Pet people - share stories of how your pets came to live with you

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

A friend told me in August 1995 that she had a little gray kitten she wanted to give me for my birthday. One Saturday morning I drove out to her home outside Derby, Kansas to pick him up. He was a darling little fuzzy thing. He had several siblings who were rolling around and playing, and I sat on the floor to play with all of them. A little orange kitty came up to me and started playing and demanding a lot of attention. I thought, "What the heck? I'll take him too!" At the time we had two adult cats at home; I figured four cats wouldn't be too much of a burden. So we gave them both flea baths, and I bundled them into the car and took them home.

Mr. DTBK was still in bed when I got home, and he seemed a bit irritated that I had brought the orange kitty home too, saying "Why did you bring two cats?" But the orange guy climbed up the side of the bed and started licking my husband's face, and my husband IMMEDIATELY fell under his spell, and they've been buddies ever since.
The orange guy became Simba because he looked just like the Lion King, and the gray guy became Montana (Monty) because he had gorgeous blue eyes and I was a Joe Montana fan (the eyes are now golden).

My cat Fergus died in August 2003, and I'd been wanting a third cat for some time. After moving from PA to TX in May I started looking at kitties at PetSmart. My sister was visiting for my law school graduation and move to TX, and she accompanied me to the PetSmart at the Irving Mall one day while we were out running around. We saw a young flame point Siamese mix with bright blue eyes and so much personality and fell in love with him. I took no action that day, but kept thinking about him and broached the subject to Mr. DTBK in the evening. He was reluctant, but when he heard how much we liked this little cat he finally said okay. We went to pick him up the next day, and when he arrived at home he immediately charmed Mr. DTBK even more than Simba had. This little kitty became Morrissey, and my husband pronounced one day that he "had brought so much happiness to my life!"

And that's how our kitties came to us! What about yours?

[bertha katzenengel]

1. love the pic - and the story

No one wants to read a huge novel, so I'll just tell you about Cocoa, who probably gets the least of my attention around here.

I was at the vet with Daddy (again) when an off-duty vet tech brought in this tiny, tiny kitten. She said her aunt had called her - the aunt had just found it mewling from the undercarriage of her truck, and had no idea how it got there, where it came from, or whether it had survived a harrowing ride there.

The vet checked the kitten out and pronounced her very young - 5 weeks max - and relatively healthy, and they cleaned her up. I told the off-duty vet tech that I would foster the kitten if no one there could take her.

Before I even got home there was a voice mail waiting - "yes, please take the kitten."

Mrs. V. named her Cocoa because the dark part of her coat, when the light shone on it, was a deep brown. She was so, so sweet when she was a baby. She was clearly separated from her mother too young, because she took to suckling our ear lobes. Weird, but, whattya gonna do?

We truly meant only to foster her, but Mrs. V. fell in love, and so Cocoa became our sixth cat.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

3. Awww! Who could not fall in love with her?

[Shell Beau]

2. Aw...

My Lolly girl (6 year old mini-pin) I got from a pet store when I was 21. I didn't know better not to buy from pet stores. I brought her home with me and fell in love. She was an only child for 3 years before I met my next baby. My husband and I were walking around in PetsMart when they had a Rescue/Adoption crew there. I fell in love with my now 3 year old Hutch (cattlehound/chow mix). The same story for my newest addition 8 month old Hank (Austrailain Shepard/Golden Retriever mix). I just saw him and he stole my heart! :loveya:

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

4. Nice story - they sound so sweet!

[Bzzzz]

12. We love our Pins...

we have 2...Mika and Maggie. What characters they are. We call them 'our girls'.

