Animal Rescue Stories

My Prince has come.

In February of this year, in horrible winter weather conditions, my husband lost his 4-year battle with cancer. When I drove home from the hospital, a cat moved into my garage. I was sure I couldn't keep him because I have a rescued Silky Terrier who is 12 and has the condition called protein-losing disease. She requires prescription dog food. So I called the animal control officer (no kill). He dropped off a crate and live trap after about a week. I had started feeding him to keep him around, and he began talking to me and kept getting friendlier. Finally he came out for petting. After another week the animal control officer sent his daughter to pick up the cat. By then, Prince was so friendly I thought I could just pick him up and put him into the car; he always came when I called him and was wanting to be petted. When she came, he didn't come out from hiding or make a sound all the while she was there, but came out immediately as she was backing out of the driveway. I just picked him up and put him into the house. He'd obviously never been in a house before because he hid for 2 days. I couldn't even find him at first. When he came out to eat and use the litter box he left no trace. The only I've heard him hiss was when Daiquiri thought she would try his food. She never tried again. He's never growled. I took him to the vet to get his shots and make an appointment for neutering; the vet said he had to be 4-5 years old. The neighbors told me they'd been leaving food out for him but couldn't pet him. Over the years I had only seen him once at a distance up our road; at that time he was carrying one leg. He loves my silky terrier, Daiquiri, but she's not as trusting of him. He's very gentle with her and I'm starting to see her coming around. They're both everywhere I am. He's still very afraid of other people. Prince never tries to go outside. He just seems to have chosen my home as his and has completely settled in. He comes when called, loves petting, playing with toys and getting brushed. In the night he checks on me from time to time while lying on a little bench nest to me. Once early in the morning he kept pestering me and wouldn't quit. I stood up and found I was very shaky. I checked my blood sugar and found it was low. He must have realized I was in trouble. He's a wonderful cat, and is even just starting to trust other people.

Ginny Strobl
KENNAN, WI

Happy Ending

In December of 2017 my husband and I lost our cat Callie to an illness. She was just 8 years old. We were broken. We didn’t even celebrate Christmas that year. Since she was our only cat the house seemed very empty. So, we began looking for another cat. We found him at Arizona Animal Welfare League. We named him Cooper and he was the perfect salve for our hearts. He is the most loving and funny cat, and he still is, even at almost 9 years old. But then last November I saw a cute 4-month-old kitten at another shelter. We went and got him, named him Jax, and believe it or not Cooper welcomed the new kitty. Now they’re good friends that play and clean each other. And since Jax is so young, he’s always doing something silly to make us laugh. I will forever miss my Callie but, I can’t imagine my life without these two silly cats.

Cathy Cook
APACHE JUNCTION, AZ

Overlooked and room for two more

I have a multiple-cat household (more than three), but decided after losing two senior cats within a month of each other that I did not need to bring in any more cats. My heart ached after the back-to-back loses, so I could not consider another cat. It was certainly quieter, and I was content. Almost a year and a half later, I was attending a town meeting with the town animal shelter being a main topic. The shelter was questioned about their adoption processes and rate. Then it was asked how long has the longest cat and dog residents been at the shelter. The dogs were adopted within 6 months, but the cats seemed to linger. The longest cat resident had been there 5 years. My heart sank. Then the shelter rep corrected herself and said that cat was just adopted but another was there for 4 years. My heart sank again. Every pet deserves a home. Then I asked, what color is the cat? Grey and white (my favorite). Was the cat a senior? No, been there since a kitten (heart sank deeper). Was there something wrong? No, just overlooked. Ok, I'll be in on Saturday to adopt the cat. On Saturday, I came with my carrier. While the shelter staff was trying to figure out which cat she was, my husband fell for a second cat, a white and grey tabby-mix cutie-pie. She had been overlooked in the shelter for two years. Both girls came home with us that day, over 9 1/2 years ago, and I am so glad I took the overlooked, plain-Jane girls. The 4 year old was renamed Chloe, and she's my girl. Snuggles with me at night, but very lazy (lies down to drink and eat), and loves to sleep on my bed. The 2 year old was renamed Leia. She loves to ambush and surprise the other cats. And she has the quietest, squeaky meow, almost silent. Both girls know that this is their home and we are family. One of the best decisions I made. They have filled my heart. From now on when I adopt from a shelter, I'll always go for the overlooked resident.

