clipped. By the time I got the real story out of her, I had a precious kitten in my home that I couldn't bring back to the petstore despite being at my limit.

[Barbara]

My husband and I had been talking about cats since we were together but as we both had fulltime jobs we felt it would not be fair to the cats.

When he retired I still was not sure. In my former life (other city, other husband) I had indoor/outdoor kitties and when my sweet Meo died by a car accident, I knew I never wanted and outdoor kitty again -but I was not sure whether I would feel ok with an indoor cat.

But we had gone to every cat show around and knew we found Abyssinians by far the most playful and gracious cats. So one day there was this ad in the newspaper saying there was an Aby boy. My husband called immediately and we went to meet him next day. He was the child of an animal photographer who did only breed from time to time. Filou had spent his life with his Aby parents -he had no sisters and brothers - a Bengal cat, a DLH, a tabby and 4 rabbits

We knew that he needed a brother and were prepared to go to a shelter when we read another ad in a local advertising magazine, saying there was a mix Aby/Siberian Forest cat. We were so curious that we had to call. Tigris was the last of 4 brothers and sisiters and he was already promised to another lady but his humans had a not-so-purrfect feeling about this lady so they allowed us to come and see. Little Tigri immediately fell asleep in my arm and his owners decided to give him too us whatever the other lady would say - and she never called again! So their feelings were right.

[Ally Cat's Mommy]

It's a sorta long story.....................

My precious ALLY:

I had parked my car after work and was walking up my front path - I heard a weird noise - which I thought was a BIRD, but I went inside. About ten minutes later I could still hear the noise, so I sent Cameron (my son- 14) out to have a look. He came back in and said "Mum, theres a kitten in the garden" - I can still remember the first words out of my mouth - shame on me "a kitten - that's the LAST thing I need".......

Anyway we went outside with a towel and grabbed her - she was really grubby and skinny - you could feel all her little ribs and knobbly bones through her skin! I put her in our guest loo with food (which I had to rush out and buy) and water, and a box with an old blanket in it. I told Cameron - "dont tell Daddy until he has come inside and relaxed" - of course when he heard the car door slam he went running outside shouting "DAD - we've got a KITTEN" - my husbands face was an absolute STUDY!!!

We agreed that she could stay until I had found a home for her. The next day at work I printer flyers with her photo, but I didnt put them up anywhere. I also popped into the SPCA and I left in tears - I realised that if she ended up there, as a Dilmun ferral kitten she had NO CHANCE of being adopted - people here go for exotics and long-haired fluffy cats - not these skinny "desert cats".

This happened near the beginning of the week, and every evening I updated my hubby on all my efforts to find her a home (HAHA), whilst I spend every lunch hour driving home to play with her.

That weekend we were swimming in the pool, and my husband said "It seems like this cat is going to be around for a while - why dont you give her a name", and I just started crying!! I was so happy that I was allowed to keep her!

So Ally has been in our lives for almost two years now, and she is so precious to me - I can't imagine my life without her! It will be her second birthday on May 12 (we chose her a birthday - everyone HAS to have a birthday) - and she will be very spoiled with a party and pressies!

[IttyBittyKitty]

There was a decision between two rental properties - one that had ADSL capability, and one that did not have ADSL capability but allowed 1 pet. I wanted to choose the property that allowed the pet. Eventually, I convinced my partner that it was a good idea. He relented on the condition that we could call the cat "broadband," so he could tell everyone he had broadband.

I digressed, and the second best choice was "Pixel." When I told Mum (who lives interstate) that I was going to get a cat, she strongly hinted that I should take one of my childhood cats home. I went and visited for my brother's 18th, had lots of love and cuddles with Whiskey, and agreed that she should come and live in sunny Brisbane (thus abandoning the new kitty idea). I got the ball rolling, so to speak, but Mum balked - she just couldn't part with Whiskey who had been living with her since her birth in 1997 (in my bedroom cupboard).

On a whim, I decided that Sunday before Easter Monday was the day! I rang the first shelter (on a wrong number I found out later) and got no answer. I rang the next shelter and got an answer and asked about cats/kittens for adoption. The first one they told me about was my Pixel, described as a Siamese/DSH cross with the most beautiful blue eyes. I chose the kitty because Mum's two kitties are Siamese/DSH crosses and they are the most affectionate, loving kitties around!

Now Pixel has made a wonderful addition to our little family She came back from the vets today!

****Welcome to your furrever home Pixel****

[Lerah021399]

Ali:
Well, to shorten the story, my sister brought Ali home when I was about 13. Ali was supposed to be her cat, but she became my cat (she followed me around the house and slept in my bed). When we moved in '96, Ali went to live w/ my sister and then my mom. She then came to live back w/ us for a while until my sister got married and then went back w/ her. My sister's husband didn't like her and threatened to take her to the shelter, so my mom took her back. Well, my mom has a huge Chow-Chow and Ali was terrified of her, so once my husband and I got our own place (we were living in a condo that didn't allow pets for a while) we took Ali. So she now has a forever home w/ us.

