'Adopt don't shop' - tell me about your rescue cats

[laurisse]

This is Arthur. Isn't he handsome?! He's 4.

We brought him home from the cat rescue yesterday. He's done a lap of his estate this morning (ie been round the house inspecting all the rooms) and is currently sprawled on the sitting room floor. So much for keeping him in one room for a couple of weeks! He has the loudest purr, like a diesel engine, and loves a chin rub. The kids adore him, but are giving him some space to settle in. Ok so they're actually having screen time but same effect

Now I've been to a rescue centre a couple of times I really get why people say adopt don't shop. They had so many wonderful cats and kittens looking for homes, and they're desperate to find nice owners for the cats that they clearly love. The ladies there did a little cheer when we said we'd take Arthur.

Tell me your rescue stories? Maybe anyone who (like I was) is seriously considering getting a cat will be persuaded to adopt too

I'm on my third rescue cat, all black and white but all very different personalities.

The current incumbent was a stray tomcat when the rescue took him in, and twice the size of our previous cat. Despite being neutered at the rescue he still had the swagger of a tom, and tried to assert himself from the beginning. He was unpredictable, grumpy, prone to swiping and biting, and definitely not a lap cat. However, he was chatty, purry and a proper character so we loved him despite his nonsense, and happily he's mellowed somewhat over the last couple of years and likes a lap and a scritch now. He also trusts us enough not to lash out at us (although I can't say the same for the vet!)

My current four are all foster failures, oops! The older pair (tortie girl and b&w boy) were very shy semi feral older kittens, the girl war born with a deformed leg and had it amputated. The boy growled at any visitors who came to see their litter (they had two other siblings too) and I knew these two would stay with me.

The younger pair (all black, girl and boy again) I fostered last summer, they came to our rescue with their feral mum. The girl had a bad eye infection and was tiny for her age. The boy was so shy with visitors that he sat in a corner trembling, but he really bonded with me and used to climb up my back to sit on my shoulder. We did briefly advetise them for adoption but got zero enquiries for an all black pair so I decided they would stay too!

Before these cats I had a grumpy tortie I adopted when she was around 5 years old. She had spent months at the rescue with no interest in her. She was always a bit unpredictable and bitey but also very, very chilled out a lot of the time.

The rescue where I now volunteer has so many overlooked adult cats, it's so sad. Our longest stay cat has been with us at the rescue nearly a year now, she is shy and needs a quiet adult home but is very sweet and never aggressive.

We adopted ex feral kittens, born in December, who were caught in a TNR at 5 weeks, and as nobody knew who their mother was, a volunteer hand reared them until they were 13 weeks, when we got them.

They are now three, and are easy going, affectionate cats, who seem grateful to have a warm house, with an endless supply of food and affection. One of them barely went out of the house for more than 2 minutes a day for 2 years, as she seemed to be traumatised by memories of the cold! They are obsessed with food, and see themselves as scavengers - one can open the bread bin and chew up a whole loaf into a million breadcrumbs! He has also been known to help himself to 13 pouches in one night, which he opens with his little teeth until he can eat the contents! We knew who the perpetrator was, because he could not eat any breakfast while his sister ate her's normally!

At the moment we have two year old cats, girl cat is a teeny tortie who has decided DD2 is her person and spends most of her day in DD2s room on top of the bearded dragons viv. Boy cat is a soppy handsome champagne boy, very vocal walks about shouting at you all the time. He’s a bit mad.

Both were born to a pregnant mum dumped by a farmhouse last year.

About to join us is a wee black boy kitten, found in a shed at 5 weeks. He’s at the rescue just now and once he’s 8 weeks he’s ours. Still arguing about his name.

Our two cats re-enacting the Tracy Emin Unmade Bed on my DD bed

Can you see the folly of white sheets DD?

I need photos of all these kitties so I can live vicariously!