Karen Labazzetta
BLOOMINGDALE, NJ

Baby Bumblebee

In June of 2016, I heard a chirping sound outside beneath my bedroom window.
I didn't think much of it at first; I assumed it was a bird, but after it was still going on a hour later I went outside to see why.
Inside my window well, there was a tiny, mostly white kitten all alone.
It was getting dark, so I emptied a box, put a towel and the kitten inside the box and headed to the nearest grocery store for kitten formula and a tiny bottle.
I looked up "infant kittens" on my phone to see what to do.
The kitten appeared to be about 2 weeks old, so it needed bottlefed every 3 hours and stimulation to potty.
My two 2 year old male/female littermates took over potty duty like the kitten was their own while I continued to bottlefeed.
Originally I believed the kitten was male; and it was mostly white with a reddish goatee, so I named it Albus James (After Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter) and called it Alby.
A few days later, I realized that Alby was a female. I kept the nickname, but changed her name to Albreanna Jamesyn. (Dumbledore's full name was Albus Percival Wulfrich Brian Dumbledore)
Now, 3 years later, she still goes by Alby sometimes, but she's usually called Bee. (Dumbledore is an ancient term for Bumblebee.) She is the sweetest, most loving cat ever. She still adores my 2 older (now 5 year old) cats, and will cuddle with them just like they did when she was a baby.

Melissa Lewis
ALIQUIPPA, PA

Sheena the blind & deaf 22 year old rescue poodle....

My husband & I take in small dogs from the local kennel sometimes, who would otherwise be euthanized. I got a call one day from them to come down, that they had a 3-pound poodle that they could not adopt out because of her age & special needs. Being blind & deaf, they were going to euthanize her. I could have her if I wanted her. So I went down immediately.... They said that animal control was called to a scene at an apartment where the owner was dead for over 2 weeks. There were 2 poodles there with the body. The family took the one dog & dumped this one at the local kennels. So we walked into where they keep the dogs. From a huge dog kennel with a tiny litter box, they pulled out this tiny 3 pound little black fuzzball of a dog. You could not see her face or eyes or toes... just a mass of dark, dirty matted fur. We took her home & bathed her; the dirt ran off her & she was white under it all! I am a professional groomer, so I got out the clippers & began cutting off the hair that was matted. I even managed to give her a fancy show pom-pom cut... just for fun, as I thought she should look & feel fancy. It was a huge difference to look at her. I put a little shirt on her, as she was cold & scared. I got a baby bassinet & a child's playpen for her to be near me in & safe. In a day she wanted out. She did the perimeter of the rooms & knew them in 1 day. She at that point ran the house. I still had her sleep in a baby bassinet next to me at night for her safety. I took her in as a hospice case. I didn't expect her to live a week or month.... she lived 4 years to be 22 years old. She died in my arms at home. She was a strong brave soul. Her blindness or her deafness never stopped her from doing things... she was amazing & her story should be known . I always said she was a tiny angel on Earth. It was a pleasure to be around her. I miss her as she passed away in 2018.

Jennifer Leder
LAKEWOOD, OH

Jasmine's journey

A friend called me up and asked if I wanted a dog.....I said yes!! The reason the people were giving her away was because she bit the husband (the couple had a nine month old baby). They decided to try to find a good home for "Clemantine" (we changed her name to Jasmine when we adopted her). She was found wandering the streets in West Virginia as a sweet 7 month old pup.....until I brought her home and she met my husband. She bit him also! I called the vet to see if there was anything that we could do, not wanting to take her to a shelter. They told me of a "dog whisperer" type person (for lack of anything better to call them). I called her up and two of them came over....kicked me out of the house. They met Jazzy and worked with her and my husband for about 3 hours. She was reformed...but that isn't where her story ends. She had mange and a urinary tract infection. She was a pretty sick little pup! That was 8 years ago and she is the biggest goofball and bad dog we have ever owned, and we wouldn't trade her for anything! She is very independent and set in her ways, but without a doubt she loves us and we love her!

peggy majos
NEWTON, NJ

Lovingest Kitty in Town

My life felt so empty after losing the love of my life for 8 short years a couple of years earlier. I went to the shelter and started looking. I came across this little 4-year-old male kitty that was white with big black spots; a Holstein. I asked him if he would love me like I would love him. He reached up from my lap and gave me the sweetest little kiss on my lips! To this day, 15 years later, he kisses me every day, talks to me so nicely, naps on my lap, and snuggles up at bedtime. That little lover has filled my life with so much love I thank God every day for him. I am the most fortunate old lady ever to have found another love of my life in my little black & white boy with a pink nose.

