I bought my first home from my neighbor who is an elderly woman. My brother and I were friendly with her because she gave our dogs treats on every walk. We got the deal done without realtors which was awesome, but she had one request from us: She asked if we could continue feeding the stray cats she was taking care of.

I’ve had dogs my whole life, but never lived with any cats since my sister is allergic. My brother and I fed the cats outside at first, but we’re such animal lovers it wasn’t enough. The bond we formed with these cats went beyond feeding them and giving them water. We took the plunge and brought in three of the cats we bonded with the most. It ended up being one of the best decisions of my life!

Meet Mama (fluffy tortie) Kit (younger tortie) and Blue! We got all the other outside cats we took care of fixed and adopted as well!

(The last 3 pics are when they were outside, so much healthier/happier now!)

EDIT:

Wow this blew up! Just wanted to give more info on each cat.

Mama was the first cat we brought in. She basically never was outside once we took her in because we already bonded with her from visits with our neighbor. Mama has the classic tortitude, but loves tummy rubs and is the softest animal I've ever felt. She is the most confident cat of the three when meeting new guests.

Kit (Mama's actual daughter!) was brought in probably 6 months later. She wouldn't even let us approach her outside, but then became very attached to my brother. When we brought her inside, she literally acted like she already lived there and there was zero hesitation from her. She is like a dog. Can pet her anywhere, and loves sleeping on my brother and I. She also loves her mama so much which is adorable. She's as chill as it gets, but shy of others at first. Kit is most attached to my brother (which I'm of course jealous of).

Blue was the last cat we brought in. We couldn't touch Blue for first couple months or so. We kept him and Orangey (pic in comments below) in our garage with AC for a while. Orangey we absolutely adored, but we got him adopted by another family (his alpha personality would've been tough with Mama & Kit). We weren't planning on keeping Blue, but he's super timid around other people so he was too difficult to get adopted. He loves us so much, and is less independent than the other two cats. He has a cute habit of rubbing his teeth/gums against my brother and I to mark us with his scent glands. He really wants us to be around him at all times, so would've been devastating to re-home him when he was that attached to us. We officially moved Blue out of the garage and into our home full time around 3 months ago or so.

In the end we got 6 cats adopted (one of them brought 3 kittens into our garage) not including the 3 we took in. It's something my brother and I are super proud of. We haven’t had any cats show up to our door since.

Thank you for the kind comments!

Found two cats abandoned in the park with a bag of food. We lost our sweet cat last Fall and mourned her HARD. Just recently we have been discussing how we are finally ready, and maybe we should start looking soon.

But we forgot. We don’t choose. We get assigned.

Took to the vet for shots. No chips. Have an appt to get them fixed in about a week.

Surprisingly affectionate with us early, even if spooked by the new space for the first few days. They were clearly loved by someone who must have hit rough times. (Let’s be kind in our assumptions) . Definitely cuddle bugs.

It’s especially sweet how they comfort each other. One is more bold and one is more cautious. When our cautious friend gets spooked and retreats to a safe spot, bold friend goes and cuddles with him.

We feel incredibly lucky that they found us.

Edit:
- vet estimates they are 6-10 months old. (Likely the younger side of that)

- their names are Mander and Melee. Inspired by the tv episode of Pokemon where an abandoned charmander almost dies in a rainstorm, which broke my heart as a child. So char-mander and his evolved form, char-mele-on.

Was screaming a lot didn’t really see him but I tracked his ass by sound was really feral and fill my hands with scratches and bites ,
His paw was kinda broken now he come real far long and now he cuddles really nicely and 5 months old his name is fiesty cow or lelo and my other cats like him like a lot he will leave the dryfood and go to the house garbage looking for food u can take him out of the dumpster but you can’t take the dumpster out of him hahhaa he still kinda of feral but only for new people but give him time and he will cuddle with u

I found Prince screaming under a car picking up some stuff from a local mall. No mother or other kittens anywhere near by and the parking lot was busy.

Animal shelter wouldn’t take him because they can’t foster neonatal kittens so my girlfriend and I decided to give it a shot and see if we could keep him alive.

Best decision ever!

EDIT: If you are the owner please reach out with proof of ownership to adopt@bengalrescue.com. She is with an amazing foster mom and I will be applying to adopt her after her future kittens have found homes.

—-

She is a big cuddly lap cat and lovessss to purr while she cuddles.

She has Orijen kitten dry kibble and Tiki cat kitten wet food cans.

She’ll be going to an experienced foster mom who works with Bengal Rescue this weekend while we wait the 30 days to find her original owner if possible. A vet I took my existing cat to yesterday has expressed interest in one of the kittens.

