It really is great to see the number of cats that have been rescued.
My current two were both "saved" from owners that didn't want them or weren't looking after them properly.
My cat Scooter was given to me at age 8 weeks. He was underweight because his mother had run out of milk, and his owner wasn't giving him or his brothers anything else to eat. It was very hard picking him knowing that his 3 brothers weren't coming with him, but I was only able to take 1 cat. 2 of his brothers went to good homes not long after, but sadly one had to go to the pound, and was eventually euthanized because no home could be found for him.
Scooter's mother had already had numerous litters, and was soon pregnant again. I actually offered to pay for her to get fixed, but the owner refused, which made me very angry. Last I had heard she has had 4 litters since Scooter, a tragedy, because no doubt many wound up like Scooter's unwanted brother.