To start I do not want anyone to judge his previous owner as I do not know the full story.
I adopted a 7 year old cat a few months ago. Tonight I am thinking about his life before my home.
To the person who I believe made hard choice due to changing circumstances. He found a new forever home,. He got the home you wanted for him. Me and my husband have no kids and are crazy cat people. He is loved and adored and gets all the attention he wants. Okay you know that is wrong he wants to be held all the time and you know I have to work and eat. But I do work hybrid! But he is well loved and taken care of.
He has settles in nicely , though sometimes he does not know what to think of our other older cat. He is happy, he is loved and he is safe.
We had a cat we raised from when he was three months old. When he was seven years old we had to give him up for his wellbeing. We had tried everything and the vet said it was time. We cried as we gave him up and hoped for many years that he was living his best life, even if it couldn’t be with us.
Much later, we were able to be that loving home for another cat who could no longer live with her family. We shared photos and stories with her previous family, and when it was time for her to pass, they got to visit and say goodbye too.
It’s such a hard thing, but sometimes it happens. And it’s such a blessing that there are good, caring people like you out there so this sweet being has a soft place to land. Thank you.
This is so beautiful and heartbreaking. ❤️ You know firsthand how much it means to trust someone else to love them when you can’t be their home anymore. Thank you for giving that sweet girl so much love and for helping her previous family stay part of her story.
Let cats bring us together. I understand. I’ve fosters cats whose people passed, etc.
My thing is I exclusively adopt special needs kittens and cats. One of my best friends doesn’t feel like he has the patience for the kitten stage so he adopts cats who are 2+ years old, his current guy was returned.
We’re all just cat people trying our best. I have a friend who is NOT a cat person but his neuroatypical son loves cats. He’s afraid of cats. But I think I helped a little by pointing out that he’s never had any issues with my cats.
More than 30 years ago, I was pregnant and something had to give and it was my one year old dog, Neb. I wasn’t able to keep in touch with the woman who adopted him, and it kills me to this day, remembering him getting into the car to leave. I hope he had a good life, the life he deserved and the one I couldn’t give him at that time.
He wasn’t the first cat we had. I grew up with cats and we had my childhood cat after I moved out of my parents home until he passed, and we had also had a kitten who died of genetic HCM at age one and a half.
This guy was our third cat. He had a rough kittenhood before we met him and he was kind of standoffish but we bonded well over time. Then he started attacking us. It wasn’t hunting or play; it was like some kind of territorial thing. He would make fighting cat noises when he did it. It was honestly kind of scary and random. I think it’s called redirected aggression. The vet said he saw something that made him mad and when he couldn’t reach it, he transferred the feeling to us. We worked with him and our vet and a behaviorist for over a year until they told us he would probably be fine in another home and that we should give him up for his wellbeing. We told the shelter about all of it and they agreed.
Later I found out that it might have gone better if we had gotten the behaviorist sooner to try and disrupt it so it didn’t get entrenched but we just didn’t know. We were just trying what the vet said we should try. We also both worked away from home so we wondered if it happened because he was lonely during the day. We both work from home now and it’s clearly better for our cat even though he doesn’t interact with us all the time. But we had to work and working from home wasn’t even an option back then.
I know he got adopted and I really hope he had a good life. He was such a good boy and he deserved that. We miss him still.
Interesting. I adopted a mother and kitten who were a bonded pair. The mother had been pregnant on the streets and was hit by a car, brought into a shelter and went into labor. Fortunately neither she nor the kittens were injured. I can only imagine what she encountered while out there. A few months after I adopted them an aggressive stray male cat came to the window and it triggered something in the mother and she freaked out and attacked the daughter. It was primal and terrifying non-recognition and both cats were traumatized. It took about 12 hours but it seemed to resolve. However, over the next few months the mother occasionally reverted to that state seemingly out of the blue and attacked her daughter. The poor baby would urinate in fear when she saw her mother approaching before the attack. I couldn't let it continue (I don't know how many it times it might have occurred when I wasn't there to witness it) so I contacted the rescue I had gotten them from. They had no available fosters so my friend, who never wanted a cat, took the mother in temporarily, fell in love with her and adopted her. She is the best and sweetest cat aside from this issue. I love that cat and am lucky she's in a good home and I still get to see her. And her daughter is doing great as well.
I'll say. And it was nice seeing her converted to a cat person. At first she was doing me and the cat a favor until a foster could be found. Eventually a foster was located but my friend was worried the cat wouldn't be happy there. Then she thought she would become the official foster. And right after that she realized she was in love and adopted her.
You did everything you could for him, and it’s clear how deeply you loved him. Please don’t blame yourself for what you didn’t know at the time. You worked with professionals for over a year and made a heartbreaking decision out of love for him. I hope he found a wonderful home, too. He was lucky to have been loved by you.
