From Feral To Forever Home

These stories were originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Submit your own rescue story here. Your story just might be the next to be featured on our blog!

We had lost our black cat, Inky, to kidney disease in 2003 and years later I made a casual remark to my husband that we needed another black cat because they bring good luck.

When we traveled to my hometown to settle my mother’s estate, we stayed at a B&B where the owner was doing her best to keep a large population of feral cats fed. They had taken up residence under an old carriage house. There were cats of all ages and colors.

The owner also had two large, borderline-aggressive boxers. They had made it their mission to reduce the cat population.

One evening as we stood outside discussing the cat problem with the owner, I noticed a tiny black kitten lying quietly, watching the activity but not moving around. When I pointed it out to the owner she said “Oh, I think that’s the one the dogs got this morning.”

I went over, picked up the kitten, examined it and saw that it had been injured. The owner made it clear she was not going to get treatment for the poor little thing and instead of putting it down I held it close to my chest. The sweet little kitten melted into me without fear or complaint.

Being a cat person, I knew I had to do something. Since it was Sunday we would have to wait until the next day to take the kitten to the local veterinarian.

We put the kitten into a carrier to stay overnight. The next morning we took the kitten to the veterinarian, who agreed to do surgery ASAP to assess how bad the injuries were.

A few hours later we got the good news that there were no internal injuries and the abdominal wall was intact. The large wound had been stitched up and the kitten was ready to be dismissed. There was never any question that she would be going home with us.

Three years later, Jinxy is a beautiful cat and part of the family. Once a scruffy injured kitten with ringworm, she has blossomed into a princess.

Story submitted by Jeanie Purcell of McKinney, Texas.

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My Sweet “Jazz Purr”

She came into the vet hospital where I worked, very weak and anemic from the 100+ fleas we got off of her, followed up with a blood transfusion. Her sibling had already passed before they arrived for care. She was only a few days old but a feisty little gal. Her owner couldn’t keep her because Jazz needed more care than the owner was able to do. So, I adopted her (as we did with lots of patients that needed some help).

I bottle fed her every four hours, medicated her, cuddled her and was her mama, assisted by my pittie mix, George, who thought she was his baby. She used to drive him nuts with worry when she was old enough to hide under things, where he couldn’t see her. George would whine until she came out and he always allowed her to have his huge bed, while he put only his head on it to watch her. She loved to fall asleep on my chest after eating and having a sponge bath and she had the most awesome, loud purr. We always listened to Kenny G and other jazz music. Hence, her name, “JazzPurr.”

She was so special and so beautiful. Black long hair and LONG white whiskers. Never has a kitty touched me as she did. She sensed when anything was wrong and came running, flopping her heavy self on me and giving me kisses. She lived 14 years, but we lost her to renal cancer, way too soon. I sure do miss that sweet baby girl. I could only submit one photo, so decided on one of her kitten pictures instead of her as an adult.

Story submitted by Jan Henry from Bellingham, Washington.

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PC the Porch Cat

Every morning I would find her asleep on my porch furniture, and when I opened the door to grab the paper she would take off. I’d see her around the neighborhood and many times she’d come close like she wanted to be petted, but if you got close, she’d take off again. I was pretty sure she had once belonged to a family that had lived up the street, and when they got a dog the four cats they had took off. I’d seen the dog chase the cats on multiple occasions.

One very hot summer day as I was working in the yard I saw the dog chase her under my car. She looked very thin and hungry. I’d started calling her PC for Porch Cat. That day, I shared my tuna with her and brought her some water. After that, she’d come more frequently hoping for food. I bought some cheap dry cat food at the store and left some on the porch for her.

When the weather turned cool, she started tentatively coming into the house. It wasn’t long after that that she became a permanent fixture! That was three years ago and PC is a wonderful addition to our house! A loving cat who prefers the indoors during the cold winter months.

Story submitted by Linda from Houston, Pennsylvania.

Jinxy’s, Jazz Purr’s, and PC’s stories were originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!