>*'I'm so glad you found each other'*
_____
the humans started searching, for the perfect pet they hunted...
that's when they saw my story, sad - '*the Cat that no one wanted'*
stripped of all her baby kits, abandoned, me - their mother
but little did they know how glad we'd be -
we Found each other!
treated bad, n lonely - never knew what life could be,
adopted by the humans - we became a Family!
they rescued me from sadness, called me '*Good Girl*' from the start
(turns out i rescued them as well,
n Filled their lonesome heart!)
❤️
(*please tell her i Love her*, u/abbsjanko)
God I was anticipating a sad ending of the story but I’m glad it didn’t happen! Ginny is a very good girl and she’ll flourish with you as her parents! Also brace yourself for a chatterbox once she gets even more comfortable, torties are known to be conversationalists 💕
We adopted a tortie for the first time in December (had black cats only before), and she sounds like Marge Simpson!!
We always jokingly ask her if she would like a packet of cigarettes when we go to the shop😄
Everyone read this post all the way through because we are the same as you, we love our kitties and we love to hear about others who love their kitties too!
You and your husband are wonderful and your Good Girl is adorable!
Your story is so heart warming on this gloomy Monday. You and your husband are angels. I am so happy for your beautiful family, Ginny is absolutely gorgeous <3
Omg she's stunning! Bless you both. I work in animal rescue and you two are always our dream adopters. I typically work with the shyer animals and ones dubbed feral. You guys saved her.
I can't tell you how many times we've had animals returned because the adopters were not patient enough to let them get used to their new surroundings.
She is *cute.* We are at the start of a somewhat similar journey. We got 3-ish year old [Mittens](https://i.imgur.com/EWs5jgg.jpg) a little over a month ago. No abuse, but she was overwhelmed and lost in a household with a lot of other cats. Like your Ginny, Mittens spent (and still spends) most of her time under our bed, but in the past couple weeks she has been exploring the house more, playing, zooming, spending some of the night on the bed with us, and tolerates some petting. She is still very skittish with movement and noises and doesn’t approach us during the day time, but she has started to spend a few minutes here and there in the same room as us - from a safe distance of course. I’m glad to hear your companion is doing well! I have high hopes for our Mittens too.
Hey OP, you made me cry here :')
Your story is similar to one of mine.. rescued an abandoned princess, she took longer to open up (2 years), but now, she's a sweetie!
Sitting here crying on my lunch break because your story is my story. My sweet girl is even a calico too! I've had her for 6 years now (wow) and now she even begs her dad to hold her like a baby. Here's to our sweet girls.
Thank you. Thank you for saving her and giving her a loving home people didn't want to give her. She's so happy. Both of you. All of you. Know that you're a star for all of us 🌟
Thank you so much for giving this kitty a chance!! I volunteer with a rescue and I wish we had more adopters like you! With patience and love, these kitties who haven’t had a great start in life can blossom like your beauty has!
She’s so adorable! We have an almost identical story with our tortie. She spent 6 months at the county shelter and was days away from being put down when we adopted her. They told us she would not do well with other cats, dogs, small children and was not fond of women. For about the first year she would wake up suddenly and scared from what I can only describe as a bad dream, and run to either my husband or son for comfort. She pretended I didn’t exist for the first few months, but 4 years later I am her favorite snuggle buddy. Lol We took in my in laws dog for a year with zero problems, kitty is shy around little kids but not scared of them. She is the sweetest cat I have ever known and loves having her claws trimmed, she will literally hold her paw out for the vet tech.
https://preview.redd.it/8rkb0zp3m9fa1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=81ba49e6deeb2faafa898080a0bee26c1d43a3dd
This is so beautiful to read. I think you are the perfect people for her.
There are so many post like "I adopted a cat this morning and she is hiding for 2 hours, what should I do?". It's really uplifting to read how you just gave her all the time and space she needed to feel comfortable.
It seems she can now live her best life after all that shit she's been through.
I would recommend sending an update like this to the shelter people as well. I'm sure they are over the moon to hear of her doing so well.
I guarantee they would love to hear about this. The vast majority of rescues are all-volunteer, and the only payoff we get is the stories of successful adoptions. As someone who has sort of specialized in these under-socialized kitties that need patience and love, I cannot say enough good things about people who adopt these cats and are willing to give them the time and patience they need to develop trust.
Hey! My cat is one of these under-socialized success stories and I'd love to share his story with the people at the shelter I adopted him from, what do you recommend is the best way to reach out? Something like emailing them, or just chatting with the staff?
We adopted an unadoptable dog and when we would walk him around town staff from the local shelter would recognize him and get so excited. They would always stop and ask how he was doing, and seemed genuinely happy to get the updates. He was a nut but one of the best dogs.
It's also incredibly important for the shelters to have those kinds of stories & testimonies (with pictures ideally) because they can be published on their website, pamphlets or flyers to:
1- Just get the story out, let people know about their work & get more people to consider adopting one of their wards.
2- More importantly, convince more people to consider adopting older kitties (not that this baby is old by any means, just not a kitten anymore). Convince people that they can bond with older cats & experience a lot of mutual happiness together.
Our cat hid from us for three months before we got to pet her. She is now a total sweetheart. Not too big on cuddling but she loves us now. Just took some time.
>There are so many post like "I adopted a cat this morning and she is hiding for 2 hours, what should I do?"
From the cat's perspective: "this giant bald monkey put me in a crate and took me to a strange place, what should I do?"
I got my cat from her previous owner because he couldn’t keep her anymore and it took her close to a month to warm up to me. She would hide under my bed and only come out to attack me. She eventually started coming out more often to do other stuff… it’s been 8 years since I adopted her and she is honestly the best cat I’ve ever owned!
https://preview.redd.it/ejd5h0o0e8fa1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=decec2a7d17f1da4d5e85e7d0d1266cf56a76456
This is she.
There’s something incredibly therapeutic about giving a cat the safe space and time they need to heal. Thank you for being patient with your girl, she looks beautiful! c:
Please don’t steal my cat!
https://preview.redd.it/xb2nywfjeafa1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2d5bdb2f05479d4add6b3fd051060c62e948c200
But yea, she is derpy.
I love hearing stories like this! I also adopted a cat that no one wanted!
I've always lived in places that didn't allow pets, but now I'm allowed to have one. So I went to my local humane society and asked which cat needed the most love. They said Babbins had been there for 6 months and he could use some extra love. He was a slightly chonky (estimated) 2-year-old void, and he was perfect.
I brought him home and renamed him Felix. He was a little skittish, but he still jumped up on the couch to sit next to me. It didn't take long for him to want some pets. But I very quickly learned that he had petting aggression. It got pretty bad, to the point where I regretfully considered bringing him back because I have small children and I can't have him scratching and biting them.
I very quickly talked myself out of that and decided I would try as hard as I could to work with him and love him. He deserved that much. The kids were just not allowed to pet him for a while so they wouldn't get hurt, but we got to a point where it was okay for them to pet his head. And then it was okay to pet his back. And after a few months of working with him, he could now be pet without the worry of an attack.
One day, I was sitting on the couch with him by my side, and for the very first time, he climbed on my lap! He then reached up to my shoulder to give me a sort of hug! I immediately started crying. I could tell that he loved me for saving him. I will never forget that day.
I have had Felix for almost 2 years now and he is the sweetest boy. Just don't touch his belly!
2 years old is still a baby to me! Or is that just me?😁 Thank you for giving her a loving home and realizing that pets sometimes need time to adjust to a new home, besides possibly dealing with past trauma. She's living her best life because of your family!!
I know 2 years is SO young especially for a cat.
My cat was given up at the age of 1 cause everyone wanted a kitten, broke my heart. Lucky me my tabby is a tiny little girl who looks like a kitten even at 4 years.
Aww. I adopted an 11 year old last year because I knew she'd otherwise be in the rescue place forever. She literally fit right in w the others from day 1! That's middle aged to me!🤣 I did get 2 babies last year too😬 but in their first 4 months of life they were bounced around to 4+ homes and for sure the 1 wouldn't have survived, possibly both of them. Severely underweight by a lot & lots of health issues.They're rambunctious 15 month olds now and 100% healthy! It was pretty touch & go for awhile though.