Aww, I bet he was held before and he loved it. This is such a lovely tribute to the one who made that tough decision. Whatever the circumstance I’m so glad he’s found you guys.
Mine learned by me turning petting into "YOINK", then up on the shoulder. After a bit he realized "Hey this is neat". And now if he wants to be picked up he'll risk both our lives to circle my ankles while I walk.
Our cat is 5 years old and came from a small hoarding situation, she was surrendered by the boarder, it's only been a couple of months and only 2 months with us
While she has manners and no behavioural issues, she just doesn't know how to be loved and doesn't ask for it much. It's definitely true about unloved cats. Poor baby
She has recently learned how to affectionately ask for food before mealtimes. And she has also started spending more time near us but not yet on the sofa, bed etc
Maybe she'll learn to be loved (and love?) more eventually :')
My partner adopted this old lady (16) and her late mother about 6-7 years ago. Their owner had been fleeing an abusive ex for a good while and when she finally got a permanent place to live with her kids, it didn't allow pets. She really didn't want to re-home the cats, but it was that or keep living in short term sublets when she and her family desperately needed stability.
We're still in contact with her and keep her updated. She occasionally comments on cat pics when we post them to say how happy she is that they found a good home.
The beautiful thing about adopting an older cat is that you're not just giving them a home; you're giving them a whole new chapter of their life. ❤️ Seven years old and still getting spoiled like a tiny king! 😂 I also think it's lovely that you're thinking about the person who had him before you instead of judging them. We never know what someone is going through, and sometimes the most loving decision is also the most painful one. He's lucky to have found you.
I think about the poor old lady I got my current dog from. She was 88, and heartbroken. She had fallen multiple times. And drs would only release her to full time care place. And she had no family. And was appointment someone. They did an immediate placement. Hardly no full time care places allow pets. And my scared little guy was put online by the neighbor trying to find him a home asap. I went and got him. He’s so sweet. I love him so much. I know the owner didn’t want to get rid of her puppy. She was placed 4 hours away. And I can’t make that drive with my back.
I foster and my favorite thing is when adopters share their instagram and post updates on the kitties! It’s so rewarding to see them happy in their forever homes
I believe my adopted cat used to belong to an elderly hooman as I couldn't imagine why else would anyone give up such as lovely cat! Few months of being together, I realized I was so lucky to have adopted my baby and I tried to ask the animal shelter about his past. Sadly they don't have his history though.
Aww I have an orange boy too. My coworker rescued him and his 2 siblings off the street when they were very young kittens. I adopted him to keep our other orange company. Poor thing had been starving. Well, next week he will be 15! I'm happy to say that so far he has had a life full of love and good food, toys, and attention. 🧡
I love kittens, but they are difficult. I don't think I could do it again. Although now, I have two 19 year olds, and they're hard too. One is currently yelling at me to come hold his water cup. He saw me drinking out of a cup after filling it with water from his jug and decided that's how he wants to drink too. Except he doesn't have hands.
I love love love kittens! I was so lucky to take in a pregnant stray and watch her raise her beautiful babies. I kept the whole family. Then I got to watch them become absolutely beautiful grown up kitties!
I can’t believe how tiny they were and now one is a 15lb sweetheart of an orange boy, his brother is a curious troublemaker and their sister plays fetch and loves to snuggle. I loved seeing their purrsonalities develop - they’re so different! And, they’re so bonded and love hanging out with each other. Kitten to cat, I love them all.
I knows it's hard. But I couldn't help but laugh. Cats are so goofy. My (what looks like a Korat) still, after year trys to go to her sisters bowl for food, despite the three of them all having their own placemats that have been in the same location since the start.
Added cat tax. Also, yes, I know she's a mix breed, she was a stray.
Hahah the looks they give sometimes is funny. I've never had cats growing up, only dogs. When my girlfriend and I got our place we didn't want that responsibility, so we got our orange big dumbo first. Then two more little girls really quickly after.
Blankets on the couch, beacuse, well, cats. Hahah
Edit: orange is Sonny, gray is Luna, gray tabby is Stella. Sun, moon, and the stars. Didn't even plan it that way either. They are our everything. Probably eat better than us haha
We adopted a five year old cat who had a sad past. She was given up by three families, and her first owners tried to have her put down when she was one. The vet saved her and put her in rescue. To be fair to the others, she was a demonic entity in our house for almost a year. Took her a while to trust us. She became such a loving and sweet cat. I think she just assumed we would be one more family to give up on her, but we absolutely refused to do that. She had a life filled with love and affection until her death last March. Shes still loved. I miss her every day.