[Wcross]

5. How I became the caretaker to 8 animals in less than a year.

I bought my home out in the country in 2002. Up the road was a family that was renting a house on a farm owned by a guy named Floyd. The family was very poor and the kid was always bringing home animals. At one point they had 10 dogs running around. As I was working to rehab the house the dogs would come down and visit with me. They were always very friendly and would stay with me all day. The owners never had them fixed or do any more than feed them.
About a year after I moved in their house burned to the ground. Floyd found a home for most of the animals but he couldn't find anyone to take Buddy, Angel or Peedee. He was going to have to bring them to the pound. I told him they would be welcome at my place. It turns out Angel and Peedee were both pregnant and they gave birth to a total of three pups two weeks after they came to live with me. I have had them all fixed and they are happy,healthy and living in the same area they used to.
I added two kittens six months later. I got busted by a state trooper speeding. I pulled over (in the middle of nowhere) and he wrote me the ticket. As I was sitting there I kept hearing tiny meows. The trooper came back and gave me the ticket and left. I got out and saw two kittens sitting in the hay. They were kind of skitish and I was having a hard time rounding them up. They were so tiny but quick! The trooper was going back down the road and stopped, he helped me get ahold of the kittens. Thats how I obtained Chairman Meow and Flea Taxi.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

6. You have a very big heart

I love the kitties' names, too!

[Rosie1223]

7. Chiquita's Story

Chiquita, our cat, had a harrowing start to our lives. My H is a farmer and parked his pickup in our shed for the evening one spring night. The next day he drove the pickup home (about 15 miles). When he got home there was a god-awful yowling coming from the truck. We could tell there was a cat in the engine somewhere but couldn't find it. We were so afraid it was injured by the way it was meowing.

We hunted all over the engine compartment, using flashlights, calling to the cat, no luck. We just left the truck in the driveway, hoping it would come out on its own somehow.

In a few hours, Chiquita appeared, uninjured. She was about 6 weeks old and just the most friendly kitten ever. Someone must have dumped her in the country so she adoped us. She's 3 now and has never been up in a car engine since.

I wish I could post a pic but I don't know how.

Rosie

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

8. Welcome to DU, Rosie1223!

Chiquita sounds like a very lucky little kitty!

You can use Photobucket or Imageshack to post pictures.

http://www.photobucket.com

http://imageshack.us

[Rosie1223]

22. Here goes nothing...

>

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

24. Awww - what a cutie pie!

[bertha katzenengel]

13. Hi, Rosie

Glad you were around for Chiquita. :) Welcome to DU

[Bzzzz]

9. Our handsome 'Big Boy'...

was dumped along the side of a country road when he was a pup. We went to the shelter, saw him and fell in love. He was a full blooded Rottie and had a heart of gold and a 'smile' that would melt your heart. When we brought him home we noticed that he had a ravenous appetite, but would become sick after every feeding. The vet diagnosed that he had parvo, thus the reason the owners dumped him. Our vet said it would be 50%/50% chance of survival, but we said do what you can, we want him to live. Well, he made it! Then another set back...while watching him run in the back yard with the other dogs, we noticed he was bunny hopping and had a gut feeling he had hip dysplacia...both hips(damn)! He went thru 2 surgeries 6 weeks apart, basically rebuilding both hips with metal plates. He was our big baby and we were lucky to have him for 13 years. This past Saturday, we had to put our 'Big Boy' down. It was one of the most excruciating days of our life, but we know he's suffering no more. The hips were shot and he was in alot of pain towards the end. May you rest in peace, Bocor. We miss you so very, very much. :cry:

[Shell Beau]

10. Aww.... So sorry. How sad and a tough thing to do!

:hug: Sounds like you gave him a great home though!

[Bzzzz]

16. It was tough...

we had to put our 'granddoggie' Brat down a couple of months ago and now Bocor. Brat was a Jack Russell and she developed a malignant, inoperable tumor in her throat. It's been a rough summer where our animals are concerned. Alot of people just don't understand how we consider them as our kids. The only salvation is that we moved into our new home this past weekend and its helped not having to walk into the room where Bocor spent most of his time. My husband has reminded me several times had we not taken him 13 years ago, he never would have made it, period.