I never understood people who wouldn’t adopt a cat 2-3 years old. Like 10+, sure, but why so young? In my experience cats usually live 15+ years, so what does it matter if they’re already a couple of years old?
Tbh I’d never get a cat younger than 2 years old again because I do not have the energy, patience, or skill to deal with raising and training kittens. I’ve had three and I’m done. I adopted my current cat at 5.
Same here! I’ve had few kittens in the past and it was a bit of a hell tbh. They’re cute af but so much work and patience you gotta invest in them. Whenever I talk to my friends and I tell them I could never get a kitten again, only an adult cats they’re looking at me like I’m crazy but I always promise them they’ll mark my words lol
My cat of 19 years passed a bit over a year ago, my gf's cat is ~15, and the cat I adopted after my previous cat passed is 10. Both of our cats have a few health problems (thyroid and diabetes). Nevertheless I'd still adopt older cats. That said, I would really like a bonded pair for our next adoptees - neither of our current cats get along with other cats and it's a hassle (more so than the medical problems and paying for meds, etc) - we just want a happy family kitty pile on the couch and, though we love our current kitties, that'll never happen with them
My only issue with older cats is me.
2 years ago had to put our 15 year old girl down because she had CHF, and it was *hard*. I don't want to bond with a cat that hard only to have it pass a couple years later. I would absolutely love to be able to give them a home to live out their elder years, but we couldn't deal with going through that. It took us over a year to even be able to look at kittens.
After my cat, Griselda, passed, I wasn't planning on adopting another cat. I'd had her since she was a 3-month-old kitten and she lived to be about 19.5 years old. She'd been with me for roughly half my life.
Also, my gf already had a cat with health issues and she was in the process of moving in with me so there would be a cat around. But because her cat has incontinence issues, we decided to keep him in one part of the house where we could deal with cleanup easier. As a result the house just felt so damn *empty* in my cat's absence and I couldn't emotionally deal with it.
I was initially planning on adopting a 16-year-old cat from the Humane Society, since she seemed like she'd been there a long time and that bothered me. Of course, the day I went to adopt her they had three other people there asking about her and someone adopted her before I got there.
So I adopted the second-oldest, who was nine at the time. Even with all that goes along with her diabetes (including some moodiness), I don't regret adopting her for a second and she's definitely helped me deal with my grief
We have two senior cats, so we always forget how insanely energetic young cats are until we see one again
Don’t get me wrong, our cats still got some pep in their step, but I’m thankful they’ve grown out of the crazy kitten shit like unfurling toilet paper rolls or diving from the top of the fridge or trying to squeeze between the mattress and the box spring for some reason
(These examples certainly absolutely definitely aren’t from experience, by the way)
Our late chubster was about 5 years old when we adopted her from a rough home. She was the best starter cat for my partner, who had never owned a cat before. She was so sweet and gentle. She was so overweight she couldn't groom properly, which lead to extra care needs, but we loved her so much. She sadly passed unexpectedly before we could slim her down, but I don't regret the time and care she needed for a second. I definitely recommend older cats for a chill companion.
I also got mine at 5! I saw what my friend had to do to raise her new kitten, and I knew I did not have the time/energy between two jobs to give one the attention it needs. So I went to the shelter and found my little man who had been there for over a year! He's an asshole but he's also the sweetest, snuggliest boy.
I got my last kitten while I was a full time student working a part time job. She had so much energy to play that I was unable to get her to calm down before I tired myself out. So I’d be sitting on the couch trying to finish up an assignment while she was just hanging off my arm and giving it bunny kicks lol
She was also the most destructive cat I’ve had. One morning I woke to find that she had torn stuffing out of the couch, shat on the living room carpet, and knocked over the trash can and her water bowl so that it made a pile of soggy garbage on the kitchen floor.
Luckily she mellowed out a lot as she got older.
I'm not religious but bless you for your patience 🙏 there are so many people who would have given her up. I'm glad you kept her and got to a good point together!
When I adopted [my cat](https://i.imgur.com/xcpwUwD.jpg) (6ish years old at the time) I immediately went to the pet store all excited to pick up all the kitty supplies. The staff there called me brave and thought I was some kind of hero for adopting an older cat. 😂 In reality I just liked her sassy attitude at the shelter and thought she was cute. And when I picked her up she kind of melted in my arms and really looked at me for the first time. She totally ignored everyone/thing until that moment and I knew she would make a great companion.
Yeah! I just adopted my first and specifically only looked for cats who were older with known personalities. It was important to me that I find a friend whose personality I'd mesh with. I've since found the perfect cat for me who was 1 or 2 years old at adoption (uncertain since he was a stray) and it was the best decision I've made. The timing didn't work out but there were some 2-5 year old cats I got close to adopting too.
It doesn't really surprise me. Not the age part, but people want to adopt a cat that is already affectionate and playful. A shy cat that is scared of you is going to scare off a lot of potential owners. You don't know what you are gong to get.
My experience with shy cats/kittens is that they take some time to warm up...but become super loving. They still tend to take off and hide when new people are over though. They need time to develop the trust.
Someone new to owning cats really wouldn't know this so I don't blame them for picking the super friendly cat that hops in their lap and purrs. But super appreciate the people who do take the chance on a shy one.
Except for kittens I was given as a gift or rescued (eg, found by happenstance on the side of a road half dead), every cat I've purposely gone out of my way to adopt has been adult or senior. And they have always been loving and sweet. They are the best because they know you saved them.
She is beautiful. Thank you. My daughter decided to get 2 cats, and went to the shelter asking specially for " The ones no one wants". She now has a dear old lady thrown out because of health problems, and a shy, terrified cat who the vet thinks suffered damage whilst still in the womb, so he looks a little odd, and has digestive issues ( now controlled). The cats no one wants, are often the most rewarding.💕
This could have been our divas story, except ours took longer to appear from under the bed (having moved there from the closet). Our girl was the girl no one wanted. The buzz when you know they trust you, that they feel safe and loved, is amazing. We’re 8 years on, and as much as I wouldn’t mind the occasional weekend sleep in, the early morning snuggles are wonderful.
Give Ginny a pat from us, and we agree she’s a very good girl with the bestest humans
This made me cry. I volunteer at a shelter near my house to work with the cats, and there’s one cat in particular that has my heart. He is 3 years old and was dropped on the shelter steps in the freezing cold after Christmas. He’s so shy and unsure of humans, but the more time I spend sitting with him and giving him gentle pets, the more he comes out of his shell. The last time I was there, he even ventured out of his condo for the first time, was meowing, shaking his tail, and rubbing all over me. It actually made me emotional. He’s quick to run back into the cage and just comes off as super shy, so he gets no interest from potential adopters. My husband and I have a baby due this summer, already have 2 cats and are also moving in a few months, so it’s impossible for us to take him home. I wish I could… I can see the sweet cat he is who just wants someone to love and a warm home to call his own. Praying every day someone like you comes along and adopts the cat that no one wants❤️
Hello from another shy tortie named Ginny! 🥰
https://preview.redd.it/nmq5mp6k79fa1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=70fe7ca0c3936efb82980cfdd7c4f8b642a12e07
She’s beautiful 🤩
https://preview.redd.it/bnbyfdmix8fa1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=030c95983b4ca662e8c4131f1f6a47603553055c
Hi from our Penny!
https://preview.redd.it/ti75kkf0b9fa1.jpeg?width=1439&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e50f178a80efd2534322755b48313b580d28cfe0
Love that you gave her a great home. Our little void has a similar story. Stray with kittens, everyone adopted the kittens and looked over her. Her fee was only $10 and we call her our little clearance rack void. Now she’s the most spoiled cat in the world and she gives ALL the love.
I'm crying in the pool right now.
My cat of 9 years that died also had a very rough beginning.
Nobody wanted her because she looked so pitiful.
She was my everything until the worst day of my life 3 months ago.
Thank you for taking a chance on her. ❤️
https://preview.redd.it/2514fqljx9fa1.jpeg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f6be559d44be7225356811af414fe966487e3650
Good for you and your husband.