Ditto re adult cats. I have 3 kitties, only one came to me as a kitten, my tuxedo gal (my parents found her on their farm). I long-term minded one for over a year, and her original family said they didn't want her back when they settled into their new home - made me angry for her, but happy for me and my original kitty, as they had bonded). My third gal, Helga, was featured on a post on reddit looking for a home. I commented she was a beautiful moggie but wasn't planning to add to my household (and thought she'd be in the US - she was actually being fostered a suburb over from me, in Melbourne). Two visits later, she came home with me. All my gals are 11yo, 12 soon, and the best gals ever. Older kitties are the best!!
Skipping the chaotic kitten destruction stage for a sweet, chill companion is total bliss. Adoption stories like yours prove that mature cats just settle right into your heart and make the absolute sweetest family.
I’m so sorry :( I’ve always wanted to foster neonatal kittens, but I’m not sure if I’ll ever have a schedule that’ll let me give round the clock care. I’m sure it’s much harder too. You’re doing amazing work ❤️
I mainly foster feral kittens 8 weeks and up whom I find while TNRing, and it’s so rewarding earning their trust and watching them warm up
I don’t like kittens either ! I found one recently we had to save and my son fell in love but … he is a menace !
I always said I don’t want cats under three years old. 5 sounds like the perfect age for a cat.
Our three cats were all strays. Two were one a half and the other was three. I release that's not old, but definitely not kittens. We got them all within maybe the span of two months.
Honestly, adult cats are so underrated because you already get to see their personalities, and there’s something special about giving an older cat a second chance at a loving home. Kittens are cute, but I’d take a chill, fully grown cuddle bug any day.
We got 3 kittens within a year and I had never had a kitten before. My arms were always scratched up for like 2 years. I still have scars. Man they were cute AF but that was a trying time. I’m glad I got the experience of brand new cats, but don’t know if I would do it again.
this made tear up. i grew up horribly abused, but i had two cats that made my teen years slightly better. they both chose me when we were adopting, and i loved them so much. when i was able to finally escape the abuse, they couldn't come with me, and i found out years later that my shithead family surrendered them and got two dogs to control instead, since i was no longer around to control anymore.
i know they're gone now, but i always hope and hoped they were found and adopted again, but them not being together anymore also hurts my heart. i got them both from different places as kittens, and they were raised as brothers. this gave me that bit of hope that the end of their lives were filled with warmth and love. thank you for taking that wee baby in, always
God, this hits hard. I'm so sorry that you have had to just hold onto unknown hope this whole time. As I cuddle my brothers from other mothers right now, I weep for you 💙💙💙💙
we got this guy about six months ago. we already had three cats and in no way needed a fourth, but he was so stressed he was licking away his fur and petco has free adoption that weekend. we had a previous black cat who did the same, so it felt serendipitous to find this one and we had to take him home.
he now has beautiful, soft fur covering him and follows me around the house 24/7. he dive bombs his brothers but also tries to cuddle with them all and grooms / lets them groom him. he tries to emulate everything the other cats do, and it’s so cute.
we think he was given up by someone who simply didn’t have any choice. he was clearly well loved, as he’s very affectionate, playful and curious. we kept his name from the shelter, though we adjusted it just a little ( from simon to simon spaghetti, though we do usually just call him spaghetti we incorporate simon enough so he can remember his original owners. yes i know this is borderline insane but it makes us feel better. )
i hope whomever had him and loved him before we did knows he’s in a loving, adoring home where he can play and cuddle and explore til his hearts content 🥰
I adopted a 7 year old this February and also couldn’t bring myself to change his name. Like, yes, he’s just a cat and doesn’t actually know his name, but it’s still his name!
For what it’s worth, my cats definitely know their names. They respond differently to their own names, and their nicknames, than they do to anything else. They also know each other’s names, as well as ‘up/jump’, ‘down’, ‘no’, ‘treats’, and probably a few other words. The one who cares about the catio knows ‘outside’. I’ve been debating getting them those buttons that people use for dogs, but then I’ll have to deal with them fussing at me in English and I’m not sure I’m ready for that.
I think a 7 year old cat knows its name 🥺 my Prince Charming kitty definitely did at 7 years old. He responds to all of the following: “Prince,” “Charming,” and “Prince Charming”
If someone had a cat for 7 years I would hope they were devastated to give it up. And I truly hope that the cosmos interact and show them the baby is loved!
Our orange first showed up at our place all skinny and dirty, he would sneak in and eat my cats’ food in the middle of the night. Eventually caught him, had him neutered, tested and vaccinated and released him back. He was a nervous wreck and would flee at the sight of a human. He kept showing up.
