Lifesaving tales: Homeless cats get fresh starts

Cheerful meows that greet you when you walk in the door. Rumbling purrs coming from the warm weight curled up in your lap. Playful pounces on toys that make you smile every time. Life with a cat is pretty great. And when a homeless cat gets a second chance at a happy home, it’s extra special.

All our feline friends deserve a place to call home. And the fact is, it’s possible: Around 7 million households in the United States are planning to add a pet to their family this year. If just 6% more of them chose to adopt instead of purchase their next pet, we would end the killing of pets in our nation’s shelters.

To inspire more people to adopt, we asked Best Friends supporters to share their stories of the day when they adopted their pets. Here’s what the cat lovers had to say.

Note: Stories have been edited for length and clarity.

In July 2018, our last cat from our days in the Air Force passed away. He was a one-eyed boy named Pete. One month later, my husband said that it was too quiet in the house. Time to adopt. I went on our local rescue site to see what cats were awaiting adoption. I found a beautiful one-eyed boy and was shocked to see his name is Pete! A sign from above for sure.

We inquired about one-eyed Pete and told the rescue group we wanted to adopt two cats. We were in luck! Pete was bonded with another kitty named Blossom. It was love at first sight for all four of us, and we have been a happy family ever since. My husband gave Pete a regal new name: Repete (pronounced Repeat).

— Roberta Williams

We had lost one of our wonderful cats and went to an adoption event to find another companion for our other cat. That day, I fell in love with Oreo, our beautiful, petite little cookie girl. She was a domestic black-and-white shorthair, just a few months old. And when she lay in my lap, she did the cutest thing rolling over and over.

That was almost 19 years ago, and she is even more precious now than she was then.  Although she has stage 3 kidney disease and isn't nearly as spunky, you'd never know she is 19. She loves everyone and wants everyone to love her.

She loves to be the center of attention, even if it is in the midst of lying down on the table with our mahjong tiles to let everyone know she is center stage. She loves her cat tunnel. I call it the tunnel of love because she goes in there especially to get petted. Personally, I just can't get enough of her love. She is amazing, and we thank God for giving her to us. She enriches our lives and makes our house a home.

— Hope Spangler

We started fostering in May 2023 with our local shelter. At the time, they had asked for foster volunteers for a few kittens and adult cats. We decided to take in the kittens since we could take more off their hands at once, but I always kept my eye on one of the adult cats in particular. She was a tuxedo cat with big, yellow eyes.

Over time, the shelter shared pictures and videos of her. They said she was shy and not thriving in her kennel. On the day we took back our final foster pet of the summer, she was being moved to an off-site adoption location at a PetSmart near our house. I decided to visit her and just loved her. But we already had three cats at home, and adding a fourth felt overwhelming.

Still, we came back to the store every day for three days in a row, trying to decide what to do. On the third day, I knew we needed to make a decision. The thought of leaving the store without her and not knowing where she would end up made me cry in the middle of PetSmart. So against all reasoning and what-ifs, we adopted her.

That was over a year ago, and Queen Fiona is now the big woman in charge in our house! She has a very gentle, mellow personality and still gets scared easily. We're not sure what she went through before the shelter picked her up. But when she is feeling happy and loving, she purrs away, makes lots of biscuits, and rubs her face on everything.

Fiona is proof that some cats take more time than others to become comfortable. But if you can be patient, kind, and loving, they will pay you back with love tenfold in their own unique way. Fiona sleeps with us every night in bed and sometimes gets kitten-like zoomies while chasing our younger girl around the house. She is the queen of the house — and our hearts!

— Christina Airola

It had been a very difficult spring for us. Less than two weeks after we lost our beautiful, beloved black Lab, Leila, to cancer, my husband, Dave, had a heart attack. Fortunately, he was recovering well, but Leila's absence left a gaping hole in our family. Not even our seven other pets could ease the pain.

We knew we were not ready for another dog just yet, but I kept thinking about adopting a kitten to fill the void. We had never had one because Dave always said that he was "not a cat lover." But recently, I had noticed a chink in his armor. A neighbor had been fostering some newborn kittens, and I watched as Dave interacted with them. It seemed that his attitude was softening, so I brought up the idea of bringing a kitten into the family. To my surprise, he said yes.