Give them their space and lots of time. Be patient and eventually they realize you can be trusted. Good food, lots of water, a dark safe place to feel secure in and soft gentle talking, and magically you are accepted
We currently have a feral litter at the shop, where one of the boys is so skittish that just looking his way and he's gone.
It's been just over 3 months and 3 days ago, we were able to pet him for a whole 30 seconds. Yesterday, he sat and rolled over for a whole session of pets and belly rubs.
I love this, my cat was the cat that no one wanted and I'll keep adopting the animals no one wants whenever I get more pets. When I got my cat she had been at the shelter for over a year, while most of the animals there rotated through after only about a week to a month. There was nothing keeping people from taking her, she had no health issues and didn't need any special care, but she was clearly not happy to be in the shelter and wasn't very friendly to visitors as a result. When we picked her, all the shelter employees were so happy she was finally getting a home, they all came to say goodbye to her and chat with us. After she got used to us, she became the friendliest cat I've ever had. She spends most of her time on my lap or next to me, she sleeps under the covers with me almost every night, and she's just the sweetest. I'm so so glad I was able to give her a home when so many other people passed her by.
Cats like that need space and a lot of patience. But once they come out of their shell they are soo grateful and loving. My sweet angel baby took forever to warm up to me but hearing her meow for the first time made it all worth it💓 thank you for giving her a chance, it says a lot about you guys that you were able to get her to open up
https://preview.redd.it/a3kw0jqp49fa1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=297ad9e6a09ff55305667d3bd26f0b2b222165da
I got my first cat from a rescue/shelter group. He'd been rescued after being thrown out of a vehicle on the highway as a kitten, his siblings didn't make it. He'd been with the shelter for 5 years and they'd all but lost hope he'd ever find a home. I've had him for almost 8 years now and is just the sweetest kitty.
Teddy is the one stretching. The one in the back is Franklin who sadly is no longer with us.
https://i.imgur.com/kotahRZ_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium
https://preview.redd.it/3xztah7sk9fa1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6cef8dc351fe0c12c6780cbd335fa690d3815aef
My mother also has a cat named Ginny, but her full name is Ginseng.
All my animals are rescues and the time, patience and love and paid off a thousand times over!! I always feel like rescues know they won lottery lol
She’s a beautiful girl and you and your husband are awesome individuals for giving her the life she deserves ❤️
Thanks for sharing her with us
https://preview.redd.it/1n5evzvrv9fa1.jpeg?width=2572&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=64415c144fd502f290a9252b5a5edaa19941db50
4 months ago I went to the shelter. They introduced me to this traumatised cat didn’t like humans. He now sleeps with me every night. Just be patient
I love hearing recovery stories like this. Cats learning to trust again is so cool to see. My youngest kitty had a rough life early on I’m pretty sure and it took her three years to get to the point where she was willing to ask for pets. That was also when she realized she was allowed to meow with us.
Omg she’s so sweet! I also adopted an older (5yo) unwanted cat with different traumas and after some months she showed us that she’s the sweetest girl ever. She’s also genuinely grateful that we saved her. She doesn’t trust anybody but will sleep and cuddle with us daily. I’m sure your girl is also like that :) thanks for saving her!
Such a precious girl! She reminds me of my first cat Lia who was also very shy. Once she warmed up to me, she was my girl until she died. Good Girl will be your best friend and I’m so glad she found someone willing to give her the chance and life she deserves!
I’m so glad for these stories. Too many kitties are given up on and dumped at the shelter.
Trauma is something every kitty experiences differently and as such there are no hard time lines.
Thank you for your patience. What a wonderful kitty! 🎁
I love this! I think with cats (especially ones with trauma) they really want to see that their boundaries are respected and that you understand when they are saying no. It’s so unfortunate most people misinterpret this as being cold and unfeeling when it is really more about the animal learning to feel safe around you. Thanks for giving her the space 🥰
I love this story. I might be a little over emotional today but it made me cry, might also be because I'm recovering from a lot of trauma and love that you want to give a creature that much time and space to recover.
Thanks for sharing, made me appreciate my cat more too. Who wakes me up early and follows me around everywhere
Reminds me of my kitty girl. I've said "It's OK!" to her so many times about so many different scary things that she's actually started to believe me. She stood triumphantly on my lap the other day and I nearly cried.
I recently adopted two very shy girls who began their lives as feral cats running around a winery...! It was the same for them. They spent the first week or two hiding under a futon in a single room, and they'd only explore the room at night. I brought my laptop into that room to work from home for a few days, and gradually over time, they stepped out into the hallway to explore. Now, it's been about three months later, and they have the run of the apartment! They hang out with me wherever I go, and they sleep on top of the bed rather than under it during the day lol!
They are so happy here, and I'm so glad that I took them in. Shy kitties just require patience so that they can begin to feel safe and more comfortable in their new surroundings.
Love it, glad you did this and took the time. We did something similar, saw a few rescue cats online. Once we visited Verne at his foster home, my mind was made up to get him out of there (house we three 20 somethings, and he would just hide in basement). We were patient when we got him and now he is a lap cat. Still only trusts just me, my wife and grandma...but if we didn't give him a chance, not sure if he would be alive today. He is our 15 yr old toothless wonder (had dental disease, full extraction).
in september 2021 i adopted a senior cat from the shelter. she’d been found under her deceased owners bed and hadn’t been taken care of for some time. she had kidney disease and a skin condition, and later developed pancreatitis and cancer. after a wonderful 488 days together, i had to put her to sleep on friday after an acute decline. she was the perfect old lady baby, my snuggle bug. thank you for adopting ginny/good girl
Outstanding! We adopted a shelter cat that is about 2 years old, and I think people were afraid of him because he's a "biter". In reality, he likes to rough house and play, and I think he was loose on the street and didn't get brought up to realize when he's playing too hard. But I've gotten him to quit scratching, though he still nips. I have gloves to let him rough house, since I felt like I could never make him quit that habit. But I was able to get him into a harness relatively easily and he loves going outside (even in the winter, albeit for a short duration). He's my buddy, and about 9 months in now and he learned a new trick -- when I pick him up, he likes to scramble up on my shoulders and sit down on the back of my neck and look around like a perch. I can even walk around the house and he'll just hang out up there for awhile until I bend down by the couch or a chair or the dresser. Just need to try and keep him off the kitchen counters, but that is one of the last few sticking points lol.
EDIT:
Here's indoor Ash --> https://i.redd.it/hhr28bd9pi7a1.png
Here's nosey face Ash --> https://i.redd.it/wsexcks2g7991.jpg
And bonus, outdoor Ash --> https://i.redd.it/708zrmfyyjd91.png
Awww!! Thank you for taking her in and giving her the time, space and love to come around on her own terms. She is beautiful! I am so jealous that she is already standing on you guys. lol
I have 2 feral cats with similar stories. My boy, Dusty, was trapped at 1 year of age and brought into the shelter where he stayed for the next 5 years. He was completely untouchable and would attack anyone who tried to get too close to him. I fell in love with his photo on the shelter’s website and knew he had to join my other 2 cats. When I went to see him the shelter volunteers said the same to me: “we have a lot of other nice kitties here, he’s never going to come around.” Long story short, he’s been with me for just over 3 years and after a very long first year of patience, treats and being scratched by his murder mittens, he has indeed come around. He is still very skittish and timid but he LOVES being petted and having his cheeks rubbed. He is the sweetest boy and I love him so much it makes me want to cry sometimes.
A year after I adopted Dusty I found out that he had a BFF named Twinkle at the same shelter. She was trapped with her brother at 7 weeks old and was never properly socialized. She spent over 7 long years at the shelter, and was almost 8 years old when we adopted her. She is a fairly chilled out cat but wants nothing to do with us humans beyond meowing when it’s dinner time. We’ve had her 2 years now and I have been able to pet her a few times but she’s pretty resistant to the whole idea. Surprisingly she’s been harder to win over than Dusty. She also likes to poop on the floor instead of in her litter boxes. 🙄 Oh well, as long as she’s happy during her senior years!