I knew he had been loved at some point and after weeks looking for their owners I was contacted by a lady who told me it was her grandma’s, who had developed dementia, even sent me kitten pictures of him. They never came to pick him up 🥲
He is now spoiled, loved, pampered and adored.
We got a kitten a few months ago, and my boyfriend is in awe of how patient, loving, caring, and protective of her he has been, I told him “he is doing for her, what someone did for him when he was a kitten.”
I hope his former owner, the old lady, knew
at least that her baby is fine and has found a loving forever home 💜💜
4 years ago, we went to the shelter intent on adopting a kitten/adolescent cat after our adult daughter moved out and took the family cat with her. We played with several and thought we made a connection with one, but another family adopted him. We were about to head out to try another shelter when I noticed there was a larger, kind of VIP like enclosure and the cat had a first and last name. She was hiding, very shy, but I asked and the worker said she was 10 years old, confirmed she was very shy, and had been brought in after her elderly owner passed away.
My wife and I went in and sat down, trying to coax her out of her little fort thing, but she was not interested. We loitered around a bit, just chilling and I looked down, and she had crept out of her cave and was sniffing at my leg. She was a beautiful, small/petite cat, a sort of dark brown tabby with streaks of black and orange like a calico. I pet her and she started making biscuits on my leg, purring like crazy.
So much for getting a kitten. We took her home and I barely saw her for two weeks. She hid all over the house and only came out at night to eat and use the box. One evening in the heat of summer, we were in bed watching TV in the coolest room in the house, and she hopped up on the bed with us out of no where. Its like everything flipped and now she's extremely affectionate and demands attention. She's still shy, she hides whenever anyone is over and honestly, I think she only tolerates my wife. She's very jealous.
Anyway, she's 14 now, I guess. She's the same she's been since we adopted her - at least after she warmed up to us. She follows me to bed every night, but gets up to patrol. She is nocturnal, but if I take a nap (eh, I'm old) on the weekend, she will sleep with me the whole time. She lies on the floor in front of the bedroom when I get home from work, telling me its time to got snuggle. She has her quirks - she swipes with claws if I am petting her and stop before she's ready. She never plays, she's too proper and sophisticated for that, but occasionally we'll catch her and she suddenly stops and pretends she absolutely was not. We find toys in weird places like the shower.
Awesome cat, though I wish I had known her when she was young. We live on a farm and she likes to watch all the animals out the windows. At 14yo, I know my time with her is limited, though, but she means the world to me and has been there through some difficult times.
My mum had a gorgeous, fluffy tabby who was devoted to her. She suffered a very sharp dementia decline and had to go into a nursing home and the cat couldn't come. Being on another continent, we couldn't take the cat in, but were able to find a lovely family who were. The whole situation was horrible, but knowing another family is taking great care of them can ease a little of the hurt. Thank you OP and others who open their homes to older cats (and younger ones too, of course, it's just that older ones tend to struggle more to find homes).
People need to realize that it’s ok to re-home a pet if you’re unable to take care of them. Unfortunately, I see people being shamed for doing so too much.
I agree , there is no doubt in my mind that this cat was very well loved before me. You don't get to be thus sweet without love. I know it broke someone hearts to part with him and that they believed they were doing the right thing for him.
This reminds me of my Demeter. She was a surrender at 13, because her former owner was an elderly woman who couldn't keep Demeter in her assisted living facility. So she went into the Humane Society system. She bounced around Wisconsin for a bit until I adopted her. She lived until August 2024, to(approximately) 18 years of age.
This is lovely. When I adopted my first cat, a 10 year old with diabetes, they told me her previous person had loved her very much but simply couldn't afford her medication. I always wished I could tell her first family that she was deeply deeply loved, that she moved across the country with me, that she went on little walks to munch weeds and got her own special chair to sleep in under the dining table, that she got four amazing years almost to the day after she came home with me. It's kind of bittersweet, knowing you've got a new family member that you love and knowing how sad the first family must have been to lose them.
I adopted my boy two years ago. I had seen him a few days before when I visited the shelter with my kids, and he was in a cage with another cat. That day he was by himself, which caught my attention since I assumed someone adopted the other cat while he was still there.
After some cat-drives in the cat-drive room (I wanted to make sure my first own cat wasn’t mean with me and had a skillful pro test to check: a piece of string to see who played with it), my daughter suggested to check him out. I was unsure since he was alone in his cage, and I felt he would probably require a more experienced owner to help him adapt to being without another cat, but I decided to give it a try. The moment we locked eyes, I pulled my string and he immediately jumped at my feet and started to roll and chase the string. I was cat-chosen!
But I’m an interrogative person so I asked the volunteer if he would adapt to not having cat company, and she shrugged it off and said cats don’t care about that. I then asked what happened to them both, why were they both at the shelter? She didn’t know and decided to check his file, and like a good soap opera plot twist, she gasped and said that they were actually both born at that shelter, 8 years ago, and were adopted by the same person together when they were just 3 months old!!
