Animal Rescue Stories

Bunch of cats!

For a long time we only had 2 cats. Then, our daughter wanted a kitten for her birthday, so we got her one from a friend. We named her Baby. When Baby was 1, Tony disappeared. Ozzy developed a bad case of mange at the same time. He didn't like the medication I put on him and disappeared. I was inconsolable. After about 3 months, I went to the pet shelter to get a female, but wound up with a black male kitten. He reached through the bars and "talked" at me, and I was hooked. He is my Buddy. Baby HATED him. It was a month before they could stay in the same room together. Part of it was that Buddy was very pushy and wanted to play all the time. They finally started to get along. About a month later...Ozzy came home! All healed up, fat and sassy! He didn't like Buddy, either. Still doesn't.
Well, June 2008, I went outside and heard a wail. I found a tiny kitten in the bushes. She couldn't have been more than 4 wks old, but she knew just what to do when I put her next to the food bowl! We named her Itty-Bitty, and she adored Buddy. She's now about a year old and the terror of the house. She was driving Buddy crazy wanting to play all the time.
Well...about 2 months ago, my 20-yr old son brought his cat Lulu to "visit," because he's not allowed to have pets at his home. She and Itty-Bitty are now best friends. That's how I went from a 2-cat to a 5-cat household in the space of about 2 years. All of my cats are fixed and quite spoiled.

Metalhaid
SoCal, CA

A picture-perfect ending

We had just lost our beloved collie, Ben, to cancer and were devastated. I immediately started looking at collies available through Collie Rescue of VA-MD, certain that I'd recognize our next collie as soon as I saw him. I thought it would be another sable and white (Lassie-type) collie like Ben, but when we saw a photo of a large tri-color collie (taken at the end of a chain before rescue) we knew we were his and he was ours. We quickly met Samson and, after a home visit, Collie Rescue agreed that he could have a forever home in our hearts and lives. Samson is such a perfect match for us that people often assume we got him as a puppy instead of a 7-year-old. Thank you, Collie Rescue (and other breed rescues) for creating such wonderful new lives and happy endings.

Gary and Julie Gochenour
Woodstock, VA

Saved face

I saw this cute face on adopt a pet and I saw it said he had only 6 days left in the shelter. I wasn't sure what that meant, so I emailed the lady there and she explained he would be put to sleep. I had to take action. That sweet little face needed to be rescued and needed a permanent home. He was going to be put to sleep on a sunday, we got there thursday and took him home.
Now he's happy and healthy and very much loved. His name is Bart and he and my family could not be happier.

Alexandria LaSalla-Tucker
Huntington Beach, CA

My first 'official' (although feral) kitty....

I moved-in to my new apartment and soon learned there was a feral cat living under the house next door. 14 years and 13 babies later, "Mamala" lives with 3 other cats (1 hers), a dog, and me. She has diabetes but is otherwise healthy, loving, and enjoying an active life!

Kim Freese
Columbia, MO

A Win-Win at Poker

My husband went to play poker in a neighbors garage a hot August night in Phoenix. Living at the edge of the desert an abandoned tired, hungry and injured dog found a safe haven in this garage of Texas Hold'em players! He ran right to my husband. My husband didn't bring home the winning poker pot, but we won so much more that night - Dude got a family to love him and we got a wonderful additional to our family.

He captured the heart of our neighborhood that night and continues to entertain everyone with his "vocal performances" and athletic abilities in jumping above the fence when you pass by.

Almost three years later his physical and emotional scars have healed, "Dude" is a happy healthy American Foxhound!

Charis Williams
Phoenix, AZ

Warm Sunny Sunday in March

When we left our house in Kitsap County that last Sunday in March we had little hopes of adopting the right cat to ad to our now one cat home, but I took along one of our cat carriers just encase. My husband had received a tip about a shelter in King County that had female adult cats available. I was leary from another adoption we had that didn't work out just two months prior. So off we drove to the shelter, once inside we spotted three cat rooms, and one cat that drew our attention - Anna. We didn't settle on her at first, we wanted to make certain she was the "one" and when no other cat gave us that same feeling - she was the one! An hour, two counselors, paper work, several calls to our landlord (I forgot our permission slip), detailed information about our home originally having two cats in it, and our donation, we were set to take Anna home. The next day Anna visited our local vet, minus a mild ear infection, our vet gave us the thumbs up with our healthy cat pick, and the determination that Anna is a wonderful asset to our family. I want to thank everyone who made this adoption possible: the family that released Anna, the Seattle Shelter that cared and advertised her, our vet and their staff who have been caring for our cats since 2007 (and our animal parents themselves), and to everyone who advertise (es) local animal adoptions. We are so very Blessed with our newest addition!

JEn
Port Orchard, WA

taz

Taz and his siblings were rescued at a few days old when a stray dog attacked and killed his feral mother and some of his siblings.Taz was bottle fed and grew to be the big boy he is today.Taz although male likes to help care for other orphaned kittens,and watches over them like they were his own.

Harold
trenton, NJ

ELLIOT

Elliot and his three sisters adopted me and my brother's family after making a cross-country trip from Chicago to New York & Conn. My niece rescued their mother, Roxie, from the streets of Chicago and took her in awaiting the birth of the four kittens. They made the road trip East when they were about 8 weeks old.
Elliot joined me and his new family of four rescued brothers & one sister and his three sisters adopted my brother and his family. Elliot always wants to play and he jumps on my back to let me know when it's playtime.

Cat
Carmel, NY

princess sira

My sira was found as a small kitten of a few weeks old abandoned in the woods . Perhaps a feral kitten who's mother had rejected her because she was sick.She was very sick since that day and all of her life.With many serious problems including a bad heart.although an adult she never got any bigger than a 6 mos old kitten,perhaps due to her poor health.Despite all her problems she miraculously lived to be almost 13 and just recently passed away. Little princess Sira was a sweet soul who touched many lives in the short time she was here.

maryann
levittown, PA

Kentucky Foundling

On a road trip, my mom and I pulled off the interstate to have dinner. We were traveling with her kitten, so we bought our sandwiches then ate outside by the car. We heard a kitten mewing, but every time I walked towards the sound, the crying stopped. Just when we were about to give up and leave, the crying started again, loudly and in earnest, and I finally found Kali curled up in some weeds right next to the busy road. She was about five weeks old, and I think her guardian angel told her she'd better speak up before we left! Since we had seven cats already, we intended to find her another home, but I didn't want to give her up, and after about two weeks, we decided to welcome her into our family forever.

Auriette
Pensacola, FL