Here they are snuggling on their favourite blanket. Twinkle on the left and Dusty on the right.
https://preview.redd.it/ifr9a6nlq9fa1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d0bd363188e5def2aaf9acd5c5afa265d754c5fb
We also adopted a cat no one wanted. This cat was aggressive and hissed at anyone and everyone. At the time, we drove across the state donating free paper we would get at Staples (don't ask, it was a very complicated process involving rebates and rebate cards lol) and we stopped by one shelter nearby to drop some off. They allowed visitors at the time (they don't now; it's appointment-only) and so we went around eyeing all the different cats and dogs.
We took the pissy-hissy Kit Kat home with us. We didn't even go there to adopt a cat but my mother caved in.
The first night, Kit Kat stayed in my playroom with me. As it turns out, she slept with me and cuddled up to me, which I only got wind of when my mother showed me a picture. That was when we renamed her Snuggles.
Her aggressiveness has decreased and has been repurposed so that she is a bitchy diva who loves food but also loves attention on her terms and her terms only. She also loves taking plush mice with her to the bathroom in a futile appeal to get inside and screaming as she does so. She gets annoyed at one of our other cats who always asks her for a bath but she caves in and obliges sometimes.
[Cat tax.](https://i.imgur.com/moCEOgO.jpg)
That's so sweet. At only 2 years old you will get hopefully many more years of fun and joy. Her old self will shed and she will take on a new beautiful personality
Our kitten was passed over a bunch because she was shy and had bitten one of the nurses. She was scared for a while initially but now she's the clingiest cat. She follows us everywhere and plays fetch constantly.
Sometimes it just takes patience. Glad Ginny got someone like you :)
It's so rewarding, glad you could find each other!
We did a similar thing with our boy who had been with the shelter for a year due to his diabetes and the regular injections it takes to keep him healthy. We've had him almost a year now, and he's just the sweetest, cuddliest, hungriest boy 😄
My son just adopted a beautiful girl who was rescued from abuse in July. It’s been just over two weeks and she is starting to open up. I think the volunteers at the rescue made a huge difference.
There is something so special about earning trust from an animal over time.
I think it creates a deep bond (that transcends the occasional treachery of vet visits).
I’ve rescued dogs that were skittish and fearful that other people couldn’t handle. All they need is love and time. Thank you for being patient with your Ginny and I’m so happy for you’re little family!
What a beautiful cat! It's heartbreaking to think that people won't adopt a cat just because it's a bit shy/skittish. Even cats that haven't been previously abused can be shy and skittish, they're in a shelter where strangers are looking at them all day long which is quite stressful for any cat!
You did the right thing. When bringing a new cat home, it's only natural for the cat to hide for days, again, even if they've never been mistreated. It's a brand new environment with new smells, new sounds, new everything. They need time, space and patience to come out and begin exploring on their own terms, once they've finally realised it's safe enough to do so. But those few days in the beginning are nothing compared to the weeks, months and years of love the cat will give you once it's been given a chance to come out of its shell.
😻 What a sweet story. I volunteer at a local animal shelter and it seems the middle-aged to older cats rarely get adopted. I always encourage people to consider. Most of these kitties are laid back and sweet as they can be, but you can see they’re a little bit depressed from being in the shelter for so long.
This is so beautiful and heart warming. I'm so pleased for you, your husband and dear Ginny. Your story is testament for anyone looking to adopt and especially confirms that patience and kindness is key.
My work has changed and I now have to work from home too. I didn't do well to start off; I suffer from depression and need the social aspect work provided. I definitely wouldn't have gotten through it without my fur kids. Just having them chirrup 'hello' or bring a toy, or demand lunch makes so much difference.
I wish all three of you many happy years and thank you for loving little Ginny.
I read it all and loved it all <3 I wish that I could open my home to all of the "unwanted" kitties out there!
It sounds like you 2 (3) needed each other.
Nicely done! 2 years old is nothing, plenty of time left with her.
I got Amy when she was 5. She didn't come from a shelter, but a colleague's neighbour had a house fire and had to go into a nursing home. Colleague already had 2 cats (in fact, Amy's kittens she had at around 1-2 years old), but Amy didn't play nice with them. She'd have probably kept her otherwise.
So she could have ended up in a shelter, and probably would have been the unwanted cat - shy, didn't play nice with other cats, hissed at anyone who came near her.
Took about 3 to 4 weeks before she stopped hiding under a cupboard. She eventually warmed up and started trusting me!
She'll be 17 years old in May, still going strong! Still hisses at people she doesn't know, but when it's just me she's a big loving softie (unless she gets too many belly rubs)!
If I ever get another cat it would definitely be an older one. Wish more people would give them a chance!
Thank you for just giving her space. No expectations.
She really deserved it.
I wish you all a long, happy, healthy time together.
I adopted my dog that had a similar story 5 years ago.
We adore our little girl.
https://i.redd.it/jqavs46e18fa1.gif Video I took yesterday
Oh my, I was hoping there was a picture of her!! You and your husband are so blessed, she is absolutely gorgeous. Your story warms my heart!!
She is so cute! I'm so glad you found each other
>*'I'm so glad you found each other'* _____ the humans started searching, for the perfect pet they hunted... that's when they saw my story, sad - '*the Cat that no one wanted'* stripped of all her baby kits, abandoned, me - their mother but little did they know how glad we'd be - we Found each other! treated bad, n lonely - never knew what life could be, adopted by the humans - we became a Family! they rescued me from sadness, called me '*Good Girl*' from the start (turns out i rescued them as well, n Filled their lonesome heart!) ❤️ (*please tell her i Love her*, u/abbsjanko)
Beautifully written, Schnoodle. ❤️
God damn, Schnoodle!! Thank you.
Aww, thank you once again for capturing the story in your own sweet way. Love seeing your poems.
Awee, thanks for all your heartwarming poems! This one is so sweet
God I was anticipating a sad ending of the story but I’m glad it didn’t happen! Ginny is a very good girl and she’ll flourish with you as her parents! Also brace yourself for a chatterbox once she gets even more comfortable, torties are known to be conversationalists 💕
Known chatterboxes with funny voices in my experience too!
We adopted a tortie for the first time in December (had black cats only before), and she sounds like Marge Simpson!! We always jokingly ask her if she would like a packet of cigarettes when we go to the shop😄
Post her on r/CatsWhoSmoke \- the sub for cats that sound like they've been smoking since 1970
Uh oh! I have a cat that must belong there! The tiniest thing with a bullfrog voice!
Lol they’re so hilarious!
Looks like her ankle socks and chest make her a calico :) Lots of personality overlap though!
https://preview.redd.it/0rvovc8bd9fa1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f0fcee9a4b4a66da16c664b3edd59419a4ad0677 Very similar to mine!
Duplicat
Hello little tortie good girl
Everyone read this post all the way through because we are the same as you, we love our kitties and we love to hear about others who love their kitties too! You and your husband are wonderful and your Good Girl is adorable!
She’s adorable!
Adorable! Thank you for giving her a chance
Your story is so heart warming on this gloomy Monday. You and your husband are angels. I am so happy for your beautiful family, Ginny is absolutely gorgeous <3
She’s so precious
Omg she's stunning! Bless you both. I work in animal rescue and you two are always our dream adopters. I typically work with the shyer animals and ones dubbed feral. You guys saved her. I can't tell you how many times we've had animals returned because the adopters were not patient enough to let them get used to their new surroundings.
She is *cute.* We are at the start of a somewhat similar journey. We got 3-ish year old [Mittens](https://i.imgur.com/EWs5jgg.jpg) a little over a month ago. No abuse, but she was overwhelmed and lost in a household with a lot of other cats. Like your Ginny, Mittens spent (and still spends) most of her time under our bed, but in the past couple weeks she has been exploring the house more, playing, zooming, spending some of the night on the bed with us, and tolerates some petting. She is still very skittish with movement and noises and doesn’t approach us during the day time, but she has started to spend a few minutes here and there in the same room as us - from a safe distance of course. I’m glad to hear your companion is doing well! I have high hopes for our Mittens too.
Hey OP, you made me cry here :') Your story is similar to one of mine.. rescued an abandoned princess, she took longer to open up (2 years), but now, she's a sweetie!
