“When my wife Rachel and I met Bongo Blaze (Blaze for short) in his foster home, he was called Tang,” Brian says. “We chose him because we were searching for a playful, orange longhair Maine Coon mix to be a companion to our tuxedo Maine Coon mix.

“Opal, who was originally named Olive, is far from being our first kitty,” says Cara.

“We met her at a Furry Friends adoption event at PetSmart. And the reasons we chose her were her age, her breed mix and her high-spirited spunkiness. Opal’s adjustment to living in our home was a gradual one, over a period of five to seven days. And to say that she adds smiles to our days is truly an understatement.

“Once known simply as Wickett, our newly adopted kitten now sports the grand name of Tundra Borealis Hyatt-Destree!” Amanda says.

“Tundra isn’t our first kitten, though. We adopted him because we had rescued a young kitten from a life on the street and he needed a friend. We saw him online and met him at PetSmart, and while he wasn’t our first choice, he came to us out of the kennel and we loved his personality.

“Kiki (formerly Aurora) and Gimli (formerly Jupiter) are not our first kitties,” says Jeni. “We previously had a family cat who passed away at the age of 13.

“We met Kiki and Gimli at our local PetSmart that was hosting a Furry Friends adoption event. We were hoping to find more than one kitten so that they would have a friend, and these two just happened to be available when we stopped in. Their adjustment to our home was surprisingly immediate. Both kittens were very well adjusted, weren’t afraid of anything and were very affectionate. We have four dogs and five humans, and the kittens easily adjusted to all of that!

“We met Gary at PetSmart,” Amy says. “I asked specifically for a male kitty with a chill temperament, and when she handed me Gary, I was smitten. And he’s gorgeous to boot!

“We kept his original name because it went so well with Gus, our slightly older rescue cat. As soon as we brought Gary home he not only adjusted immediately, he immediately bonded with Gus. Gus took on the role of ‘single dad’ and doted on ‘baby’ Gary, while Gary, for his part, never hid or acted like a new cat.  

“When we met Pickles at PetSmart, it was truly love at first sight,” admits Tara. “My husband and I chose him because of his remarkable energy and because he had a smaller eye that needed attention.

“Polly is the fourth female cat we’ve adopted,” says Britni. “Our others are from different feral cat rescues.

“We saw Polly’s photo posted on Facebook and thought she was particularly cute and sweet looking. We chose her, really, because of that photo and her name, and then went to a Furry Friends’ adoption event to meet her and pick her up. She had the name of my stuffed bear from childhood, and it felt like a sign that she was meant for us. And to top it off, we learned that her foster mom was a friend of my husband’s mom!

“We adopted Snickers (formerly Willow) from Furry Friends last June, about a year after our first and much beloved cat, 17-year-old Smudge, died,” says Ellen. “Smudge was a Siamese mix and a real talker!

“I’d been trying to meet kittens at the Oregon Humane Society, but it was difficult. Whenever I’d go over, there were always two or three people who had signed up ahead of me to meet the kitten I was interested in -- and then one of them would invariably adopt that particular kitten.

“I met Monty, my new roommate, cuddlebug, ‘landlord’ and wild cat at PetSmart 5 months ago,” says Andrew. “I had recently moved and had discussed adopting a cat with my girlfriend -- although we don’t live together.

“While we were at PetSmart buying some supplies for her pets, we looked at the various cats there from Furry Friends. I grew up in a house with cats and consider myself a cat lover. (In fact, when I walk around the neighborhood, cats are constantly running over to say ‘hi’ or to get some love). Unfortunately, four of the kitties I wanted to meet and potentially adopt were only being adopted out as pairs, and the only other one that wasn’t hidden from view was Monty.

“My husband and I adopted Asura (fomerly Cuddles) and Baba Yaga (formerly Oreo) from Furry Friends.” Mimi says. “Asura was chosen because she’s a beautiful Siamese while Baba Yaga was picked because he’s a BIG tiger cat. They join our three other rescue cats, Mazikeen, Salem and Lucifer, and three Dandie Dinmont terriers!

“I remember walking into PetSmart for some food for my two resident cats, male Notixx and female Pocky, and being offered some kittens to hold,” Brooke says. “Grimm was the first and only one I picked up because of how she cuddled into my neck. She was so cute as she fell asleep in my arms.

“When I adopted Adora, her name was Pepper,” explains Tala. “Although my partner originally picked She-Ra, Adora was easier for everyone to say.

“I chose her because her eyes just drew me in. Then, when I met her at the shelter and she was so affectionate towards me, it was a done deal. She had my heart. Now she’s part of our kitty trio, joining Gris (age 4) and Torta (age 1 1/2).

“We’ve had several cats in the past and have two at home,” says Skye. “What we needed, we knew, was one who was good with others. Enter Sawyer, now Blanche, named after the witch cat from the Japanese horror movie ‘Hausu.’

“Juniper is the first cat I myself have adopted, but not the first cat I’ve lived with,” says Emily. “And although I changed her name from Aria to Juniper, I mostly call her Junie or Junebug.

“I recently adopted Pipsqueak who has since been re-named Bruce,” Katherine explains. “In fact, he’s the second cat I’ve adopted from Furry Friends. The first one was called Thomas, and he too was re-named. His current name is George.

“A few months ago, our beloved 19-year-old kitty, Luci, crossed over the Rainbow Bridge,” says Jeanine. “My husband Tim and I had adopted our now 8-year-old tuxedo Bowie (formerly Storm) from Furry Friends in 2020, and because having him here has been wonderful, we decided to adopt another Furry Friends cat.

“My ‘boys’ chose Mia when she was just over 3 months old,” says Judie. “My ‘boys’ are Tag and Jax, two 10-year-old Yorkshire Terriers, and we were visiting PetSmart when they found her. Then named Maxine, she was in a carrier which her foster mom had set on the floor near the boys, and as she pressed her nose to the mesh of the carrier, Tag and Jax rushed over to meet her with their tails gaily wagging. She wasn’t at all afraid of them and they didn’t ‘see’ her as a cat.

“I have had cats since the day I was born, usually more than one,” Duffy admits. “Finster, formerly Derry, has now joined Pete and Yukon, two senior male cats who used to be bossed around by a female, and are enjoying the bump in status!

“Far from being our first kitty, Barnabas Collins, whose original name was Sonny, is our fourth,” Angelique eagerly admits. “He joins our other three kitties, Isaac and Pogo, who are the oldest at 14, and then Pumpkin, who is 2.

“Steven is far from being our first kitty,” admits Tyler. “In fact, we’ve fostered about 10 cats since our own cat passed.

“And yes, Steven is his original name. I don’t know of any other name that would fit him as well. I first saw him when I was picking up supplies at Furry Friends during the time we were fostering. He seemed so upset and so isolated because he wasn’t getting along with the other cats. He was also older, so the likelihood of his being adopted was lower. I simply wanted to help.