How did you meet your feline overlords?

[Utterbunkum]

I am loving reading about all the lovely cats. I know I am new here, and this has probably been done, but I would love to know how you came to share your lives with your current friends with fur?
My DH and I met Oliver at a rescue centre, aged 3 (him, not us). The poor little man was found living rough on the streets, covered in ticks and fleas and with a nasty leg infection. They called him Oliver after Oliver Twist because of his ragged state.

When we first saw him, he had lost most of one of his back trouser legs due to infection. His little bare leg looked like raw chicken. One toe had been amputated. His fur was patchy following extensive tick removal, but his tail was an enormous brush of soft fur. His eyes were bright yellow, and he paced around us like a lord after a bit of a hiss for greeting.
We fell in love and took him home, where he spent 24 hours under a chair, before clinging to us like a limpet, moving from lap to lap (we both WFH then).
10 years later, he lives like a king, cheeky, demanding, cuddly when he wants. He will steal your seat if you move for a minute, but loves a warm lap. We wouldn't be without him.

Balanchine is my blond boy - the vet thinks he & Nijinsky are half brothers as of the rest of the litter, 2 of them were, like Nijinsky, black from tip to tail; & the other 2 were beautiful marmalade gingers. I had first pick & was meant to be getting the female black cat, but I’m glad Jin came to me (I was last to collect) as he is a shy boy & I fear might have been rejected. A busy home, especially one with children, would have been a nightmare for him. He definitely does better with his brother than he would have as a single cat, too. He took a while to start purring as a kitten, & when he did the sensation of it scared him so much he tried to run away from it. Even now I’m not entirely sure they’ve really grown into their purrs: they’re incredibly loud, more like some kind of heavy machinery than 4-4.5kg of cat 😸

(I attach a photo from earlier 😻)

I've loved cats all my life, but used to be pretty allergic to them. Also, I thought it would be unfair to get a cat when I had to go to the office every day and was often out in the evenings.

However, my allergy weakened (an unexpected benefit of middle age) and since Covid I've only had to go into the office twice a week. During the last lockdown I was approved by the local rescue via Zoom and went to stand outside a block of flats, where I was handed a cat carrier from which issued a constant stream of angry mews. We took a cab home together and, after a few days of her hiding behind the sofa, have been mutually devoted ever since.

Love this thread!

My current two are the latest in a long line of cats. My parents had one before I was born and my Mum and I have never had less than two for any length of time since (we had five for years). All either dumped on us or adopted from shelters. Backgrounds total mysteries.

Currently my senior ofurlord is Phoebe, aged nine years (going on nine months in her mind), adopted from a Melbourne shelter. She chose us. I wasn't looking for a kitten or very young cat but a more mature one to keep Maddie company. But Phoebe (whose age we still don't really know - different vets estimated 14 months or 8 months, because she was very small and skinny) was all over us, leaping into Mum's lap in the enclosure and making herself at home. No other cat caught my attention, so she came home with us. She also got very familiar with our vet, because she didn't put on weight, and had every test under the sun, including exploratory surgery, to figure out what her problem was. (If it was IBD, it was remarkably mild - no vomiting or diarrhoea, just not gaining weight). She's thrived on hypoallergenic and anallergenic food, however.

My younger ofurlord is Daisy, aged six years, adopted from a tiny shelter in Queensland after Maddie passed away. Phoebe made it clear she was very lonely for another cat, despite 1) Maddie never liking her much and 2) having Mum and me with her 24/7, so less than a week after Maddie died, Daisy joined the family. She was picked up on the street, and had been at the local pound; when whoever her arsehole owners were didn't bother reclaiming her, she went to the RSPCA. First day she came up for adoption I applied for her. She was the only cat there listed as suitable to live with other cats. She also hadn't been spayed - at three years old, I hate to think how many kittens she must have had. She's also got medical issues: she developed megacolon this year, so is on Extremely Expensive compounded medication. Eventually she'll have to have surgery - cats with megacolon always do.

They're both absolute darlings, extremely affectionate (in Daisy's case, clingy). Daisy's also the only cat I've adopted whose shelter name I've kept.

Yet more lovely cats. I'm getting broody...