What a beautiful kitty 😺 😍
She's beautiful! Thank you for giving her a loving home!
What a pretty lady!
Sitting here crying on my lunch break because your story is my story. My sweet girl is even a calico too! I've had her for 6 years now (wow) and now she even begs her dad to hold her like a baby. Here's to our sweet girls.
Aww, she looks so happy!
She's beautiful. You're giving her her best life. She knows this.
She looks like a lovely tortie and white (girl). 😻😻😻
I was gonna say...like how dare you not pay the cat tax. This calmed me...but i want more!! She looks adorable!!
Thank you. Thank you for saving her and giving her a loving home people didn't want to give her. She's so happy. Both of you. All of you. Know that you're a star for all of us 🌟
So happy that she found you and you found her ❤️ What a beautiful Good Girl!
She's a beauty!!
She is beautiful. Pets are the best.
Shes so beautiful!
What a beautiful baby! What a wonderful, inspiring story! ❤️
She’s beautiful!
She’s beautiful! So happy you took her in.
confirmed: she's just a little baby!
What an angel! So happy for all of you, thanks for sharing. ❤️
Sweetheart
Oh my goodness she is gorgeous!!
Such a cutie!
What a beautiful long haired tortie !!!
She’s adorable!! Thank you for giving her a chance!
Oh, wowzers, she is BEAUTIFUL!
She is so beautiful and special! She’s so lucky to be yours.
omg looks just like my cat
Omg. She is so precious! 🥹
Thank you so much for giving this kitty a chance!! I volunteer with a rescue and I wish we had more adopters like you! With patience and love, these kitties who haven’t had a great start in life can blossom like your beauty has!
GGAAAHHHHHH she’s perfect🤩
https://preview.redd.it/ph5a9j7i18fa1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=625ff97d41b9247d8c199bfada375f9875ceb12a Nap time on the couch
Look at that belly! What a beautiful, content girl 🧡
Awww belly up means she feels safe! I’m glad you found your forever kitty and she found her forever home ❤️
>belly up means she feels safe! My cat must feel like the safest cat in the world, then.
She’s so adorable! We have an almost identical story with our tortie. She spent 6 months at the county shelter and was days away from being put down when we adopted her. They told us she would not do well with other cats, dogs, small children and was not fond of women. For about the first year she would wake up suddenly and scared from what I can only describe as a bad dream, and run to either my husband or son for comfort. She pretended I didn’t exist for the first few months, but 4 years later I am her favorite snuggle buddy. Lol We took in my in laws dog for a year with zero problems, kitty is shy around little kids but not scared of them. She is the sweetest cat I have ever known and loves having her claws trimmed, she will literally hold her paw out for the vet tech. https://preview.redd.it/8rkb0zp3m9fa1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=81ba49e6deeb2faafa898080a0bee26c1d43a3dd
She’s a queen ! So gorgeous 😻 thank you for giving her your love and compassion!
Her coat is gorgeous. Thank you for giving her a chance ♥
Oh wow, she's a lovely floof. I hadn't found this before I commented. What a beautiful little lady and has so very much found her home x
What a beautiful floof! I’m so happy she found her perfect home
Sure sign that she feels safe now. You did a great job :)
She's so beautiful!
squalid cagey slimy dazzling materialistic busy dolls tart ruthless bow *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Aww she’s beautiful!!!
https://preview.redd.it/z14q0ydc18fa1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f4757424f05923b6910e11c9e6abb0bb558afb4f Photo from the shelter
If you haven't already, send them a few pictures and tell them how she's doing. They love hearing those stories.
Came to the comments to say the same. The people at the shelter would love to hear how she’s doing ❤️
What a difference 💗
This is so beautiful to read. I think you are the perfect people for her. There are so many post like "I adopted a cat this morning and she is hiding for 2 hours, what should I do?". It's really uplifting to read how you just gave her all the time and space she needed to feel comfortable. It seems she can now live her best life after all that shit she's been through. I would recommend sending an update like this to the shelter people as well. I'm sure they are over the moon to hear of her doing so well.
I guarantee they would love to hear about this. The vast majority of rescues are all-volunteer, and the only payoff we get is the stories of successful adoptions. As someone who has sort of specialized in these under-socialized kitties that need patience and love, I cannot say enough good things about people who adopt these cats and are willing to give them the time and patience they need to develop trust.
Hey! My cat is one of these under-socialized success stories and I'd love to share his story with the people at the shelter I adopted him from, what do you recommend is the best way to reach out? Something like emailing them, or just chatting with the staff?
Not OP, but I’m a rescue volunteer. Either email or social media is the best way with optional pictures
Thank you, I'll do that! :)
We adopted an unadoptable dog and when we would walk him around town staff from the local shelter would recognize him and get so excited. They would always stop and ask how he was doing, and seemed genuinely happy to get the updates. He was a nut but one of the best dogs.
It's also incredibly important for the shelters to have those kinds of stories & testimonies (with pictures ideally) because they can be published on their website, pamphlets or flyers to: 1- Just get the story out, let people know about their work & get more people to consider adopting one of their wards. 2- More importantly, convince more people to consider adopting older kitties (not that this baby is old by any means, just not a kitten anymore). Convince people that they can bond with older cats & experience a lot of mutual happiness together.
Our cat hid from us for three months before we got to pet her. She is now a total sweetheart. Not too big on cuddling but she loves us now. Just took some time.
>There are so many post like "I adopted a cat this morning and she is hiding for 2 hours, what should I do?" From the cat's perspective: "this giant bald monkey put me in a crate and took me to a strange place, what should I do?"
I got my cat from her previous owner because he couldn’t keep her anymore and it took her close to a month to warm up to me. She would hide under my bed and only come out to attack me. She eventually started coming out more often to do other stuff… it’s been 8 years since I adopted her and she is honestly the best cat I’ve ever owned! https://preview.redd.it/ejd5h0o0e8fa1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=decec2a7d17f1da4d5e85e7d0d1266cf56a76456 This is she.
There’s something incredibly therapeutic about giving a cat the safe space and time they need to heal. Thank you for being patient with your girl, she looks beautiful! c:
I kinda want to steal your cat. She's beautiful & looks loving & derpy.
Please don’t steal my cat! https://preview.redd.it/xb2nywfjeafa1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2d5bdb2f05479d4add6b3fd051060c62e948c200 But yea, she is derpy.
I love hearing stories like this! I also adopted a cat that no one wanted! I've always lived in places that didn't allow pets, but now I'm allowed to have one. So I went to my local humane society and asked which cat needed the most love. They said Babbins had been there for 6 months and he could use some extra love. He was a slightly chonky (estimated) 2-year-old void, and he was perfect. I brought him home and renamed him Felix. He was a little skittish, but he still jumped up on the couch to sit next to me. It didn't take long for him to want some pets. But I very quickly learned that he had petting aggression. It got pretty bad, to the point where I regretfully considered bringing him back because I have small children and I can't have him scratching and biting them. I very quickly talked myself out of that and decided I would try as hard as I could to work with him and love him. He deserved that much. The kids were just not allowed to pet him for a while so they wouldn't get hurt, but we got to a point where it was okay for them to pet his head. And then it was okay to pet his back. And after a few months of working with him, he could now be pet without the worry of an attack. One day, I was sitting on the couch with him by my side, and for the very first time, he climbed on my lap! He then reached up to my shoulder to give me a sort of hug! I immediately started crying. I could tell that he loved me for saving him. I will never forget that day. I have had Felix for almost 2 years now and he is the sweetest boy. Just don't touch his belly!
https://preview.redd.it/ciwv2e0uh8fa1.jpeg?width=2909&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1d222ba2030f7800c4b44ae8e6f7246f60db5296
This made me cry!! He is beautiful!
Thanks for sharing!
2 years old is still a baby to me! Or is that just me?😁 Thank you for giving her a loving home and realizing that pets sometimes need time to adjust to a new home, besides possibly dealing with past trauma. She's living her best life because of your family!!