[Shell Beau]

29. Absolutely! I am sure he had a wonderful life.

13 years is a long time for a big dog to live and it was filled with love. I know how hard it is to lose a pet. They are part of the family. It doesn't feel right once they are gone. :hug:

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

11. I'm so sorry

But at least he had years of love with you!

[Bzzzz]

17. Thank you...

that's what my hubby told me, too.

[Rabrrrrrr]

14. I go to the store, check 'em out, then say "I'd like 8 of those, and 2

of those" or whatever, they put 'em in a plastic bag, and I drive 'em home and plop 'em in the tank.

Only pets for me are fish!

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

15. I looked at some fish at PetSmart yesterday

Are they hard to care for? I think Mr. DTBK would have my head on a platter if I brought some home!

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. No, they aren't so bad

Some can be, but just don't get those. :-)

Some are real easy, like goldfish, that can just go in tap water and a bowl

I have tropical, so I have the set up that takes the water heater and filter, but I keep easy fish so it is really quite easy once you get all the chemicals balanced and stuff. And the bigger the tank, the easier.

Then there's saltwater, which I haven't attempted yet, which takes some skill and maintenance, and is also hella expensive.

[ronnykmarshall]

35. We just became fish fathers.

We lost about 50% of our first haul. Now things are settling down. We have three mama fish that are expecting.

So NOW we have to get a "birthin' tank"!!!

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

36. I hope you know somethin' 'bout birthin' babies!

[Arugula Latte]

38. I would say, if you get goldfish, invest in a tank w/ filtration.

They like to poop, and you have to change a bowl a LOT to keep them from dying from their own toxicity.

W/ a filtered tank, you can just change, say, a third of the water every couple weeks or so. I change the filter about once a month.

I'd say don't get more than three goldfish per ten gallons of tank. Even if they start out small they will grow.

(I just went through all this because my kids won some fish at the school carnival last fall.)

[Scout1071]

19. My dog found me.

I was distraught over losing my 12 yr old yellow lab in January. I'm single and I was soooo sad coming home to an empty home for the first time EVER in my life.

A friend called me and asked me to come by for dinner to cheer me up. The day was Martin Luther King Day 2005. When I arrived his English Mastif greeted me and out from the back bedroom came a little Minnie Me of the Mastif. My friend explained that he was trying to help a friend by taking this dog, but that we wasn't getting along all that well with the Mastif. After some discussion I agreed to bring him home for the night. That was 9 months ago and this little fella isn't going anywhere! Apparently he had already been abandoned twice and spent the first 8 months or so at a puppy mill.

Ladies and Gents, I give you Senator Spike Boxer:

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

20. What a sweetie! And what a good poser for the camera!

[Scout1071]

21. Thanks! I just swapped out one of the pics due to poor resolution.

Not sure what's up with the resolution changing on photobucket, but oh well.

PS - We are in KC!

[trackfan]

23. Three of our pets had previous owners:

Petunia the cat was born in 1990. My niece found her in a box of kittens in front of the grammar school. My sister was living at my parents' house at the time, so Petunia kind of became my parents' cat. My mom died in 1995, after which my sister, who had since moved to her own place, moved back in with my dad. By this time she had gotten a couple of her own cats which did not get along well with Petunia. My dad died in 1997, so Petunia became my sister's cat. Later that year she asked if my wife and I wanted Petunia. We took her and have had her ever since.

Blackie the cat belonged to - I think - my wife's ex-husband's ex-girlfriend, or something like that. In 1999 My wife got a call asking if we wanted this cat because the owner either didn't want it, or was leaving the country or something. So we took the cat.

Chase the dog belonged to my sister and her husband. He had previously been owned by their friend, but did not get along with his other dogs. When we met Chase in the Spring of 1999, we really loved him. My sister now had two dogs, but her lease only allowed for one. That Summer her landlady found out about Chase and forbade her to keep him. She asked if we wanted him, and we accepted - we always had a feeling that he would be our dog someday.