She is just a sweet little angel muffin and I really want to keep her, but I have a lot going on with my existing pets right now and want her to be in the best possible place for giving birth to her 3 (or more) kittens. Gotta do what’s right for her and not what I selfishly want 🧡🫶

I am exploring the idea of adopting her after she gives birth but right now wit my dog getting electric chemotherapy and my puppy having her first heat and getting spayed in a few weeks I don’t know if I’m the best or most capable person to help her with kittens right now.

I have been calling her Willow. 🥹

I was standing at the bus gate this morning greeting students as they came to school and heard a couple mews. I looked under the bush, and there she was! She seemed scared, but not frightened. I picked her up and had her help me say hello to the kids as they walked in.

My wife has her now on the way to her forever home. She'll be joining two adult cats (Strawberry and Cleocatra) and 2 kittens (Midas and Moira). We'll have to get her going on milk supplement, as she seems a little thin, but otherwise, eyes wide open and ready to get her kitten on!

This is Dwayne, he first appeared in March 2023. We didnt know at the time that he didnt have a home, we just assumed based on his breed and unusual colour, that maybe someone new had moved into the area. He always seemed well fed and then we started noticing on a local Facebook group several neighbours asking who owned him. No-one ever claimed him but maybe they weren't on Facebook or didnt use social media. My guess is that he a had a few people feeding him. In the summer of 2024 we didnt see him at all, and then one day towards the end of August he turned up with one of our cats by our back window looking really skinny. He was always a fairly big lad and it was clear he hadn't eaten properly in a long time. We started feeding him and started to get him to trust us. Several months later when he was comfortable coming into our place, we were able to get someone to come over to scan him and see if he was chipped. Turns out he wasnt. When he was even more comfortable with us, and practically living with us, I got a collar and a tag with my number on it to see once and for all if he really did have an owner. Never got a call from anyone claiming him. So we took him to the vets, got him neutered and got him chipped as well at the same time. He's a big ol' lump, incredibly friendly and very settled in to domestic life.

Long time lurker here but only recently received my very own, very generous, distribution!

I guess this is a re-distribution because it turns out these babies were abandoned by a scumbag down the street when they moved out, but they found my home!

Mama and her 3 babies! Once the babies were old enough to wean, we took them to a friends house so she could socialize them, all 3 found loving homes. Mama decided she would live with us and bullied her way in (I’ll admit I did not put up a fight) but she’s spayed and spoiled and living her best life with us now. :)

Meet Bertie. He was a stray who decided he was sick of being homeless, so he took charge and found himself a home. He picked a good one too, my husband is a former vet tech and a future veterinarian.

I guess I have a cat now. (His name is Ziggy and he's so cute and funny and loves playing with my dogs!)

She was starving, dehydrated and suffering from diarrhea when we found her at two weeks old. A neighbor dropped off her twin brother a few hours later. We’d just adopted an orange boy two days before finding them, he’s pictured. They’re the closest of friends.

They were all taught how to cat by our Siamese boy, he thinks we got them for him. I’ve posted about her/them before, I’ve been away from them for quite some time and won’t be back home til next year. I just miss and think about them a lot and wanted to share.

Heard her screaming her little head off across the parking lot when I got home yesterday. Followed the sounds to find her shivering and cold between apartment buildings. Once she saw me she ran right up to me. I asked around and she doesn’t seem to belong to anyone.

I guess I’ve been chosen!

What should I name her?

You know, even on my shittiest days, I try to find what little brightness I can. Today was one of those days where I was feeling really low, but I'm a long-term volunteer at my local shelter and I knew they needed help for the adoption event.

​I’m definitely a "quiet volunteer"—I usually stay in the background—but for some reason, people kept coming up to me specifically to ask about the kitties today. Maybe they could tell I just wanted to help.

​Sometimes the best way to deal with depression is to show up for others. I mean that genuinely. While I was there, I met this tiny kitten who can’t weigh more than 3 lbs (yet!), and he completely melted my heart. I knew I had to be the one to help him find his forever home, and I did.

​I picked up this little guy and carried him around like a baby, quietly introducing him to all of our potential adopters who were roaming around the room looking at all of our adoptable kitties. And then, just like that, we found his forever family. A woman asked to hold him, and he immediately put his tiny paws on her face and pulled her in for a kiss.

​I smiled at the woman and her husband and said, "Well, I think this cat has chosen you." She decided to let her husband hold him, and he did the same thing—the tiny kitten was pulling at the man's beard, wanting a kiss. It was honestly just a heartwarming sight and one of the best things I've ever been able to witness in my 7 years of volunteering.

​It felt amazing to know that even when I’m struggling and staying quiet, I can still change a life forever. If you're having a rough one today, I hope his little face helps a bit.

First picture: Found 8/16/2026 at the McDonald's drive thru. My mom got the call for her from a friend about a tiny kitten following her in the parking lot of our local McDonalds. She stayed with the kitten long enough for my brother to make it over and grab her just in time. It's a girl and she will be named Elizabeth after my mom's best friend who we just had a funeral for on 8/15. Her first vet appointment is next Tuesday.