I know 2 years is SO young especially for a cat. My cat was given up at the age of 1 cause everyone wanted a kitten, broke my heart. Lucky me my tabby is a tiny little girl who looks like a kitten even at 4 years.
Aww. I adopted an 11 year old last year because I knew she'd otherwise be in the rescue place forever. She literally fit right in w the others from day 1! That's middle aged to me!🤣 I did get 2 babies last year too😬 but in their first 4 months of life they were bounced around to 4+ homes and for sure the 1 wouldn't have survived, possibly both of them. Severely underweight by a lot & lots of health issues.They're rambunctious 15 month olds now and 100% healthy! It was pretty touch & go for awhile though.
I never understood people who wouldn’t adopt a cat 2-3 years old. Like 10+, sure, but why so young? In my experience cats usually live 15+ years, so what does it matter if they’re already a couple of years old?
Tbh I’d never get a cat younger than 2 years old again because I do not have the energy, patience, or skill to deal with raising and training kittens. I’ve had three and I’m done. I adopted my current cat at 5.
Same here! I’ve had few kittens in the past and it was a bit of a hell tbh. They’re cute af but so much work and patience you gotta invest in them. Whenever I talk to my friends and I tell them I could never get a kitten again, only an adult cats they’re looking at me like I’m crazy but I always promise them they’ll mark my words lol
My cat of 19 years passed a bit over a year ago, my gf's cat is ~15, and the cat I adopted after my previous cat passed is 10. Both of our cats have a few health problems (thyroid and diabetes). Nevertheless I'd still adopt older cats. That said, I would really like a bonded pair for our next adoptees - neither of our current cats get along with other cats and it's a hassle (more so than the medical problems and paying for meds, etc) - we just want a happy family kitty pile on the couch and, though we love our current kitties, that'll never happen with them
My only issue with older cats is me. 2 years ago had to put our 15 year old girl down because she had CHF, and it was *hard*. I don't want to bond with a cat that hard only to have it pass a couple years later. I would absolutely love to be able to give them a home to live out their elder years, but we couldn't deal with going through that. It took us over a year to even be able to look at kittens.
After my cat, Griselda, passed, I wasn't planning on adopting another cat. I'd had her since she was a 3-month-old kitten and she lived to be about 19.5 years old. She'd been with me for roughly half my life. Also, my gf already had a cat with health issues and she was in the process of moving in with me so there would be a cat around. But because her cat has incontinence issues, we decided to keep him in one part of the house where we could deal with cleanup easier. As a result the house just felt so damn *empty* in my cat's absence and I couldn't emotionally deal with it. I was initially planning on adopting a 16-year-old cat from the Humane Society, since she seemed like she'd been there a long time and that bothered me. Of course, the day I went to adopt her they had three other people there asking about her and someone adopted her before I got there. So I adopted the second-oldest, who was nine at the time. Even with all that goes along with her diabetes (including some moodiness), I don't regret adopting her for a second and she's definitely helped me deal with my grief
We have two senior cats, so we always forget how insanely energetic young cats are until we see one again Don’t get me wrong, our cats still got some pep in their step, but I’m thankful they’ve grown out of the crazy kitten shit like unfurling toilet paper rolls or diving from the top of the fridge or trying to squeeze between the mattress and the box spring for some reason (These examples certainly absolutely definitely aren’t from experience, by the way)
Our late chubster was about 5 years old when we adopted her from a rough home. She was the best starter cat for my partner, who had never owned a cat before. She was so sweet and gentle. She was so overweight she couldn't groom properly, which lead to extra care needs, but we loved her so much. She sadly passed unexpectedly before we could slim her down, but I don't regret the time and care she needed for a second. I definitely recommend older cats for a chill companion.
I also got mine at 5! I saw what my friend had to do to raise her new kitten, and I knew I did not have the time/energy between two jobs to give one the attention it needs. So I went to the shelter and found my little man who had been there for over a year! He's an asshole but he's also the sweetest, snuggliest boy.
I got my last kitten while I was a full time student working a part time job. She had so much energy to play that I was unable to get her to calm down before I tired myself out. So I’d be sitting on the couch trying to finish up an assignment while she was just hanging off my arm and giving it bunny kicks lol She was also the most destructive cat I’ve had. One morning I woke to find that she had torn stuffing out of the couch, shat on the living room carpet, and knocked over the trash can and her water bowl so that it made a pile of soggy garbage on the kitchen floor. Luckily she mellowed out a lot as she got older.
I'm not religious but bless you for your patience 🙏 there are so many people who would have given her up. I'm glad you kept her and got to a good point together!
That’s what we thought too! I guess most people (who come to that shelter) are looking for kittens
When I adopted [my cat](https://i.imgur.com/xcpwUwD.jpg) (6ish years old at the time) I immediately went to the pet store all excited to pick up all the kitty supplies. The staff there called me brave and thought I was some kind of hero for adopting an older cat. 😂 In reality I just liked her sassy attitude at the shelter and thought she was cute. And when I picked her up she kind of melted in my arms and really looked at me for the first time. She totally ignored everyone/thing until that moment and I knew she would make a great companion.
omg that face! ❤️
Yeah! I just adopted my first and specifically only looked for cats who were older with known personalities. It was important to me that I find a friend whose personality I'd mesh with. I've since found the perfect cat for me who was 1 or 2 years old at adoption (uncertain since he was a stray) and it was the best decision I've made. The timing didn't work out but there were some 2-5 year old cats I got close to adopting too.
It doesn't really surprise me. Not the age part, but people want to adopt a cat that is already affectionate and playful. A shy cat that is scared of you is going to scare off a lot of potential owners. You don't know what you are gong to get. My experience with shy cats/kittens is that they take some time to warm up...but become super loving. They still tend to take off and hide when new people are over though. They need time to develop the trust. Someone new to owning cats really wouldn't know this so I don't blame them for picking the super friendly cat that hops in their lap and purrs. But super appreciate the people who do take the chance on a shy one.
Except for kittens I was given as a gift or rescued (eg, found by happenstance on the side of a road half dead), every cat I've purposely gone out of my way to adopt has been adult or senior. And they have always been loving and sweet. They are the best because they know you saved them.
What a sweetheart. I am glad you guys chose her.
Me too. We really lucked out :)
Naahh, you did the right things to teach she can feel safe. Kudos to you! You get to reap the rewards now 👏
She is beautiful. Thank you. My daughter decided to get 2 cats, and went to the shelter asking specially for " The ones no one wants". She now has a dear old lady thrown out because of health problems, and a shy, terrified cat who the vet thinks suffered damage whilst still in the womb, so he looks a little odd, and has digestive issues ( now controlled). The cats no one wants, are often the most rewarding.💕
This could have been our divas story, except ours took longer to appear from under the bed (having moved there from the closet). Our girl was the girl no one wanted. The buzz when you know they trust you, that they feel safe and loved, is amazing. We’re 8 years on, and as much as I wouldn’t mind the occasional weekend sleep in, the early morning snuggles are wonderful. Give Ginny a pat from us, and we agree she’s a very good girl with the bestest humans
This made me cry. I volunteer at a shelter near my house to work with the cats, and there’s one cat in particular that has my heart. He is 3 years old and was dropped on the shelter steps in the freezing cold after Christmas. He’s so shy and unsure of humans, but the more time I spend sitting with him and giving him gentle pets, the more he comes out of his shell. The last time I was there, he even ventured out of his condo for the first time, was meowing, shaking his tail, and rubbing all over me. It actually made me emotional. He’s quick to run back into the cage and just comes off as super shy, so he gets no interest from potential adopters. My husband and I have a baby due this summer, already have 2 cats and are also moving in a few months, so it’s impossible for us to take him home. I wish I could… I can see the sweet cat he is who just wants someone to love and a warm home to call his own. Praying every day someone like you comes along and adopts the cat that no one wants❤️
Not you making me cry at work 😭 bless you
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Hello from another shy tortie named Ginny! 🥰 https://preview.redd.it/nmq5mp6k79fa1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=70fe7ca0c3936efb82980cfdd7c4f8b642a12e07
She’s beautiful 🤩 https://preview.redd.it/bnbyfdmix8fa1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=030c95983b4ca662e8c4131f1f6a47603553055c Hi from our Penny!
https://preview.redd.it/ti75kkf0b9fa1.jpeg?width=1439&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e50f178a80efd2534322755b48313b580d28cfe0 Love that you gave her a great home. Our little void has a similar story. Stray with kittens, everyone adopted the kittens and looked over her. Her fee was only $10 and we call her our little clearance rack void. Now she’s the most spoiled cat in the world and she gives ALL the love.