Ruth E Johnson
RACINE, WI

They came in groups

I see stories every day of people adopting one or two cats, but all but two of mine came to me in groups. I had recently lost both elderly cats, and chose a Siamese hybrid mix kitten from my sister's cats, meaning to only have one cat from then on. Little did I know what was in store for me! I heard of two tuxedo female cats needing rescue that had been literally discarded in some bushes, so I took them both. I found a great home for one of them. Then a tortoiseshell female cat walked up to me in the front yard, jumped into my arms and has not left the house since. Then, a neighborhood female grey tabby stray trooped up to my house with four kittens (2 males and 2 females), and I couldn't let anything happen to the little 5-week-old kittens, so I took them in and watched a mother feed her babies for the first time. We lost one of those female babies the first night sadly, to something she had when I took her in. And mom already had respiratory problems and vision problems and still has them but is such a sweetheart. Then, there was a white and black cat and an orange tabby, both boys, who were living outside but looked so cold in the winter that I took them in during the first winter they were living on my porch. I just lost the black and white cat (I never could tell if he was a white cat with black splotches or vice versa!) two weeks ago from old age. And there are still a gray male tabby (brother to the mother I took in) and a calico living on my front porch. (Someone ran over the elderly ginger tabby who was part of the group last year while I was on vacation). The calico is feral and I still can't touch her after several years feeding her. I live-trapped her to have her spayed. And yes, they are all spayed and vetted. It's been a journey that I didn't expect but wouldn't change for anything. All the kittens are now grown and running around the house. I love them all and it's probably a good thing that I don't have kids of my own because I have plenty of four-legged ones! I always say Adopt, don't Shop! because they make the best, most loving kids and companions!

Rachel C.
LIBERTY, NC

My Rescue Cat

A friend of mine, Ivy, told me about a cat that desperately needed a new home. She was trying to help find this neutered, declawed, black cat, named “Church,” a home. The owner was having her boyfriend move in with her, and for whatever reason, it was decided that her two cats had to go. Her mother, Ivy’s friend, Peggy took one cat. She lives in a senior apartment and is only allowed to have one cat. Peggy’s daughter, was about to put the other, black cat, Church, out in the street, so I ended up saying that I’d try to find him a new home. That was 2 months ago and.... he’s still here. He’s very affectionate. I ended up putting a blue collar on him so I could distinguish him from my other “itty, bitty, pretty, black, kitty,” Pip, whom I adopted from our local animal shelter in July of 2018. I have a pink collar on her.

I can’t say that the cats have become friends, that may never happen, as Pip doesn’t really get along with other cats. The fur flies less frequently now, so there is some progress being made. I have seen them nose to nose checking each other out. Just as I was writing this, another cat squabble ensued. I keep a spray bottle handy to end those fights quickly.

I couldn’t believe that his former owner was going to throw this defenseless, house cat out on the street! What is wrong with her!!! He’s 4 years old, or so I was told, and has now been in 4 different homes, with 4 different owners. It appears as if he’s found his furever home now, here with me.

We have a Westie too, named, Schotzy. Church appears to get along better with her. He has even given Schotzy head butts, which Schotzy doesn’t seem to mind. Between having a white ghost dog and two black cats, we are all set for Halloween!

Linda Hautala
TAYLOR, MI

The Cat the Traveled 50 Miles

One day I noticed a young orange kitten in the yard. It wouldn't come to me, but kept hanging round. I put out some food and water, and he did eat. I talked to my neighbor and asked if he noticed the kitten. He said it looked like one over on the river where they had a cabin. There had been a kitten hanging round down there, and they had been feeding him chicken while they were there. But when they went back to their cabin the next time the kitten wasn't there anymore. He was pretty sure it was the kitten that had been at their cabin. What we believe is that the kitten somehow got up in their car and rode 50 miles to their home. It would come to our door and my husband would play with it under the door. We had a dog and another cat and he seemed alright with them. Finally we were able to get him to come in the house. We took him to the vet and he said he was about 6 months old. He loved to sit in the window and look out. We named him Thomas or Tom and he was with us 16 yrs before he crossed the rainbow bridge.

Cynthia "Cindy" Plummer
KEYSER, WV