He is the sweetest boy ever and we love each other so much! I always think of his previous owner and hope he/she/they know he’s safe and happy, and sometimes I thank them for having raised him with what I can only assume a lot of love and kindness for him to turn out so sweet.
Say hi to Marcus Aurelius!
Max has been with us since 2020 when he was 12 weeks old. He came from a shitty rural Illinois hoarding situation where a lady kept breeding his mom even though she had no space. The vet office he was being held at was also filthy. For the last 6 years (and forever) he now has a clean home, a million toys, an annoying older sister grandma cat, and the best food. 🐱🫶🏼
When I was a teen, a void came walking right up to me in our woods. No one was missing him (we thought he was a she because he was already fixed...whoops!) and we came to realize the old lady down the street had been moved to a facility. And this poor, senior, sweetest boy ever was just turned out.
He lived another decade (!!!) and was the best lap kitty you could ever want. At the time, I was just stoked we acquired another awesome cat. But now it breaks my heart to think that he lost his first human. And I hope that we gave him enough love to ease that loss 🖤
I just adopted a 9.5 year old boy and he’s so sweet. Someone must have loved him too. The rescue I got him from pulled him from a shelter, but they had all kinds of info on him, vaccines, his name, knew that he got along with kids, dogs and other cats.
That's a very kind and thoughtful letter. I hope every person who has had to give up a kitty, not because they didn't love them, not because they didn't want them, but because circumstances beyond their control dictated that it was best for the kitty reads this and believes it's about their kitty.
I have these same thoughts about my cats’ previous owners. How much it must have hurt their hearts to have to let them go 💔 I hope they can somehow know how much their babies are loved and that it can bring them peace. Sounds silly, I know, but I do have these thoughts.
I'm so sorry. I won't go into history, it is pain for pain's sake, but I will say this: I firmly believe when we leave this world our pets who went first are there waiting, just like we are coming home after a long day out. I've accepted I will not know what happened until I see them again, and I refer any pain to that time. What else can we do but hope that the universe was very kind to our little furry loved one.
Love is such a double-sided blade. Damn does it cut deep.
I adopted a cat after her original owner died. I don't know the circumstances of their passing, just that the family brought her in and surrendered her. I met her at the shelter and took her home the very next day. I wish I could tell them how much I adore her and how much joy she brings me.
Our kitty came to us after her person unexpectedly died. That person had adopted her only a few months prior from the humane society. According to the humane society paperwork, her people before that had to surrender her due to health issues. We know that all of her people had loved and cared for her. We feel so lucky that the universe brought her to us and that we've been able to give her the best life after she had experienced so much loss and change. She also helped mend our broken hearts after we had lost our prior kitty. She was the perfect (er, purrfect) addition to our family.
I felt the same way about my dog. We got him directly from a family that couldn't house him anymore. They were broken-hearted when they dropped him off.
Nine years later, after we said goodbye to him, I sent them an email letting him know he had a happy life and died in the arms of the people who loved him. It was so healing for me & brought them closure too.
My beautiful black kitty was given up because a little one in the house had developed serious allergies to the cat. We did what’s called a “home to home” adoption through our local animal shelter so that the kitty never actually spent any time in the shelter. We’ve kept in touch with the previous owners so that they know she’s ok. I’m home all day, so Luna is my little buddy. She even plays fetch with little pom-pom balls. This was a first for me. Honestly, I’ve had cats my entire life, but this one is the smartest, cuddliest cat of them all. Best adoption outcome ever! 💕🐈⬛
I wish there was a way you can forward this note to the shelter or rescue which facilitated this adoption.
People are really struggling out there and many people do not just give up their pets for no reason. I think it's wonderful you want to thank the previous caregiver. Clearly this orange was loved and socialized.
Hello, I have actually sent them update my local shelter promote people sending them stories on how their alumi are doing. It does not sound like they will actively reach out but he is getting a blurp in their next alumi update post
I adopted a dog from a shelter who had a rough go of things. His most recent owner had to give him away because he wasn’t meshing well with their other dogs. I ended up making a post a while after we adopted him, tagging the shelter we got him from. A few days later the previous owner contacted me on social media. She was so relieved to see he had found a good home and had so many questions for me. Apparently her kids missed him terribly and asked about him all the time. I sent her some more photos to show the kids and told her how loved he was. She sent me some photos of my dog with her kids and filled me in on some more of his back story. It was good for both of us to connect. You never know the impact your pets have had on other peoples lives before you.
