Your rescue animal story

[splendidisolation]

I went to this rescue woman's house and was greeted by the most adorable little white kitten you could imagine: a beautiful face, tiny little pink paws, she came right up to me and began nuzzling me, purring like a motorbike, lolling around for a belly rub, she was enchanting.

But then I looked up and locked eyes with a shaggy tabby cat. In her eyes was a look I can only describe as total fear. I asked the woman about the tabby amd was told she'd been rescued off a derelict building site, she had jumped into the car of the woman who was feeding all these strays. I went to go and pet her, M, and she allowed herself to be petred but ran behind the washing machine, trembling. They knew she wasnt born wild, and they thought she had been badly hurt by men, because she was now very nervous around men particularly.

I told my boyfriend I had to make a choice: this heartbreaker white kitten or a tabby cat with MH problems. I just couldn't get her terrified look out of my head and I knew that I would have the patience to help her. I knew I would regret not giving her a home, whereas the white kne would be snapped up.

Now she plays with my boyfriend and even sleeps on him. She also has a "brother" now - but he's a whole different story.

Please share your rescue stories! Attached is a pic of the now healed M 😊

Here's a lovely story in the who rescued whom vein, that made me cry:

@pinkcandy84 RIP Hamish 😢

I think when my two pass (hopefully not for a long time yet) I'd like to be a foster home for rescues

I have serious cat envy (not allowed pets in our flats). All lovely pics!

Here is my other rescue girl - from the house of filth. She stunk so badly of weed and cat piss. Had fleas/worms, our vet said she had one of the worst case of ear mites she'd seen for a long long time, she also had an umbilical hernia which if left much longer could have killed her. It was fixed as soon as she was well enough.

My boy cat was born in a rescue centre, spent the first year of his life there. He is pure black so was disadvantaged to begin with, he was also very shy. According to the staff he would just hide when people came. We asked to see him, sat on the floor for 20 minutes before he even came out from his bed. But he came and sniffed us, first time he had left the cage apparently. 5 years later he is my dd's best friend, the softest cat I have ever met and just a bundle of love.
My girl cat was found dumped in a pub car park, dirty, flea ridden and very small. She was only around 6 months old. Turns out she had a skin condition and we think someone just didn't want to deal with vets etc. She is currently sat on my knee refusing to move.
Having worked in a rescue, it is nice to hear of people who don't just want kittens.

Here is a pic of tiny kitten after his bath - to get rid of the fleas. And my 13 year cat teaching little cat to eat he was only 4/5 weeks when I found him and had no idea what to do with food, I also hand fed him milk via a syringe for the first few days.

This beautiful individual arrived in my life very late one wet and windy Saturday night. Seized by the RSPCA as she had a tail injury 4 weeks old that had been untreated for four weeks, during which time she had delivered and cared for five kittens.
I amputated her remaining tail after a few days of intensive anti biotic treatment, she finished raising her kittens and they found forever homes.
She came to live with me she is very careful with her heart ( a bit like I am), but when she gives it it is without condition. She has very good taste and despite her normal reluctance to engaged with men she adores my DP ( very like me).

I have a few stories from over the years, so brace yourself

Our first kitty was from a shelter. As soon as we walked in, she climbed up and started hanging off the ceiling of her cage trying to get out. When they opened the cage door she jumped on my shoulder and wouldn't move.
She's a princess. She had to have an operation on her eye a while back, and had to stay there for 1 week to recover. The vets told us she wouldn't touch her food unles someone was sat with her, so the vet nurses took turns eating their lunch with her.