Brownie the chicken is the one pet we have that did not have previous ownership. We also got her in 1999.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

25. You have provided a good home for three needy pets

And you have a chicken? How cool!

[IntravenousDemilo]

26. This is the story of my sweet Alice, who almost wasn't.

Back in January 1989, my friend Hardy was out with his girlfriend and her big Labrador retriever in Saskatchewan's Qu'Appelle valley. It must have been about 10 below outside. The dog went romping off in the bright white snow and came back with a big mouthful of snow, which he dropped at Hardy's feet. It turned out to be a tiny, white kitten that someone had either dropped, or more likely, abandoned in hopes that it would freeze to death. So Hardy had a pet, and he named her Alice.

I used to spend a lot of time at Hardy's apartment; over the next year and a half I'd watch Alice as she batted at the strings dangling from the neck of his guitar as he played. She really took to me, too. When she was done batting at the strings, she would invariably come over and curl up on my lap.

So Hardy eventually decided he'd had enough of Regina and decided to hitchhike out west to Victoria to live. You don't take a cat hitching with you; it won't tend to stay by your side quite in the way a dog does. Thus I inherited Alice, my first pet (we weren't allowed to have pets in our house when I was a child because of the lease), her toys, her bowl, her litter box.

Hardy came back for a visit three years later. I asked him if he'd like to see Alice, and he said of course. So I brought her downstairs and put her in his arms. She immediately squirmed and flung herself out of them, and rushed back upstairs again. I guess cats have a long enough memory.

Alice is right now looking out my living room window, guarding my stuff. Except for moderate cataracts in her bright green eyes and a slight skin irritation that the vet looked at yesterday, she's in fine health; she can still leap at a bug or a moving spot of light as high up as the wall switch. She's a very vocal cat with an astonishing vocabulary, and we have many worthwhile conversations that range from "NGOWWWWW" to "brrrrrrp?" and everything in-between. Alice loves everyone, too -- and isn't that one of the secrets of a long life?

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

28. A beautiful story of a beautiful cat!

I'm glad you found each other!

[IntravenousDemilo]

30. I'd be lost without her

I would post a picture, but I don't know -- can I just load it from a disc, or do I have to link it to a website (which I don't have)?

Anyway, just think pure white with green eyes, along with a petal-pink nose, ear interiors, and paw-pads. And a tattoo. My baby has a tat (for ID)!

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

32. Go to photobucket.com

http://www.photobucket.com

[MissHoneychurch]

27. We got our second cat from friends

after our first cat died my mom, brother and I would talk almost every night at dinner about him and begging my dad to get a new cat. He always said no. Two years later, around my birthday he said "What the heck, get a new one". We couldn't believe it but he finally agreed to get a new one. Friends of us just had 3 little kittens. We visited them and I was allowed to pick one out. Octavia was the most forward of the three kittens, so I decided on her. She proved to be the devil she was already then but she could be a sweet purring cuddle cat also. We had to put her to sleep in January, at the age of almost 16.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

31. She was so gorgeous - I'm sorry for your loss

Will you get another one?

[MissHoneychurch]

33. not right now

Octavia lived the last 10 years with my mom. I just don't have the time for a catr right now. I am away too often over the weekend. It wouldn't be fair to the cat. But one day I will.

[ronnykmarshall]

34. Picture it !

West Hollywood, California 2003.

Two queens still mourning the loss of their beloved cat, Mickey ...



(picture was taken when Mickey saw W on on TV)

..... are walking down Santa Monica Blvd when I notice a pet adoption.

They stop just for fun and take a look. They notice an adorbale black cat about 3 months old. Their eyes light up. For the hell of it they asked "does he have a tabby brother or sister?".

Viola! They did. Tears of joy are shed and Ricco and Cosmo have a new home!

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

37. Hooray! I love a happy story like that!

[Arugula Latte]

39. Okay.

(Oops. Posted this in wrong place. Oh well.)