Magic & Maia AKA Snorgmaiden and Fatty cat . Were breeding queens, rescued from
A kitten farm in appealing condition, as part of a group of 6. I wasn't looking for a cat, but a Facebook friend shared a post about them. Saying they'd had no interest, and I fell in love with the photos. All my reasons for not getting a cat (busy road, long shifts) fell apart as they suited my lifestyle perfectly. And the rest is history. They were 5.

Both very timid and scared, having never lived in a house before.
Maia was a total diva and liked me to know who was the boss. She would boss magic around as well. Sadly she died almost a year ago from kidney failure secondary to very severe HCM. Miss her terribly.

Magic is very placid and docile. She doesn't really do much! She's absolutely blossomed since Maia died and is now queen bee, she's gained hugely in confidence.

Cheddar was adopted after Maia. She is a force of nature! Extremely affectionate, clingy, noisy, greedy, nosey and loves men! She's extremely gentle and has taught Magic how to cat.

Oh they are all lovely.
Sev is from the litter of a rescue cat. DS went with NDN to have a look which one would finally come home with him.
He set out determined to take the black one (who now lives downstairs with NDN), but then a little orange bundle climbed up on his knee and went to sleep.
That's him the week he came to stay with us.

Oh goodness forgot to post a pic of mine!

Gorgeous cats. You are so right OP, I do get cross when I read about people who have a gorgeous new kitten, only to find out that it has come from a breeder. There is literally no need to breed cats, there are so many waiting in rescues for their forever home. Here are my 2, Basil and Sybil, rescued 3 years ago aged 4. Love them to bits.

We adopted the Lord of the Manner in September. He is 5ish and black.
I purposely wanted a black cat as I'd grown up with one and knew that they were harder to adopt.
He has two teeth and is allergic to most flea treatments. Perfect!

He couldn't be more perfect for us. If I could've designed a cat I don't think I'd have been able to make one so amazing.
I've never known anything with as much personality. For something that can't talk he can bloody let everyone know exactly what he is thinking.
He has been a dream. He's never had a single accident and apart from the demands he is no bother at all.

I did want to get a kitten eventually but to be honest I think he's put us off.
Why get a kitten and go through all the training when you can pick up the perfect cat for £50!!!

Our 1st rescue cat was beautiful Beau who was being over looked as he was so shy. He was 1 and had been an indoor cat. After a couple of months he became a real adventurer and had adopted me as his Mum, sleeping on my chest at night and bedding down on my lap the minute it became available. Sadly, he was killed on the road. I miss him dreadfully.

We are currently ruled over by Maximus, adopted at 4 years old. He is a fussy, lazy beast of a boy and we adore him. DD8 is his person, he goes in every morning and lies on her bed to hear a story 😀

We love our two who came to us via TheCatNeuterer on MN last August. They have progressed from nervous kittens to a great fun pair with wonderful personalities and as an added bonus the most cuddly cats ever (sadly all original rules about no cats in beds etc have gone out of the window now).

Jacky is 2-and-a-bit and still growing. as the photos demonstrate: he has gone from doofy kitten to Burt Reynolds in the 20 months he’s been here.

rescues all the way* from now on.

• we do have 3 other cats so not yet!

Loving all these photos! Can’t wait to have my own place and get me some fluff ball cats!

Jacky still has no miaow. he does a high-pitched squeal at teatime, but other than that, he just rumbles.

i taught him with a clicker to give me a paw for Dreamies. now, when he’s hungry, he comes and taps my foot with his paw to let me know he’d like some kibbles now, please.

and he isn’t a black cat at all. he’s cadbury brown, thank you for asking.

This is Zelda, an 3.5 year old tortie. She was handed into the rescue heavily pregnant. She's a small cat and had 6 kittens! The vet suspects she's probably had several previous litters, starting when she was very young which may explain why she's so petite.

We wanted to rescue a cat not get a kitten as it was my boys (aged 9 and 7) that really wanted a cat, and we wanted to know the personality to have a cat that would want to be around them and not hide upstairs all the time. When we visited her at the rescue she was very friendly, although extremely skinny from the load of having and feeding 6 kittens. She's really settled in here after being neutered, has gained weight and loves to be in whatever room we're in - even if the boys are being noisy and loves playing with toys.