Our second, a sweet skinny tom who didn't leave the garden for 2 weeks. It was winter and he was too scared to get into any baskets we left out, so we let him sleep in our kitchen eventually. The first night we let him in, he slept so deeply and peacefully, I kept checking he was still breathing. He clung to me whenever I went in to see him,

Like yours, he was terrified of men, just hearing a male voice would scare him off. He was also terrified if you walked towards him with shoes on, so I hate to think what he went through

Our third (!), we were 100% sure we would take her into a rescue. I saw her peaking from behind the gate once, and she ran in, nicked some food and ran back out, but didn't leave the garden.
Her fur was falling out constantly, and she had a bald bleeding patch on her back. I also suspected she was pregnant, so we took her to vet who said she was just chunky.
4 days later, we found 4 kittens under our bed. 3 dead, the 4th lived for a day
After that, we couldn't bear to send her away to a shelter.

All three get a long, but the third treats me like a fellow cat, wrestling, pouncing, kangaroo kicking.

Lastly, no4! We didn't keep him, but rehomed him with a relative. He was a long hair silver tabby, who was completely matted all over. To the point that his skin was tearing and looked burnt. His bum area was matted with poo. When we got the matts shaved off, he looked like the gremlin with a grey tuft of hair

None of the strays were chipped, neutered and we searched for their owners for about 2 months each. Sadly no one came forward.

I still check the lost and found cat sites, just in case they did have loving owners who are missing them but no one is asking about them sadly (luckily for us though!)
So, we're a bit cat crazy!

These stories are heartbreaking but it's so lovely that these animals had a second chance.

After my brother went to uni for his first year, he came home at Christmas with nothing except a cardboard box with two kittens in it. One of the other boys on his floor had adopted 2 kittens, and then just left without them. My brother was horrified, so he just put the babies in a box and ran to catch his train. We had them for 24 years, and they were the most wonderful, affectionate cats.

We have a rescue dog. Since our previous dog died earlier this year we saved a lot of money to get a new puppy (expensive breed). We'd got all the money saved up and had made arrangements to visit a couple of breeders etc. Then a rescue charity advertised a young rescue dog needing a new home. OH was adamant he wanted a puppy, this dog was 18 months old. OH said he wasn't interested but I kept catching him having a sneaky look at the dog's picture on the rescue website. Cut a long story short...they're now inseparable.

18 years ago, I went to our local RSPCA centre to find a cat. I was lonely, living in a rented house, doing professional exams and I wanted something furry to come home too... My landlords said I could get a cat.

So. I found a beautiful kitten, 3 months old, white with a black tail and black splodges on her forehead. And in the cage with her was her Mum, a gorgeous brown tabby. They had been named Flo and Mo. When we got home, I decided Flo was DEFINITELY a Florence... She lived until she was 21. Mo is upstairs asleep and she is 18.

I also have a black and white boy called Alfie who we got as a kitten.

And our latest acquisition is a handsome furry ginger boy who used to live in Cyprus, but he was flown over here and has made himself very comfortable indeed. Marmalade is a very beautiful boy and our house is the better for him.

And Dotty, the Rottweiler German Shepherd cross is also a rescue. She is 5 and a half, incredibly patient with the toddler and is utterly adorable.

I know that my cat was found on a busy road with roughly ten-week-old kittens. She was about eighteen months old, so the rescue centre took her in and tried (partially successfully) to tame her. Even now she's very temperamental with strangers and the vet (which we have to visit for annual boosters in two and a bit hours!) has even put on her notes "Handle with caution!"

Leroy. Dumped for having FIV. 24hrs away from PTS, rescued but had to be confined to a porch. Eventually moved to a rescue with space for him, but was there for a long time.

Now spoilt absolutely rotten, and we adore each other!

We got word a woman was giving a boxer dog away for free . The story was that he belonged to her son who had already dumped a dog on her before and she couldnt keep another one. When we arrived she asked us for £150 . CF . We bought the dog and had almost 7 very happy years with him . She missed out on a great dog.