Savvy and Sputnik were flea-and-earmite-infested brother/sister barn kitties in Virginia who needed a home. A cat lady in DC got them and passed them along to us. They moved to Oregon with us. Sputboy had to be put down two years ago (liver cancer). We still miss him. Savvy is almost 13 and is queen of the house.

Otis kitty showed up as a starving kitten on our doorstep.

Tommy kitty was a sick but friendly kitten at the shelter. We got him about a month after Sputnik died and nursed him back to health.

Munchy is a domestic black bunny that was in our front yard. We suspect he was dumped. Now he's part of the family.

We also have goldfish -- that started w/ the school carnival ...

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

41. You are a very kind person to care for all these fur- and scale-babies!

[Arugula Latte]

43. Thanks. They are family!

I can't imagine my life without my kitties, in particular. They bring so much happiness. :hi:

[mvd]

40. Benji, my dog, died in 1996

After that, I decided to go to the SPCA to find a dog - and I knew I wanted Reba (who was found along a road) from the start. She was lively, and had a really good temperament with the workers. She had such sweet eyes, too. There were about 4 others who wanted her, but I got her through persistence. Couldn't have found a better dog elsewhere!

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

42. She sounds like such a sweetheart!

[mvd]

44. She is - thanks

:hi:

[Pied Piper]

45. OK, my story...

Two summers ago, a friend of mine sorta adopted a pregnant stray - she helped deliver the litter of 5 kittens. She knew that I had cats in my former housing arrangement, so she thought it was time for me to have kitties in my life again.

It was a litter of 5 kittens, 2 of which were all-black females. I went to take a look-see when they were about 8 weeks old, not yet old enough to leave home. I chose the 2 black females, who, at the time, had blueberry eyes. (I live alone, and I wanted 2 cats from the same litter, as before...). They wouldn't be ready to leave momma for another few weeks.

Well, my friend and I hadn't seen each other for awhile, so we were just hanging out in the kitchen, catching up on things. A few minutes later, I looked down at my feet, and both kittens were sitting at my feet, one on each foot, with both paws on my right and left shoes, looking up at me, as if to say, "We want you, too!"

I must tell you, I had a hiccup and a tear; once both girls understood that they would come home with me, they ran off into a corner, playing tug-of-war with a tea towel, then fell asleep, snuggled together. Honest!

A few weeks later, I went back to claim them - they hid under the bed and the couch, but they put up no fuss when I put them in the carrier. And when we got home, they eagerly explored the new place.

On their first visit to the vet, he told me that he had never seen cats who seemed to be so well-behaved in his office. No histrionics, etc. And in fact, they purr while they are still in the carrier during their vet visits, another first! Shocking, says my vet. And to this day, all of the office assistants are excited when Miranda and Minerva come to visit! Of course, Miranda and Minerva are not so excited to be doing the visiting...

If I ever figure out how to use Photo Bucket, I will post their pics.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

48. This is the most adorable story - I had to read it to my husband!

I love the description, "blueberry eyes." Very apt.

[Pied Piper]

57. Thier eyes are no longer "blueberry"

Miranda has a yellow cast to her eyes, and Minerva has a green cast.

Minerva has turned out to be a "Daddy's Girl", she follows me everywhere, but she doesn't like me to hold her. She's happiest if she's leaning again my legs in bed. Miranda loves to snuggle with me on the couch, but she won't jump up on the bed. To each, their own...

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

59. Sounds like my Monty

He likes to be near us, but isn't a lap sitter.

[huskerlaw]

46. My furbaby had had just

passed away after a long illness. I knew I wanted another cat, eventually anyway, but I decided to poke around on the Humane Society website one day at work. This adorable little face was staring back and me and my heart melted. I ran over to the HS right after work and asked to see him. I walked in literally 30 seconds before another family, who were also interested in seeing him. They handed him to me, he rubbed his little head in my palm...and I turned to the worker and said, "I'll take him!" Much to the dismay of the other family, lol.