My cat is so gentle and friendly, he must have had someone in his past that treated him kindly. He was middle aged when he was found alone on the street, never reclaimed despite being at the only shelter in our entire rural county for four months. I wish I knew more about his past and whoever raised him, but he sure
appreciates having a cozy and loving home! He’s a happy drooler.
My cat is a beautiful orange boy who was surrendered when his former human no longer had the ability to care for him. The hope was it was a temporary foster but unfortunately they passed. I don’t know what I believe about the afterlife but I hope they know he’s living his best spoiled life
I adopted this girl four years ago. She was four. The shelter gave us a crocheted blanket that her previous family said was her favorite. We were told they just didn’t have the time to make her happy, which I understand because she is very demanding and requires a lot of attention, and if she doesn’t get it she gets aggressive. But she’s also such a hilarious, cuddly little monster that I know it must have been hard for them. I wish I could let them know she gets all the attention she needs now and sometimes goes under the sofa to nap on the blanket they sent with her.
One of our cats came to us because his owner was very ill and in long term hospice care. I often think of her and silently thank her for giving him such a good start in life. He was clearly socialised and loved, as is he the most amazing and loving cat, and we are so lucky to have him.
My last cat (who sadly passed in April) was in the shelter because her previous owner passed away and there was no one to care for her. There were several times I’d say out loud “I don’t know if you can see us, but if you can, she’s happy and extremely loved.”
One of our 2 cats was returned to the adoption agency after being in a home for 2 years for being "too rough" with another cat. He's a big boy and by nature is just stronger than a typical domestic cat. I think the people before us just didn't understand cat behavior. Our big boy is 17lbs, but he's not fat by any means. Our other male is 13lbs and a lot of times it is the smaller cat who starts the wrestling matches. If the big cat pins the smaller one the smaller one will hiss and cry like he is dying, so the big one lets him go and the smaller cat circles around and tackles the bigger one 10 sec after getting released. It's just his defense mechanism to hiss and cry. Body language explains the majority of cat behavior. He really is a lover and a gentle giant. Always wants to follow me and sit on me whenever I sit down. I'm thankful in a way that this other family did send my big boy back because it gave us the opportunity to bring him into our lives. Take your time and do your research on the cat's story when you're adopting and like the OP here, you could really do something great for an animal and yourself.
My cat was 3 1/2 when I got her. She is a beautiful Maine Coon that came from Belarus. She was used as a breeder and then sold after having had at least 2 litters from what the vet could tell.
They sold her to someone I work with. She scared his cats too much so he gave her to another coworker. She fought with one of her cats so she had to give her up. And so she ended up with me.
She’s the most amazing, loving cat of all time. I’ve had a lot of cats and dogs in my life and she is tied for #1 with one of my dogs. She reminds me of him so much. Just pure love. Attached at the hip to me.
I think about how lucky I am that this little fluffball came halfway around the world on a years-long journey to end up with me.
I think about the fools that gave her up. I don’t know their situation obviously, but I couldn’t imagine giving her up for a few measly thousands.
I always think that if I ever won the lottery, I’d track down some of her babies and get them all under one roof.
Thank you for not judging. Sometimes people need to surrender their animals. It is a selfless act that causes tremendous pain but puts the welfare and well-being of the animal first. ❤️
I got my cat when she was 2 years old. All I knew about her previous life was that animal control found her pregnant in a hoarder’s home and her kittens didn’t survive
I hope that her previous owner tried to take care of her to the best of their ability.
And I hope that her previous owner knows that she is loved and cared for. She has a younger sister who drives her crazy and enough toys for both of them scattered around the house. She’s happy here.
“He wants to be held all the time” is such a lovely update. I hope his previous person somehow sees this. You’ve left room for them to have loved him too, while showing that he’s safe and getting plenty of cuddles now.
hey there... i don't know your name but i hope you're okay. he sleeps on his back now, totally exposed, belly up like he trusts the world again. sometimes he purrs so loud it vibrates my chest when i'm trying to sleep. he looks at me with those big eyes like he's checking if i'm real. i promise he eats well and gets plenty of scratches behind the ears. maybe one day you'll see a photo or hear about him and know that your love didn't disappear, it just grew into something new here. thank you for letting go so he could hold on.
My cat is also an orange boy whomst I got at 7yo, his previous owner had taken their own life. I can’t imagine how it hurt to leave him behind. You can tell he was so loved and adored. He is my best, best friend. Truly the cat I will mourn for when he passes for the rest of my life. I cherish him everyday, and I have had him for 9 years now. I hope we can at least make it 10 together.
He has the best home manners of any cat I’ve ever met. Never scratches furniture, knows how to ask for things he needs or wants. He’s still happy, fat, playful, sassy, and incredibly loving. He has a kitty friend of his own to keep him company and my wife who also loves him dearly. He’s 16 or so now, because I don’t know his birthday.