My cat is a rescue cat.
We looked at kitty mug shots on the cats protection league local website. One cat we discounted as she was listed as not being a lap cat and not liking being held.
Which cat were we invited to see first?
Ha ha! She totally sucked up to us at the fosterers house and kept thumping down hard on the floor for tummy tickles.
After we'd had her a year she came and sat on my lap. Can't get her off now! We've had her for over ten years and she does let me hold her as long as I'm very careful!
She was scared of my eldest when he was born, but she's got used to the children especially now they're old enough to hand out kitty treats!
I do love it when I'm vegging out of an evening and she comes and sits next to me, all fluffy and warm.
We weren't told her full back story, save that she was rescued from a bad situation and the fosterer thought she'd not been allowed outside at all.

Got my rescue dog from the council pound. It was full of staffies and German shepherds and one lone long legged jack russell. Pound owner told me dogs were pts after seven days, this dog was on day fourteen because they had an empty kennel. £30 later i had the lead of a two yr old hyperactive Jack.

We had him for fourteen lovely years and he continued to be as mad as a box of frogs

A month after my beloved cat died suddenly I decided I wanted to start to think about another one. The house was too quiet and I knew I could give another cat a lovely life.

I went to see a cat listed on 'preloved' when we got there he was dreadfully skinny, and was locked in a concrete bin shed, they opened the door and dragged him out by the scruff of his neck. The 3 feral children were pulling him around, carrying him
About the the scruff and screeching at him. Was awful.

I said there and then I was taking him with me.

The family also had a pedigree cat in the front room with a litter of kittens in front of the fire, all cosy and warm (it was winter) so they wanted to portray the loving cat owners to potential pedigree kitten buyers but couldn't give a shit about my beautiful boy.

He's 9 now and has the best life with us.

We got our lovely rescue cat a year ago.
He’s made such a huge difference to DS (autism- sensory issues) and always quietly sits with him when he needs support. We never have to take the cat to DS, he just trots in from the garden and will nuzzle and snuggle until DS is calm.
He also comes to wake me up if DS gets up in the night or if little one cries.
He’s a little odd looking, skinny even now with a long wonky tail but We all adore him and wouldn’t be without him

Family had a cat before I was born, so when he died I really felt the loss. Was the first time I ever really asked for something specific at Christmas. She had been left behind with her sister when her old family moved away. Her fosterer didn't want to give her up, but had to. She was the loveliest cat who would have long conversations with me. She really was my cat. Like others, she was scared of men (took 7 years of seeing my godfather at least once a week before she'd sit on his lap) and for the first year or so would scrounge through every plastic bag or pile of dust for food. She would always leave some biscuits in her bowl so she had some to go back to.

About ten years ago DP suggested I got a rabbit (I'd had them as a child). I looked on the SSPCA website and there was a gorgeous tortie who sounded just like my last rabbit - full of character. I rang them up and was convinced she was the one for me, so went to see her. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take her with me there and then and, before I saw her, the staff told me I couldn't reserve her for the week I needed.

So, I went through to the rabbit room. They put her on the floor and she ran around, then climbed onto my lap. The staff were amazed by how well she took to me. On the website it said they'd had her a year, but the card by her cage said three months, so I asked what the story was. Apparently she had been adopted, but kept running around her new humans' feet and nipped so they brought her back after three days. I declared she was a cutie and really wanted her, so they agreed to reserve her for me, despite their usual policy. When we went back to the office all the other staff cheered when they heard the news.

She was a darling. Soon had DP wrapped around her paws. We concluded she'd been mistreated in the past but she had a wonderful few years with us.

@BubblesBubblesBubbles she's gorgeous and really reminds me of my own black one, will try and get a good pic this evening. And that pic of the kitten learning to eat is just....awww!

@DanHumphreyIsA A long haired silver tabby? Sounds absolutely gorgeous. The story of your skinny tom particularly moved me. My male-phobic M jumps away and runs to hide when she hears be pulling off and ripping out a piece of baking paper or tinfoil. Might just be because its quite a loud noise but she doesnt do it with any other noise and even if i do it quietly she gets jumpy. It must remind her of something

Went to adopt a couple of kittens but couldn't resist a lovely one year old rescue 😍