The next weekend we adopted TigerLily, a 9-week-old gray tabby from a local rescue group. I was thrilled, but I sensed that Dave was still a bit reluctant. That afternoon, I left the two of them as I went out to pick up all the kitty supplies we would need. I was gone for a couple of hours. When I came home, I found Dave sitting in his recliner with TigerLily sound asleep, curled up on his chest. "Shh," he said, smiling at me. "Don't wake her." It was clear some bonding had taken place.

We were lucky to have had TigerLily in our family for 18 and a half years. Sadly, we lost her to kidney disease in November 2024. Then, less than three weeks later, one of our guinea pigs, Butterbean, succumbed to cancer. We were facing a very rough holiday season.

Then one day, on a whim, we went to visit a local cat cafe affiliated with a rescue partner of Best Friends. There we fell in love with two kittens, whom we named Lily Rose and Felicity. They brighten every day and made our Christmas happier than we ever thought it could be.

Thanks to them and TigerLily, Dave is now a lifelong cat lover!

— Joy Inverso

I lost Mickey, my precious 15-year-old cat, in April of last year. As every pet lover knows, it was devastating. Although people kept asking if I was going to get another one, I wasn't ready to think about it. Then, after just three months of having an empty, all-too-quiet home, the Best Friends magazine arrived in the mail. On the cover was a tabby cat and the words “Bring love home.” Was it a sign?

I went to the local shelter's website and searched for male cats. There was a brown tabby they called Sprite, whose description sounded pretty great. So I called my friend who volunteers at the shelter and asked if she knew him. "I love Sprite!" she said.

I got in the car and drove to the shelter. Sprite was sweet and even let me pick him up. But he wasn't Mickey. I left him behind and ended up crying at the front desk. That evening a friend came for dinner. After telling him the story, my friend asked, "If you had to give an answer right now, what would it be?" Without hesitation, I said, "Yes." My friend told me I'd better call the shelter and put a deposit on him. So I did!

Sprite is now named Luka, which means "bringer of light." And he has been. He's sweet, smart, cuddly, and crazy. He makes me laugh every morning — and that's no small gift!

— Rae Pica

We feel so grateful for Best Friends and their dedication to saving Newman from the usually fatal disease of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), so we could adopt him into our home.

Newman is quite the character — from attacking our feet when we're getting into bed to playing with his sister Shania's dog bones to insisting he sleeps under the covers with us at night and trying to climb in the dryer. He makes us laugh every day. His sweet demeanor, morning cuddles, and constant presence in the kitchen add to the joy in our family.

— Dawn Jackson

When I was a child, my Uncle Walter told me that orange cats were the best. I always remembered that and always wanted one, although I got to the age of 66 and none of my kitties had ever been orange.

So the time came when I was again ready to adopt. I went to the shelter looking for an orange female, which I know are very rare. Miracle of miracles, there was Fairytail (at the time known as Cheetoh) waiting for me. It was kismet.

Here we are, four years later, and I love her more than anything. And I also know that I am loved equally back. What a wonderful feeling. Uncle Walter knew his stuff!

— Diane LaRosse

I was looking for a new friend after my dog crossed the Rainbow Bridge. I decided on a cat. I was looking online and saw the two most beautiful cats at a local shelter. They had a previous home and had to be surrendered due to medical reasons. They were older, 6 and 8, and had been at the shelter for months. One had special needs. I was interested.

I went for a meet and greet. Rocky climbed on my shoulder, and Gerry started to rub me and trill. They were perfect. On the way home, Gerry clawed his way out of the cardboard carrier. He sat on my lap, and we rode home. Sadly, Gerry crossed the Rainbow Bridge a few years later. Rocky continues to climb on my shoulder. I hit the jackpot the day I walked into the shelter.

— Kathleen Tarr

Ready to open your home and heart to a pet in need? You can make a lifesaving difference for homeless pets when you adopt from a Best Friends location or a shelter or rescue group near you. Go to bestfriends.org/adopt to learn more.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.