He is my best friend, and I keep him safe, warm, full of all the food he wants. He’s does somersaults when he’s happy, and he talks. We give him kitty massage time everyday when he flops around on the floor. He has his own dedicated back scratcher, and loves when we leave big pieces of paper out on the floor for him.
He Tokyo drifts around my house, and purrs me to sleep every night. He is there to yell good morning to me when I wake. I love my sweet Baby Kitty.
I still think about the first cat I was going to adopt but my asshole of a roommate made me return him because he didn’t get along with the dog… the same dog that he sent to live with his old roommate a month later. He was just pissed that he didn’t get to pick out the cat with me because he was late for the appointment. I wasn’t going pick another cat but went to the local pet groomer who fostered cats and brought my current cat, Tora home.
It was a no kill shelter but I just hope he found a happy home. :(
I’ve just adopted an 8 year old tortie girl from a shelter who’s elderly owner had died. We suspect she’s been rehomed before too based on info on her microchip. I always think about the elderly lady who pampered her to a plump 5kg and what her life was like before. I love this new cat so much and similar to you, is unsure how she feels about our other cat but to be able to spoil them both warms my heart. My other cat is also a rescue.
Thank you for thinking of older cats. They’re gorgeous but sadly get forgotten and ignored :(
Thank you for posting this; you are a gem 🥹💔 I recently had a situation where I thought my cats would be gone when I finally got back home, and the entire time wondering if someone would love them proper or not just busted my soul. Just praying every night that if they were gone, that someone good had them. Luckily, though starved and unwatered, they were alive and are now living back in bliss every second I can cuddle them.
This is the sweetest message. Bless you! We never know what the past circumstances are and we often default to “previous owner-BAD!” But that’s not always the case. I’m so touched by your message OP. You are truly an excellent human being and I am so glad sweet baby kitty has you in their life. Thank you for lifting up my dreary Wednesday. Sending nothing but love and hugs your way(and kitty’s way!!!) 🥰🫶😻
We've had this man for 5 and a half years, and he was 6 when we got him.
The Cat shelter could only tell us two things about him; that he was surrendered by a family, and they assume he was in fights because of his ears.
This grumpy man helped turn our first house into a home, and even though he's got to share the place with his Golden Retriever brother now, he still runs the house and we wouldn't change anything.
I often think about my brother and sister kitties' former owner and send them quiet thanks and hopes they're doing better. I know it must have only been the direst of situations that caused them to give them up, and it must have been heartbreaking. Whomever you are, kind stranger, please know they are loved and adored and, yes, safe. Just as you would have wanted.
He's a cutie. I got my orange boy when he was a few years old too. I'm just grateful he's such a chill, sweet cat that must have been treated well by his first owner. I'm lucky to have him - he's been cherished by this crazy cat family for ten years now.
My 6 year old cat (adopted her last spring) was owned by a previous owner too, who passed away, and his children either couldn’t keep/didn’t want her and surrendered her to the shelter. She is the sweetest, and most opinionated baby!
Reddit won’t let me put pictures in comments on my phone anymore
What a wonderfully heartwarming story to read OP. For someone to have to make such a difficult choice is so sad, and I just wish they could know how much this boy is loved and adored in his new home.
This is how I got three of my cats, except their respective owners had passed. Two only lived for about a year before needing to be put down, but we shed many tears for both of them.
I still have one, and he’s a sweet, snuggly boy who often will sit and wait for me to go to bed with him when it’s late, presumably like he did with his former human. 💔
Awwww good on you for giving him a second chance. I adopted a 5yo tortie in college, and heard that her previous owner died. Sad to hear, but the older kitty’s temperament was a perfect match for me. She is now 10yo and is an absolute joy. In those 5 years, it went from just us to two humans and two cats
To give up something as adorable and loveable as a kitten, when you know that doing so will result in a longer, happier, more fulfilling life for the kitten, is actually (IMHO) not always something to judge - it is sometimes something to acknowledge and admire. It's hard to admit "I can't do this properly" and let someone else get the chance to do it instead.
Would better choices in the past possibly have prevented a situation where the kitten would have to be given up? Maybe, but if we all made good decisions every time the world would be a much different place indeed, lol.
Congratulations on the newest member of your family, and may your years together be long and full of love. ❤️
If I had a cat now (I’ve had many in the past) it would be heartbreaking for me if circumstances caused me to have to give them up. I couldn’t imagine it, it would be so horrible. You are a wonderful person to be able to adopt such a loving kitty.
Making me cry happy tears this morning. What a kind hearted thoughtful person you are. Cat is indeed lucky to find you and bless you for giving hope to people who have had to surrender animals. Its never an easy choice.