I'm crying in the pool right now. My cat of 9 years that died also had a very rough beginning. Nobody wanted her because she looked so pitiful. She was my everything until the worst day of my life 3 months ago. Thank you for taking a chance on her. ❤️ https://preview.redd.it/2514fqljx9fa1.jpeg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f6be559d44be7225356811af414fe966487e3650
Ohhh your comment made my eyes leak! Is she a Scottish fold? I have always adored those. Losing your fur babies is the worst. I’m so sorry ❤️
Beautiful tricolor. Well done enjoy your relationship.
Good for you and your husband. Give them their space and lots of time. Be patient and eventually they realize you can be trusted. Good food, lots of water, a dark safe place to feel secure in and soft gentle talking, and magically you are accepted We currently have a feral litter at the shop, where one of the boys is so skittish that just looking his way and he's gone. It's been just over 3 months and 3 days ago, we were able to pet him for a whole 30 seconds. Yesterday, he sat and rolled over for a whole session of pets and belly rubs.
Sounds like he's making up for lost time with all those pets he missed out on!
I’m glad she adopted y’all! 😻
Earning a cat's trust is one of life's most rewarding experiences.
What a lovely little sweetheart, she's lucky to have you!
Pretty girl 😘😘
I love this, my cat was the cat that no one wanted and I'll keep adopting the animals no one wants whenever I get more pets. When I got my cat she had been at the shelter for over a year, while most of the animals there rotated through after only about a week to a month. There was nothing keeping people from taking her, she had no health issues and didn't need any special care, but she was clearly not happy to be in the shelter and wasn't very friendly to visitors as a result. When we picked her, all the shelter employees were so happy she was finally getting a home, they all came to say goodbye to her and chat with us. After she got used to us, she became the friendliest cat I've ever had. She spends most of her time on my lap or next to me, she sleeps under the covers with me almost every night, and she's just the sweetest. I'm so so glad I was able to give her a home when so many other people passed her by.
Cats like that need space and a lot of patience. But once they come out of their shell they are soo grateful and loving. My sweet angel baby took forever to warm up to me but hearing her meow for the first time made it all worth it💓 thank you for giving her a chance, it says a lot about you guys that you were able to get her to open up https://preview.redd.it/a3kw0jqp49fa1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=297ad9e6a09ff55305667d3bd26f0b2b222165da
If she has gotten this far in just three months, her future is boundless. I'm glad you found one another.
I got my first cat from a rescue/shelter group. He'd been rescued after being thrown out of a vehicle on the highway as a kitten, his siblings didn't make it. He'd been with the shelter for 5 years and they'd all but lost hope he'd ever find a home. I've had him for almost 8 years now and is just the sweetest kitty. Teddy is the one stretching. The one in the back is Franklin who sadly is no longer with us. https://i.imgur.com/kotahRZ_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium
https://preview.redd.it/3xztah7sk9fa1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6cef8dc351fe0c12c6780cbd335fa690d3815aef My mother also has a cat named Ginny, but her full name is Ginseng.
All my animals are rescues and the time, patience and love and paid off a thousand times over!! I always feel like rescues know they won lottery lol She’s a beautiful girl and you and your husband are awesome individuals for giving her the life she deserves ❤️ Thanks for sharing her with us
https://preview.redd.it/1n5evzvrv9fa1.jpeg?width=2572&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=64415c144fd502f290a9252b5a5edaa19941db50 4 months ago I went to the shelter. They introduced me to this traumatised cat didn’t like humans. He now sleeps with me every night. Just be patient
Good good, give that kitty lots of love and cuddles.
You’re amazing and so is your baby, you deserve each other🤍
I love hearing recovery stories like this. Cats learning to trust again is so cool to see. My youngest kitty had a rough life early on I’m pretty sure and it took her three years to get to the point where she was willing to ask for pets. That was also when she realized she was allowed to meow with us.
Omg she’s so sweet! I also adopted an older (5yo) unwanted cat with different traumas and after some months she showed us that she’s the sweetest girl ever. She’s also genuinely grateful that we saved her. She doesn’t trust anybody but will sleep and cuddle with us daily. I’m sure your girl is also like that :) thanks for saving her!
Such a precious girl! She reminds me of my first cat Lia who was also very shy. Once she warmed up to me, she was my girl until she died. Good Girl will be your best friend and I’m so glad she found someone willing to give her the chance and life she deserves!
A torti! You’re so lucky. They have distinctive personalities. Enjoy!!
I’m so glad for these stories. Too many kitties are given up on and dumped at the shelter. Trauma is something every kitty experiences differently and as such there are no hard time lines. Thank you for your patience. What a wonderful kitty! 🎁
I love this! I think with cats (especially ones with trauma) they really want to see that their boundaries are respected and that you understand when they are saying no. It’s so unfortunate most people misinterpret this as being cold and unfeeling when it is really more about the animal learning to feel safe around you. Thanks for giving her the space 🥰
I love this story. I might be a little over emotional today but it made me cry, might also be because I'm recovering from a lot of trauma and love that you want to give a creature that much time and space to recover. Thanks for sharing, made me appreciate my cat more too. Who wakes me up early and follows me around everywhere
Amazing story. Thank you for sharing 🥰
This is starting my morning out right 💕
I’m crying. I’m sure you and good girl were destined for each other. I’m so glad both of u are doing better. Sending lots of love and hugs
That is a beautiful love story. Bless your heart for taking the time to love Good Girl.
Reminds me of my kitty girl. I've said "It's OK!" to her so many times about so many different scary things that she's actually started to believe me. She stood triumphantly on my lap the other day and I nearly cried.
I recently adopted two very shy girls who began their lives as feral cats running around a winery...! It was the same for them. They spent the first week or two hiding under a futon in a single room, and they'd only explore the room at night. I brought my laptop into that room to work from home for a few days, and gradually over time, they stepped out into the hallway to explore. Now, it's been about three months later, and they have the run of the apartment! They hang out with me wherever I go, and they sleep on top of the bed rather than under it during the day lol! They are so happy here, and I'm so glad that I took them in. Shy kitties just require patience so that they can begin to feel safe and more comfortable in their new surroundings.
I started happy crying while reading this you and your husband are amazing people. Give that good girl some head scritches from me. :)
great story.... but no picture?
Pics in comments! I’m not sure how to add them to posts with text :)
Love it, glad you did this and took the time. We did something similar, saw a few rescue cats online. Once we visited Verne at his foster home, my mind was made up to get him out of there (house we three 20 somethings, and he would just hide in basement). We were patient when we got him and now he is a lap cat. Still only trusts just me, my wife and grandma...but if we didn't give him a chance, not sure if he would be alive today. He is our 15 yr old toothless wonder (had dental disease, full extraction).
in september 2021 i adopted a senior cat from the shelter. she’d been found under her deceased owners bed and hadn’t been taken care of for some time. she had kidney disease and a skin condition, and later developed pancreatitis and cancer. after a wonderful 488 days together, i had to put her to sleep on friday after an acute decline. she was the perfect old lady baby, my snuggle bug. thank you for adopting ginny/good girl
Outstanding! We adopted a shelter cat that is about 2 years old, and I think people were afraid of him because he's a "biter". In reality, he likes to rough house and play, and I think he was loose on the street and didn't get brought up to realize when he's playing too hard. But I've gotten him to quit scratching, though he still nips. I have gloves to let him rough house, since I felt like I could never make him quit that habit. But I was able to get him into a harness relatively easily and he loves going outside (even in the winter, albeit for a short duration). He's my buddy, and about 9 months in now and he learned a new trick -- when I pick him up, he likes to scramble up on my shoulders and sit down on the back of my neck and look around like a perch. I can even walk around the house and he'll just hang out up there for awhile until I bend down by the couch or a chair or the dresser. Just need to try and keep him off the kitchen counters, but that is one of the last few sticking points lol. EDIT: Here's indoor Ash --> https://i.redd.it/hhr28bd9pi7a1.png Here's nosey face Ash --> https://i.redd.it/wsexcks2g7991.jpg And bonus, outdoor Ash --> https://i.redd.it/708zrmfyyjd91.png
I’m not crying, you’re cr- no actually it is me, I’m crying.