So here's Riley. He's a bit mad in this picture because I wouldn't let him eat the Christmas tree. But yeah, who could resist this face?

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

47. What a cutie pie!

He looks like a skinnier version of my friend's cat Button.

[huskerlaw]

51. Well, he was under a year old there

he's chubbier now. ;) He'll make a dang cute California kitty though, don't you think?? :bounce:

[Gormy Cuss]

49. An old one

This is not a current pet, but a story about my favorite dog ever. When I was growing up my family always had cats, usually three at a time but rarely had a dog. We acquired a two-year old beagle sized mutt named Sugarbear from a woman who could no longer keep him. Her boyfriend had made sport of kicking and beating this poor little dog from the time Bear was a pup. This dog was terrified of adult men and would growl and posture whenever one came in the yard. He was a sweet animal around women and boys regardless of whether he knew them.

He was happy in our house but caused us one problem -- we were refused delivery by the mailman who tagged us as a "hostile dog" house because this diminutive little terror would bark so ferociously. After a few months a new letter carrier took over the route. Once he established that Bear was always in the house or on a short run, he worked at gaining the dog's trust. It took several months but Sugarbear finally trusted this guy. It was very cool. Sugarbear never trusted any other adult male but he loved this mailman. Sugarbear had a good male buddy for the rest of his days.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

52. Poor little Sugarbear - I'm sorry he had to suffer that treatment

But you gave him lots of love, so it turned out okay.

[Chovexani]

50. My kitty Frodo was a rescue

My cousin down in Maryland rescued a pregnant stray (Allie) who was very, very ill. She ended up having a litter of five, but the runt didn't make it. Then one day Allie got out and never came back. I think she went somewhere to die, honestly, once she knew the kittens were safe. My cousin is a single mom with four human kids of her own and just couldn't take care of the kittens, so I went down and picked up this little grey guy with huge eyes that climbed into one of my Doc Martens and just would not leave. :rofl: I named him Frodo and took him home, but he's quite a bit bigger now...

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

53. He looks like my Monty, but with white mittens!

What a softie kitty!

[Chovexani]

54. He's a big goofball

Right now he's rolling around playing with the plastic tie thingie that comes on a gallon of milk. :crazy:

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

55. I just introduced Morrissey to those (the perforated ones that don't tear)

I love how he carries them around in his mouth - it looks like he's got a muzzle on!

[happyasaclam]

56. I guess he has to find other ways to amuse himself

since he doesn't have me to annoy anymore.

[SW FL Dem]

58. Each of my furkids have their own story

the abbreviated version.

Jamie the now 17 1/2 yr kitty joined our family as a companion to our long departed Maggie. We went to a shelter and said we wanted a cat who could stand up to our feisty cairn pup Maggie, the only criteria was that we wanted a short hair. They brought out this tiny 8 wk old grey and orange kitty with a broken tail, noone wanted her because of her tail. Maggie sniffed Jamie, Jamie rose up and smacked Maggie across the nose and the rest is history. Jamie was raised by Maggie and still thinks she's part dog. Maggie died of heart failure in 1999 and Jamie was lost for months until we finally found a new cairn puppy to join our family.



Kelsey arrived in Nov 1999 and was promptly put in her place by the then 11 yr old Jamie. Kelsey came from a great breeder after a long search. A year after Kelsey joined us, a breeder friend of mine had this wonderful 2 yr old male she needed to place, he didn't like the show ring and needed a home as a pet. I had never had a male and hesitated, but eventually agreed, so Bowler (I didn't name him) joined our family in the summer of 2000. Libby was one of several rescues who came through our house. She was surrendered by her family because of accidents. Within 25 hours of her arrival, it was clear her problem was medical, she had a serious UTI and bladder stones. We took care of her during her surgery and recovery and during that time she became attached to my son. So Libby became a part of our family at Christmas 2003.

Here's Libby shortly after her surgery


And a pic of my threesome left to right Libby, Bowler and Kelsey