“We were looking for an older kitten to keep our current cat Lyra company after the loss of our other senior kitty at Christmas,” Lori says. “When we first met Tilly (formerly Lily) at the shelter, she immediately came to me and wanted attention: bold but sweet. We felt that Lily was too close to Lyra, plus, to me, Lily is a very elegant name, and Tilly’s not elegant ... lol.

“Our family decided to adopt a new kitty after we lost our two fur babies,” Jadie says. “Our bonded brother/sister kitties we adopted almost 10 years ago passed away at the age of 14.

“This left us with just one cat, Murtie, who was 9 years old. We could tell that he wasn’t happy being the only kitty in the house and decided to find a companion for him. Little did we know that this would lead to our current cat crew, and yet we couldn’t be happier!

“When I returned from traveling while my daughter kept my cat Max, he seemed lonely when I took him home, so I decided to get him a playmate,” says Donna. “Because he’s a tuxedo, I thought I’d get another tuxedo. I found several on the Furry Friends website and went in to meet them. They were so ‘cat like’, indifferent and aloof. But then a little fluffball named Neptune (now Josie) came running toward me full of spunk and personality and it was love immediately.

“When we adopted Tiny, his original name was Rocky,” explains Logan. “But now he’s known, not only as Tiny, but Reggie and Little Guy.

“We chose him because he was so precious and calm-ish, and at the same time, both willing and curious. Although he initially hid in a tiny spot inside the closet when we first brought him home, he was soon making his way out and exploring his new environment.

“There are so many options when adopting a pet,” says Karina. “I love medium-haired kitties and our last one was a tuxedo, so I tend to fall hard for them. Muffin was extremely affectionate at the shelter and we assumed that she would get adopted easily. We then considered adopting Munchkin, another tuxedo, who seemed so sad, but my husband Joel suggested we ask Jenn which cat would have a harder time finding a home. She suggested Muffin because of her health history. So, there was our choice!

“I adopted Leon because my current cat, Chili, needed a friend,” says Nicole.

“When I opened his kennel at the shelter to see him, he wanted all the pets he could get and he wasn’t timid at all. Then, as I went to put him back, he grabbed my hand with his paws, as if saying ‘please, don’t leave me here!’ It so broke my heart that I knew I needed him in my life and in Chili’s.

“When my wife Rebekah and I adopted Gertrude, she was called Dixie,” David says. “Now she goes by Gerdy and Miss Trude, and she’s filling the emptiness created when our two 19-year-old cats passed away a few years ago.

“We recently adopted a kitten called Speedy from Furry Friends,” Mandy says, “and changed his name to Ragnar, after a beloved book character – not to mention a wonderful Viking name as well.

“Imagine two sisters living outdoors, who were ultimately found under a tackle store and rescued,” says Jen. “Now imagine them being called Tackle and Spinner, and you have the two feral kitties I recently adopted from Furry Friends!

“When I decided it was time to get a kitten, I knew that I wanted two: a male and a female,” says Stephanie. “I also knew that I wanted to adopt. I wanted to give homeless kittens a home with lots of love!

“We adopted Gemma, whose original name was Robin, because she was the youngest and we wanted a kitten to bond with our kiddos,” Zoey explains.

“I’ve adopted multiple kitties (foster fails) from Furry Friends since I started fostering in 2018,” Andrea says. “Currently, although I have six who were adopted from Furry Friends, I’d like to tell you about one: Nelson or Nels for short.

“While we’ve had many beloved indoor cats, we’ve also fed numerous backyard and neighborhood cats,” Tracy says. “When we can, we trap them and either take them to where they can be adopted or they return to be neighborhood cats once more.

“Although Phoebe, whose original name was, quite surprisingly, Alfredo, is not my first kitty, she’s the first one I’ve adopted from Furry Friends,” Meg says.

“Clover is the first kitty I’ve had on my own,” Jordan says. “I have a very particular lifestyle and, so, quite naturally, I was looking for the perfect fit.

“When I visited the shelter, Clover was separated from the other cats and was lying on the floor, completely disinterested in her surroundings. After learning a little bit about her, I felt confident that she would thrive as an ‘only child’ in a quiet house. Although she was cautious and quite skittish for the first few months, she warmed up more and more each day as she learned that she could trust her new environment.

“We love Bengals!” Kate exclaims. “Their energy and personalities keep us entertained, and their love, once earned, is so strong. Is it any wonder then, that we adopted our precious Hydro from Furry Friends?

“I was not only Remi’s foster and chose her name, I ended up adopting her as well,” says Shaylene.

“While I was fostering her, she was SO, SO sweet. She would snuggle up on me and brush up against me whenever I was close to her. Eventually, she was adopted and when that didn’t work out, I took it as a sign that she was meant to be with me. When Remi returned, she was surprisingly skittish at first and settled back in gradually. She wouldn’t let me pick her up. She would just run away, but now she tolerates it … lol. She’s still easily startled and yet she’s definitely more comfortable here. 

“I have had several pets in my adult life, and each time the animal has chosen me,” Doc says. “And so it was at the Furry Friends shelter when I entered one of the larger rooms on a Saturday morning several months ago. I sat down and was soon approached by various feline residents: some were curious and wanted a sniff, others wanted a pet, and one wanted in my lap.

“In February 2023, we were searching for a cat with a sweet and quiet temperament to complement our older female cat,” says Mara. “Our other cat had died prematurely from a fast-growing tumor in her throat.

“Formerly called Garfield and Yams, Scout and Tex are our first kitties together as a couple,” says Hannah. “Although we were originally looking for a female cat with a black coat, when we saw these two orange boys at the shelter, we fell in love and couldn’t resist taking them home. We loved the idea of two brothers being ‘fur-ever partners in crime.’”