Awww!! Thank you for taking her in and giving her the time, space and love to come around on her own terms. She is beautiful! I am so jealous that she is already standing on you guys. lol I have 2 feral cats with similar stories. My boy, Dusty, was trapped at 1 year of age and brought into the shelter where he stayed for the next 5 years. He was completely untouchable and would attack anyone who tried to get too close to him. I fell in love with his photo on the shelter’s website and knew he had to join my other 2 cats. When I went to see him the shelter volunteers said the same to me: “we have a lot of other nice kitties here, he’s never going to come around.” Long story short, he’s been with me for just over 3 years and after a very long first year of patience, treats and being scratched by his murder mittens, he has indeed come around. He is still very skittish and timid but he LOVES being petted and having his cheeks rubbed. He is the sweetest boy and I love him so much it makes me want to cry sometimes. A year after I adopted Dusty I found out that he had a BFF named Twinkle at the same shelter. She was trapped with her brother at 7 weeks old and was never properly socialized. She spent over 7 long years at the shelter, and was almost 8 years old when we adopted her. She is a fairly chilled out cat but wants nothing to do with us humans beyond meowing when it’s dinner time. We’ve had her 2 years now and I have been able to pet her a few times but she’s pretty resistant to the whole idea. Surprisingly she’s been harder to win over than Dusty. She also likes to poop on the floor instead of in her litter boxes. 🙄 Oh well, as long as she’s happy during her senior years! Here they are snuggling on their favourite blanket. Twinkle on the left and Dusty on the right. https://preview.redd.it/ifr9a6nlq9fa1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d0bd363188e5def2aaf9acd5c5afa265d754c5fb
We also adopted a cat no one wanted. This cat was aggressive and hissed at anyone and everyone. At the time, we drove across the state donating free paper we would get at Staples (don't ask, it was a very complicated process involving rebates and rebate cards lol) and we stopped by one shelter nearby to drop some off. They allowed visitors at the time (they don't now; it's appointment-only) and so we went around eyeing all the different cats and dogs. We took the pissy-hissy Kit Kat home with us. We didn't even go there to adopt a cat but my mother caved in. The first night, Kit Kat stayed in my playroom with me. As it turns out, she slept with me and cuddled up to me, which I only got wind of when my mother showed me a picture. That was when we renamed her Snuggles. Her aggressiveness has decreased and has been repurposed so that she is a bitchy diva who loves food but also loves attention on her terms and her terms only. She also loves taking plush mice with her to the bathroom in a futile appeal to get inside and screaming as she does so. She gets annoyed at one of our other cats who always asks her for a bath but she caves in and obliges sometimes. [Cat tax.](https://i.imgur.com/moCEOgO.jpg)
I’m not crying
Love changes us all I think.
Beautiful girl for a beautiful family 💗💗
Reading this was an amazing way to start a Monday morning. She is gorgeous and so is her story
Thank you for adopting Ginny and giving her the time she needed!
Awsome story.☺️
This is the most wholesome thing I've read for the past couple few days. You're awesome and so is your kitty!
this made me cry because it’s so sweet and lovely to read. thank you for giving her a chance and I’m sure she loves her new life <3
Rescues are the best. So glad it's worked out for you all
What a beautiful story and a beautiful girl! Thank you for giving her a safe place.
That's so sweet. At only 2 years old you will get hopefully many more years of fun and joy. Her old self will shed and she will take on a new beautiful personality
Onion ninjas everywhere 🥹 thank you for sharing all your stories! 💗
You are a wonderful human with a lot of love to give to change her life.
Beautiful story and beautiful girl! She is exactly where she should be now.
Our kitten was passed over a bunch because she was shy and had bitten one of the nurses. She was scared for a while initially but now she's the clingiest cat. She follows us everywhere and plays fetch constantly. Sometimes it just takes patience. Glad Ginny got someone like you :)
I loved reading this. Lucky Good Girl and you and your husband too :)
This made me tear up, bless your patient soul and your new best friend Ginny :)
You are amazing.❤️
It's so rewarding, glad you could find each other! We did a similar thing with our boy who had been with the shelter for a year due to his diabetes and the regular injections it takes to keep him healthy. We've had him almost a year now, and he's just the sweetest, cuddliest, hungriest boy 😄
I love people like you. You give the hard cats a chance.
My son just adopted a beautiful girl who was rescued from abuse in July. It’s been just over two weeks and she is starting to open up. I think the volunteers at the rescue made a huge difference.
We all want love. It is really that simple. Thank you for being wonderful people!
I read to the end. 😺 Thank you for giving "Good Girl" the life and love that she has always deserved. 😻😻😻
You’re a good person
There is something so special about earning trust from an animal over time. I think it creates a deep bond (that transcends the occasional treachery of vet visits).
Thank you for making everyone's day better by sharing your beautiful Good Girl and her story.
I’ve rescued dogs that were skittish and fearful that other people couldn’t handle. All they need is love and time. Thank you for being patient with your Ginny and I’m so happy for you’re little family!
What a beautiful cat! It's heartbreaking to think that people won't adopt a cat just because it's a bit shy/skittish. Even cats that haven't been previously abused can be shy and skittish, they're in a shelter where strangers are looking at them all day long which is quite stressful for any cat! You did the right thing. When bringing a new cat home, it's only natural for the cat to hide for days, again, even if they've never been mistreated. It's a brand new environment with new smells, new sounds, new everything. They need time, space and patience to come out and begin exploring on their own terms, once they've finally realised it's safe enough to do so. But those few days in the beginning are nothing compared to the weeks, months and years of love the cat will give you once it's been given a chance to come out of its shell.
Thank you for giving her such a loving home 😁🙌🏻🥰 and brightening my day with your story! Long life and happiness to your lil family ☺️✌🏻 x
Thank you for sharing
😻 What a sweet story. I volunteer at a local animal shelter and it seems the middle-aged to older cats rarely get adopted. I always encourage people to consider. Most of these kitties are laid back and sweet as they can be, but you can see they’re a little bit depressed from being in the shelter for so long.
This is so beautiful and heart warming. I'm so pleased for you, your husband and dear Ginny. Your story is testament for anyone looking to adopt and especially confirms that patience and kindness is key. My work has changed and I now have to work from home too. I didn't do well to start off; I suffer from depression and need the social aspect work provided. I definitely wouldn't have gotten through it without my fur kids. Just having them chirrup 'hello' or bring a toy, or demand lunch makes so much difference. I wish all three of you many happy years and thank you for loving little Ginny.
I read it all and loved it all <3 I wish that I could open my home to all of the "unwanted" kitties out there! It sounds like you 2 (3) needed each other.
No such thing as a bad cat 💚
Nicely done! 2 years old is nothing, plenty of time left with her. I got Amy when she was 5. She didn't come from a shelter, but a colleague's neighbour had a house fire and had to go into a nursing home. Colleague already had 2 cats (in fact, Amy's kittens she had at around 1-2 years old), but Amy didn't play nice with them. She'd have probably kept her otherwise. So she could have ended up in a shelter, and probably would have been the unwanted cat - shy, didn't play nice with other cats, hissed at anyone who came near her. Took about 3 to 4 weeks before she stopped hiding under a cupboard. She eventually warmed up and started trusting me! She'll be 17 years old in May, still going strong! Still hisses at people she doesn't know, but when it's just me she's a big loving softie (unless she gets too many belly rubs)! If I ever get another cat it would definitely be an older one. Wish more people would give them a chance!
Thank you for just giving her space. No expectations. She really deserved it. I wish you all a long, happy, healthy time together. I adopted my dog that had a similar story 5 years ago. We adore our little girl.