Jack:
We got Jack shortly after we got Ali. We thought that Ali could use a playmate. My husband was being kind of picky about what color cat he wanted...I think he would have taken whatever color cat home, but he said that he wanted a gray cat and it had to be shorthaired. So, off to the shelter we went. We didn't have any luck the first time we went (all the cats were adopted!), so they told us to check their website daily for new arrivals. So, I checked everyday and low and behold, I saw Jack. I called the shelter just to make sure that he wasn't adopted already and headed out there after work. Jack was in a cage w/ his brother and was the smallest of all his litter, but I fell in love w/ him the moment I saw him. So, I filled out the papers and adopted him.

[HayleyRosie]

Hayley: I wanted a cat for a long time and was having a hard time convincing my husband to let me adopt one. One day at work my friend (a co-worker) and I convinced him to go to a local pet store and just look. He fell in love with Hayley right away and there was no question HE was taking her home that night!

Mandy: After some time we felt Hayley should have a play mate. We looked everywhere for a little male cat. (MY husband wanted a male) We stoped by a local pet store and fell in love with Mandy. She was the last one left out of a litter of five. We think it is probably because she was the smallest and she has a bent tail. Everyone else's loss. She is a great joy.

[K & L]

Bailey and d Blaze – Were born in the neighbor’s woodpile, feral, tamed and made indoors only.

Gypsy, Shadow, Beavis, Spike – Feral mom dropped them off in our flowerbed out front.

Olive & Parker – Were dumped in the park along with 4 other siblings who found other homes.

Paisley – Found near dead in the park weighing 1lb, ear mites, URI, fever, you name it-she had it.

Gabby – Running back and forth on our roof meowing and scared to death.

Porch – Neighborhood stray we took in.

Bentley & Boo – Born feral in the park and mom was no where to be found. Brought them home.

Bear, Calvin & Barney – Born in the park and brought home.

Bo – Latest Park rescue.

[ramanth]

Zam knew I was a sucker.

She was a stray that various people in the complex were feeding. She was people friendly, her three kittens were not.

Took some time, but eventually all three were caught.

Donna has one (Eli), the old manager took the orange and white, and I have Little Boy.

[NoahsMommy]

Awwww! I love this thread!

Let me begin my conversion to crazy cat woman by saying that I was NOT a cat person by any means. I would actually laugh at those mean bumper stickers.

Anyway....my conversion:

NOAH
My sweet boy....we picked him out from two litters a co-worker had. I really, really wanted an orange cat, they were really the only cats I thought were cute back then. There were three oranges, only two were available. One had blue eyes and was more into playing with his kitty siblings the other had green eyes and was mellow. He jumped to the couch I was sitting on, sat down next to my leg and kind of looked at me. I was sold!!!

Noah was just the beginning!!!

NOEL
Noah was using me for playtime, as if I too, was a kitten his size. I loved that he wanted to play with me, but was getting sick of hydrogen peroxide and neosporen!!! So, while at PetSmart, we checked out the rescue kitties. (Zuni) was a three-month-old SCARED tortie girl. She looked so scared and pittiful I knew I HAD to have her. I didn't even wait for David to respond, I grabbed an application from "Life Rescue" and began filling it out.

BASIL
My dear, dear Basie Bee.....can anyone love a cat this much?? We got out early from a summer school class we were taking and we had to get cat food. David (my cat-lover and the cause of my craziness) about ran to the rescue area. They had six kittens, from three different litters. I wanted a greay tabby, I love tabbies. But, David was in love with this little, tiny, fluff ball. David kept pleading with me to get this little guy, but I wanted the gray tabby. (Shhhh, don't ever tell Basie this story!!) David confinced me when he told me to sit down and he put Basie on my leg...he just sat there!!! SOLD!!!!

Olivia
We began our training at the Humane Society in early November. While we sat waiting for our trainer, I was engaged by this gorgeous black girl, Ebony. She was beautiful and I was in love. (I'm in love a lot there... ) Her sign said she wasn't good with other cats, so I knew she'd be my shelter love instead. Well, after visiting the shelter for at least a month straight, Ebby was gone!! I found her in the cat room!! She came home on December 14th and had her name changed to Olivia. Its funny, she and I were in love...but now she is a total "Daddy's girl".

MICAH
My Micah...can you tell I love my boys??
Micah was a breeder's cat, dropped off at the shelter for some very sketchy reasons. He found his way into my heart every day after I first saw him. I even dreamt about him!! Now he's happy and a HUGE lover boy.

[2kitties]

I already had Taz and wanted to get him a companion. I went to look at the kittens and Rocky walked right up to me, climbed my shirt and put his paw on my nose. He leaned over and whispered into my ear "okay, let's go. you have to take me with you."

So, I did.