Animal Rescue Stories

Yard Sale Cat

I had vowed that I wouldn't get another animal until retirement because I was never home and I didn't feel that it would be fair. However, my house was overrun with mice and my humane attempts to get them to leave were unsuccessful. I drove past a Yard Sale with a "Free Kittens" sign posted. When they placed Wally in my arms, he looked up at me with a look that said, "Where have you been, Mom? Let's go home!" The minute Wally walked in, the mice moved out. He has been the nicest cat I have ever had and a few months after I got Wally, Mitchell (a neighborhood stray) came to stay and they are the best company for each other.

Angie Viar
Hagerstown, MD

Marguerita: a Survivor

During Labor Day weekend of 2008, my Granddaughter Heather brought home an abandoned two week old kitten . Since we already had two adult cats, Heather was told that she would have to find the kitten, which she already named Marguerita, a home.
The kitten was so small that she fit in the palm of our hands. She was undernourished and suffering from a respiratory infection and the vet told us she probably would not survive . My daughter Eileen took on the responsibility of feeding Marguerita kitten formula via a doll bottle every 2-3 hours. Eileen became Marguerita's surrogate mother. She taught Marguerita all of the things that a mother cat would teach a kitten. Eileen even licked Marguerita's fur to teach the kitten how to clean herself.
Well, as you can see, Marguerita did survive and we never looked for another home for her. She is part of our family and we would never give her away.

Carol Rusignuolo
Union, NJ

The Little Dog from Puerto Rico

While vacationing in Puerto Rico in 1996, we fell in love with a little street stray living on the grounds of our hotel resort. We later named her Candie (short for Candelero, the name of the hotel we were staying in). Under all the dirt and grime, we could see she was such a sweet and beautiful little dog. There was no way we couldn't make her a part of our lives and bring her home with us. As luck would have it, someone working at the hotel had a brother who was a Veterinarian and helped us do all we needed to do in order to bring her into the continental US and pass the quarantine requirements of Kennedy Airport. She became a wonderful part of our existing pet family; a dog--Bear, and 2 cats--Pookie and Bandit.

After 13 years of Candie gracing our lives, our sweet dog passed away from cancer 3 weeks ago. But she will live in our hearts forever.

Kim & Mike M.
Bethlehem, PA

My Angel Bonita

Two months before my wedding, my cat of 16 years passed away. I was heart broken. A few months later, I decided my house was too empty without a cat so I went to a shelter in hopes to get a kitten. I went in and saw the most beautiful little grey cat who was preening herself. I pet her through the cage and then moved on to find kittens. I found some but they weren't ready to leave their mom yet. We left and as I walked out the door I realized that the little grey cat I saw in the cage would be destroyed. As I sobbed my heart out on the front steps of the animal shelter, my husband went inside and started filling out the adoption papers for Bonita. I've had her for 13 years now and she is my angel. I don't know what I would do without my baby cat. I will never regret saving her life as she has saved mine so many times.

Moira Penwill
West Vancouver, Canada

Taking Charge

The house behind our neighbor's had 2 cats, but one day they just up and left them when they moved. The cats weren't used to people because they were never allowed inside or cared for. However, my family and our neightbors worked real hard and finally got the cats to trust us. They kept one and we kept the other, and they're now fully cared for pampered kitties! Here is the one we kept-Charger!

Rebecca
Sandy, UT

Justice in DC

I found Justice at the Arizona Humane Society. After 12 years together in Phoenix, we moved to Washington DC. Justice really enjoys touring the monuments, memorials, and other points of interest in our Nation's Capital.

Jacqui
Washington, DC

Double the fun, Double the love

My husband and I adopted a stray cat that landed on our door step. We got him neutered and named him Murphy. He is grey and white and is a big baby. He was 5 pounds when he showed up and is 2 years old. He has gained a few pounds since being with us. We decided he needed a friend to play with so we also adopted another cat that was a year old from the humane society. We named him Marty, he is orange and white. Both cats got along together fairly quickly. Within a week of sniffing each other, they now play with each other, clean each other and sleep with each other like brothers do. I am posting a picture of Marty resting on top of Murphy. They both meow for lots of attention and now know what it feels like to be loved.

Crystal
Kensington, Canada

The Adventures of Cottontail

My husband had promised me that I could adopt a pet cat once we'd settled into our new flat. The wait was agonizing, but a few weeks later we drove down to the local Animal Anti-Cruelty League... They showed us all the cute little kittens first and our hearts melted, but we went on to see the adult cats. Listening to their background stories - I wanted to take them all home. Lastly we came to Melody's cage; apparently no one had wanted her because of her fluffy coat (they were concerned about allergies and shedding? As if short-haired cats don't shed). She'd been found wandering the streets, she was pregnant and her owners could not be located. Her pregnancy was aborted and she was later sterilized. The poor girl had been in that cage at the AACL for 6 months! I took one look at those big golden eyes and fluffy bunny-like paws and fell instantly in love.
We renamed her 'Cottontail' and took her into our home and our hearts. At first she was a little unsure of her new surroundings and would follow us like a shadow around the apartment. But after time and lots of love, she has become fully confident and now rules the roost. She has such character! No longer the timid little creature we first saw - her lovable and quirky personality has come to the fore; as playful as any kitten (probably making up for lost time). I can sincerely say we have enriched and brightened each other's lives.

Trish Storbeck
Cape Town, South Africa

He rescued us!

I found Cimmaron's picture quite by accident. He's a husky who was given honorary space on a labs rescue page! We already had a 3 yr. old husky and were not even thinking of getting another dog. One look at his face and I was hooked, the paperwork was done!
It took over 2 days for the transport vehicle to arrive from Tenn. and the pick up location was about 1.5 hrs. from our home. Cimmy was so nervous on the way "home" he sat in my husbands lap the whole time. And he still had to meet his new and older husky sister; Tasha. What a stressful few days for this "little boy". Could he handle all this trauma? Well, he survived all the trauma quite well and quickly proved to be the sweetest and most loving dog. There couldn't be a better match!
Tasha and Cimmy became fast friends and are now just about joined at the hip! Tasha has lost most of her eyesight from diabetes and Cimmy has appointed himself her "guide" dog. He leads the way when they go "outside" and waits for her before he heads back in. He wakes us if she needs to go out at night. He won't even take a treat until she has taken hers first! He is the best companion and is happy just being near us. He loves going for walks and rides (though I think he would prefer to drive) and has lots of friends at our local dog park. He plays while Tasha "holds court" but keeps a watchful eye on her if any other dog tries to bother her. He takes such good care of her and us! We can't imagine life without our "little boy" - he really rescued us!

Cathy McNerney
Hamden, CT

Mattie Grace

I was on this site doing the free click, I had lost my Fox terrier of 13 years in July, I clicked on petfinder just to look. When I saw Mattie she was so precious so we called about her and adopted her that week! She is a very smart little thing and already has brought so much joy into our lives! She loves squeaky toys, and being cuddled and sleeps at the foot of mine and hubby's bed! this site is great and I am so happy to have been invited to it and find our baby, she was already name Mattie and we gave her the middle name of Grace :)
Thanks to all the sponsors and people that click each day!
The Price Family
Texas
And a special thanks to her former foster parent JoEllen!
Mattie was adopted from the Weatherford (Parker county facility)

Shelley
Palo Pinto, TX