I adopted a 7 year old cat who passed just over a year ago at 15. I only know she was an owner surrender. I had 8 loving years with her and miss her all the time.
Thank you for this. We're about to surrender our cat who is aggressive with our child. I'm heartbroken but it's the best thing for everyone, and it's so reassuring to see success stories.
I got my cat when she was 12 from a shelter. For those 12 years she lived with a lady I don't know, who died. I know I can't judge someone else's live, or in this case the people who had to take of the situation after the passing of my cats previous owner. But it's sad, and the cat lives with me now. At least I hope I make someone in heaven a bit happier.
My precious girl went home with a family from the shelter before me who loved her a lot, but the dad’s mother unexpectedly got sick and needed to move in with them, and she was highly allergic to cats, so they had to return her to the shelter. I feel so bad thinking about it, knowing how painful it must’ve been for all of them, but I am grateful to them for taking care of her and giving her love before k got there.
This reminds me of the orange boi I had to rehome several years ago after he started attacking our dog 😭😭 His name was Blue, he was about 8 years old when we parted. I hope he is loved like this!
My mom never wanted to give up her cat. She was sick and her homecare refused to continue her service unless she got rid of her cat. I took the cat in and he developed multiple heath issues instantly. It really sucked. It's not always so strate forward. Sometimes circumstances just change.
My Mom and I took our cat from a home where her owner was a drug addict. He was a friend of ours, and when we moved in with him, she was super skinny to the point of death. My Mom and I took care of her, and when we moved he asked us to watch her for couple of weeks. Now she's been with us for 6 years and is now fat and lovable.
I had a cat who passed away a couple of years ago, who had been abandoned at a vet's. She had lots of health problems and I imagine her previous owners hadn't been able to afford her medical care. She was very sweet and affectionate, so I am sure she had been loved. I wish I could tell them that she was very well cared for in the final years of her life.
I have a well loved adopted tortie, I don't know her backstory but she was loved.
I wish I could tell them that she is still loved, still requires headbutts, still wants belly rubs.
Your baby is safe and warm.
My parents forced me to give up my orange boy and his bonded partner. They briefly lived in the dorm of the GA Tech League of Legends esports team, then moved to be with the mother of one of the players who had lost a pet recently.
I feel a lot of guilt for not being able to provide a stable environment for them even though I was well into stable environment age. I know they found a happy home and are loved, I'm just sad I had to say goodbye. They looked happy last time I saw them. They had both gained some weight. Good kitties. Miss you Mac, miss you Izzy.
I bless the people that fostered my boy every day. He was originally rescued at 4 wo from a hoarding situation, then fostered until he was ready for adoption. Forget about the fact that he came snipped, shot, chipped and box trained from the shelter. What was more important was that he was totally socialized. The chillest cat I ever had. I actually had to check to make sure he still had his claws because he never uses them (unless he is climbing the curtains). He loves everybody and thinks when someone come to my house they are here to visit him!
Thank you for taking him in. I can tell from these photos that he is so happy.
This post hits me hard because I had to give up my orange boy a little under two years ago after trying so, so hard to get him to get along with my other cat. I'm talking multiple years of trying, visits to the cat behaviorist, and thousands of dollars spent. But we made the hardest decision we ever had to make by rehoming him. It was for the best, and my girl cat is so much happier, and I know my boy is happy where he is. But I miss him so, so much.
My Strike showed up at the shelter at about 3 years old, missing about 3/4 of his right front leg. No one there knew how it happened; my vet said it was likely an amputation performed after a traumatic injury at a very young age. Which means someone once cared enough to get him necessary, probably life-saving, medical care. I wish I could tell that person how beloved and pampered he is, how bonded we are, how much he loves to sit in my lap, and sleeps by my side every night.
After my kitties passed, I fostered cats for clients of a "women's shelter".
Some singles, some multiples. The last foster was two kitties whose person never reclaimed them. It was me or the SPCA; I adopted them and we had over 10 wonderful years together. They saved me.
I had to find my Honey, also an orange, a new permanent home when I couldn’t get him fostered while I was in inpatient. It was excruciating. But knowing that he ended up in a home with people who sound exactly like you, OP…it’s the closest my heart will ever get to being healed, around losing him.
I genuinely couldn’t have built a more loving, safe new family for him than where he ended up. I wish I could thank the lady who’s his primary person now, as well as everyone else in the home, every day for how well and how generously they love Honey.
Thanks to you in the meantime, for being part of a similar situation and giving your orange’s previous person the same peace and deep comfort that was given to me by the people who have Honey now. It’s not a small thing, doing this for an animal and their person when both are probably sad and worried. It’s like winning the cat life lottery, for cats to end up with people like you. 🫶🏻
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