Hoping my picture loads!

Here is my rescue b&w boy Timmy. I finally wore down DH to come have a walk round our local independent rescue, lots of lovely cats and I could gladly have taken them all home, we walked past the cage with this boy in and he cried and cried until we stopped and walked back to him! Has never cried since and we've had him 3 years, he clearly knew he had to get our attention! Very smart boy, when we went into his enclosure he ran straight past me into my husband's arm, clearly knowing he was the one he had to win over . Had a shy settling in period and a few bites and scratches (shelter believed he had been mistreated in previous home and thrown out) but as you can see he is now the most loving and protective cat imagineable, won't leave me alone anywhere with my huge baby bump! Loves DSD too, sleeps on her bed snuggled up to her pillow until we pick her up every weekend. Love my boy so much!

All these gorgeous cats 😍.

Mia is my first cat. When I went to the shelter looking for an indoors cat, they showed me a different cat first that was absolutely not interested in me. I looked a bit around and then found this dark cat that was licking my hand and rubbing her body against it. However, I was told that she was not available yet because she had acute pancreatitis and had just undergone extensive surgery because of her teeth and to spay and chip her.

I was told that I would have to wait for at least two weeks. I did wait and was able to adopt Mia after three weeks. She is the most incredible cat and quite intelligent. I actually tried to introduce her to another cat but although she wasn’t aggressive, she was very jealous.

We committed the ultimate crime and adopted our cat from Gumtree. There was originally a beautiful tabby that I had my heart set on on the website of our local private rescue, but it was so hard to get hold of someone there that when we eventually did, she was gone. That night I randomly did a search on cats rehome and our city, and ended up on Gumtree - I have never been on that website before or since - and our cat was a brand new listing. I said to DP, “here she is”, and messaged the owner the next morning. They had had her since she was a kitten, but she was becoming distressed by their noisy toddler, and they had another baby due - she hates loud noises.

We went to meet her a couple of days later, brought loads of photos of our house and garden, and her previous family brought her round the following day. We keep in touch - I send them photos of cat-face, they send me photos of their beautiful children.

Her world has expanded since coming here - she was previously an indoor cat, and now has a big garden, trees to climb, and a shed roof to sit on. She rules the house, bosses us about, and is an absolute joy. I do wish she wasn’t so bloody hairy though, and she still freaks out at loud noises - the Hoover is her arch enemy.

Here she is. That was not her soup.

I'm generally very anti gumtree for pets (for good reason I think as it's so easy to be hoodwinked by back yard breeders) but it sounds like it worked out well for you and your cat Judystilldreamsofhorses. And that's a great photo.

@Judystilldreamsofhorses did you inform the cat that that was not her soup. As she looks like she believes that's very much hers.

wantlife I completely agree, and I never ever thought I would do it. I am also a big believer in trusting your instincts though - it sounds daft but as soon as I saw her photos I “knew” she was our cat. And I was pretty certain the people were genuine from messaging, they were distraught to give her up, and wanted her to have the best possible home. They didn’t want any money (I actually gave them Disney shop vouchers for their wee boy when they brought her round), and gave us all her things, bed, bowls, toys, litter tray etc. I gained a new friend as well as a cat, so it all worked out great, but I would never advocate it.

contraception the fussy madam will only eat one single brand of cat food, and ham (only one type of ham though, none of your rubbish) so the soup was actually safe. I do love this photo though, DP took it one day when I was at work and sent it to me - it made me laugh out loud.

I love fussy cats 😂 I can't think of any other animal that gets snobby over food.

When our cat reached the age of 20 and got a nasty cold my mum thought It was the end and wanted to make him comfortable. He was off his food. So she went to the butchers and bought him steaks and other prime meats!!

Well. He got better. And then didn't want any of the cheap crap that's meant for cats.

I swear that cat got fed better then me.