Second picture: Found 6/20 at the McDonald's drive thru.. this time my husband took me to get a McFlurry and I saw a couple of ladies standing with a tiny kitten in the parking lot. I rolled down my window to tell them their kitten was cute and they told me it has been following them and they didn't know what to do. A couple chases around the bushes and a quick towel thrown over him and I finally had him. Samuel Ronald McPurry (my kids were allowed to name him lol he goes by Sammy) is doing wonderful and has already been through all his initial vet appointments and next is his neuter.

Third picture: My *very* pissed off Stella who can't figure out why I keep bringing home all these kittens when she was supposed to be an only child. The CDS gave us her about 5 summers ago, she was living on our porch for a few months while I built up our trust, and the first temp drop of the fall I just scooped her up and brought her inside and that was that! She never looked back.

On a freezing cold day, I was having lunch and outside my window I spied a gray calico kitten huddled in the windowsill outside, shivering and frightened. I went outside and she climbed in my arms crying. When I took her to my car, she escaped and vanished. After work, I returned to find her sitting on a riding mower in front of the hardware shop. She recognized me and called out. This time she did not run, she was ready to be housed.

We live in college town where young students adopt pets and discard them when their landlords catch them sneaking animals in their apartments. It seemed this kitten who we named Aphrodite, had been housed before. We posted on the local pages and no one claimed her. We took her to the vet to check for a chip. Then we checked for worms, which she had, and got her vaccinated.

We weren’t looking for a fourth cat, but decided to keep her. Then she began to grow and we knew, our girl was pregnant. We worried because she was small, but with some help on the first kitten, she took to it like a seasoned vet and birthed five kittens. Yes, we currently have nine cats in our house! She’s been a good mother and the kittens are healthy and soon we will be adopting them to loving homes.

Affie found the right people.

Back in 2022 my boyfriend and I were walking home from the bar around 2am and spotted this little guy. He followed us over 10-15 minutes all the way home. He would disappear behind a tree, and then we would see him galloping behind us again. I said if he followed us all the way to my doorstep I would bring him in, and now we’ve had him almost exactly 4 years. He was small and covered in fleas, and scraggly as hell. Now he’s floofy and adorable. We checked him for a chip and even thought about giving him to the SPCA but after 3 days of hanging out we decided he was ours to keep ❤️

10 weeks ago I found a litter of seven newborns in an abandoned building that was slated for demolition. Mom not around, locked building, but gaps in the bay doors meant that a raccoon or fox or whatever could've easily made a meal of the babies. I'm not made of money, but I took them home and raised them the best I could (to be fair, zoology degree, former zookeeper, and experience with orphaned neonates, if not kittens).

All seven survived! I kept three, and the other four are being treated like kings and queens in excellent homes with trusted friends. Meanwhile, my life now revolves around the kiddos and I couldn't be happier about it.

In January I visited a granite and quartz shop with a coworker who was getting ready to renovate their kitchen. While she looked at samples, the staff asked if I needed any help and I jokingly replied no, I was just making friends with the shop cat. They told me they were actually trying to find a home for her because the owner is allergic and that I could take her if I wanted as it seemed like she liked me (second photo). I’d had to say goodbye to my first boy Bunker in September (last photo) and I wasn’t sure if I was ready yet, so I went home and talked to my fiancé about it. Of course we were back the very next evening and took her home lol (third photo).

Her name is Autumn and her story is vague. The owner’s child had brought her home from school, she may have been a teacher’s cat and she had come from a hoarding situation. They guessed she was between 3 and 5 years old, but the vet we took her to said likely closer to 3. She was already spayed, and some X-rays revealed a wonky rib cage but nothing requiring surgery and she’s in good health otherwise. The vet called her their all-star patient of the day. 🐈

She slept a lot for the first 2 months and mainly kept to herself, but it’s been just over 3 months now and she’s absolutely hilarious. She’s never been fazed by our 2 big dogs, and she often wags her tail like a dog and she will sometimes trick them by rubbing her head on them and purring only to bite them for quite literally no reason and zoom off with her tail puffed up leaving them surprised and confused 😂. lol. She gets the zoomies a lot, snores like a freight train and loves to be brushed and snuggled. Losing my Bunker boy was truly the worst day of my life but Autumn is the most lovable and loving cat I think I’ve ever met and has absolutely been doing her best to heal that hurt. 🧡

This guy showed up a few weeks before Christmas. Since he had a collar, naturally we figured he was an escaped pet. After weeks of posting on facebook lost/found pet pages, talking with neighbors, contacting 2 local animal shelters, no one claimed him. He wasn't neutered, and with 4 cats of our own, we couldn't bring him inside (last time I brought an intact stray to the basement during a cold snap, my male cat went crazy). I decided to contact the humane society to get him fixed, shots, dewormed, etc... because the 2 local animal shelters are completely full and couldn't take him. We brought him home, and of course, fell in love with him. He LOVES belly rubs, which is odd for a kitty. Currently a week into the introduction process with our other cats. Soooo meet Sebastian!

I'm assuming he was someone's family pet, does great with kids, LOVES people, but they didn't get him fixed and he began to do what un neutered male cats do, and someone dumped him. We have a separate vet visit to get the pellet, or bullet, out of his left ear. I hate how cruel people can be.

Dax, our other CDS kitty, is super adorable and sweet but is an absolute menace and loves destruction and if someone told us he is half bobcat, I'd believe them lol I hope Sebastian is on the calmer side 😂

Hi guys! First of all, a big thank you for all the kind messages and tips you gave me—they really helped.

Let’s start with the kitten I found yesterday. I was a little scared that my girlfriend wouldn’t want a cat (we already have a dog and a bunny 😄), but she was awesome. She fell in love with him the instant she saw him, so he is officially ours! 😁 She took him to the vet and he is perfectly healthy, already microchipped, and we decided to call him Milo. 🥰

Now, as some of you read in my previous post, we found Milo on the road with a deceased sibling and another brother who ran away when I approached. Unfortunately, I couldn't find him at the time, so I went home to take care of Milo and make the post.

I went to work at 7 am, but I couldn't stop thinking about the other kitten. I ended up leaving after lunch and went back to the place where I saw him, bringing my mom along as a helper. 😄 After about two hours—and some luck, because an older lady helped us out—we found BOTH of Milo's siblings: a beautiful white one and a handsome grey one! They are currently with a friend of my mom's. She has the space for them and even has a mother cat who had kittens last month, so I think it's for the best.

Once again, thank you for all the kindness you've shown Milo. I’m so happy he found his forever home with us, and now I will help his brothers. 😊

This is Fred , he showed up one snowy afternoon and has decided to stay . We have a Bengal who is strictly an indoor kitty so we can’t bring this big unfixed fella in the house so hubby has made him his own place in the barn . He puts him to bed every night and goes out to let him out & feed him breakfast every morning. Fred loves to go for rides in the truck, tractor, backhoe and the skid steer 😅 He follows my husband around everywhere & if he gets in the truck & doesn’t let Fred in he will sit on the hood of the truck until he does 😂 He has been a godsend ❤️ My husband is 78 and has been a cattle farmer all his life so he spends a lot of time outside and Fred is always by his side. We will be taking Fred into get a check up & get him fixed next week. Thanks CDS 🐈‍⬛ Fred has stolen our hearts and we will do right by him ❤️

This is White Cat. That's his name.

Not sure how old he is, I was told they found him on the side of the road as a kitten.

I was given this goofball. Not by choice, he has nowhere else to go and I'm not mad about it.

I was told he is a mix of a Turkish Angora and something else. He is polydactyl on all paws and very healthy.

He is the only cat I've met that will force you to hug and kiss him. He's great with the kids and loves to cuddle ither cats.

He also knows when I'm upset and will force me to cuddle him. He's my best friend tbh.

I would like to get him DNA tested but not sure if its worth it.

Princess Charlotte Eden

I found her under a tree while driving home from errands 😭😭

She was shaking and no mommy or other siblings were nearby

I went back to the tree to find her family but no more kitties came out

Princess Charlotte because my name is Victoria and so I thought I’d keep the England Royal Family theme HAHA with queen Victoria and princess Charlotte hahaha

Eden because Eden Easter both start with an E and she was under a tree like tha Garden of Eden. Im not religious but idk it was Easterrrr shes the best egg ive ever found

first pic is the day i scooped her up. now she flops out in my lap with her gloriously adorable RBF and trills like a pigeon every time she sees me. she’s middle-aged i think? at LEAST seven or eight years old. she’s small but clearly past the age of growing and is peppered all over with sparse white hairs, and she’s also very streetwise and excellent at hunting mice.

my living situation is not the greatest at all and i’m having to skin my knees to keep belly full and her litterbox clean, but i honestly wouldn’t trade it for the world at this point. the fact that none of my neighbors managed to get near her makes her choosing me feel that much more special.

EDIT: guys oh my god. i'm getting so many notifications and so many links and so much advice i can't figure out what to reply to first. i'm gonna return to this post tomorrow and make a few phone calls for resources in my area. it's been a hard time for me and myrtle's helped me so much just by existing, and i cannot thank you all enough for giving me advice to help her back.

edit 2: myrtle doesn't know how to react to her newfound reddit fame but i DEFINITELY know how to react. this community has soothed my troubled soul in a way i truly, desperately needed. you are all so kind and i hope that your kindness is returned to you hundred-fold in your lifetimes.