In 1987, I lost my 17 year old cat to old age. She was the same age as me - we'd grown up together and I was devastated.

6 months later I persuaded my mum to let me have another kitten and wasted no time in contacting my local RSPCA to adopt.

About 3 weeks later they called me and said they had a kitten & I could come and see her, but that she'd been seen by 5 people already & not adopted because she was terrified.

PHOTO: Emily

Once I got there, I was led into a room & a cage with 6 kittens in it.

I was alarmed; 5 of the kittens looked like they had Parkinson's disease - shaking and staggering. The assistant apologized profusely & said that all 6 had been found in a bag on a local recreation ground & had clearly been either hit or kicked violently & were beyond help with brain damage. They hadn't had time to humanely end their suffering but I was assured it would happen that day.

It was awful.

But there, in the back of the cage was a beautiful fluffy tabby, 6 weeks old and glued to back wall. The previous 5 people had tried to coax her and pet her but she continued to cower in the back.

The assistant opened the cage & I gave her the slow blink. She stared at me. Then out of nowhere, she launched herself at me onto my neck & clung on. I looked at the assistant who looked as surprised as I did.

What else could I do? On the spot I just said "I'll take her!".

PHOTO: PEXELS

Although she was always a nervous cat around others, particularly men, she became absolutely mine, cuddling, never wanting to leave my side and being my 'baby' for over 2 decades.

Archimedes passed away at the grand old age of 22.5. I was devastated & still miss her 4 years later.

But I'm now pouring my love and devotion into a new rescue cat - my wonderful beautiful Luna, who makes life complete.

Story submitted by Emily of Muscat, Oman.

Love rescue stories? Keep reading!

RIP Spike

In the Spring of 2007, an adult male black and white cat started hanging around my yard watching me gardening. If I spoke to him, he took off, but since I left food out for him, he always returned.

After about two months of this, he decided to trust me and we never looked back. I named him Spike because he was a large alpha male willing to fight to make sure no other cats tried to move in and no, this behavior did not change even after I got him neutered. I already had a sweet male cat named Himmish who quickly acquiesced to Spike's leadership role by letting Spike sleep on the bed with me while he took a cat bed on the chair.

PHOTO: Nancy

After a couple months of happy coexistence, my sister called to say she had trapped three feral cats (one mother and two kittens) and asked if I would take the male kitten. I hesitated, wondering what Spike would think about another cat, let alone a male cat, in the house, but said I'd give it a try. Once the kitten, named Adam, arrived, it was as if he was what Spike had been waiting for.

It was love at first sight.

Spike groomed Adam and helped him destroy plants, blinds, furniture, etc., previously ignored. Since Spike had been on the streets, maybe it was his first chance at acting like a kitten.

It was a happy home for many years and I have many wonderful memories of my beloved Spike. As is life, Spike grew older, went completely blind, and in time had to be euthanized. He was my soul cat and I miss him dearly. The vet approximated his age at 15 when he passed. Both Himmish and Adam are alive and happy at ages 18 and 11 respectively, but the loss of Spike has certainly left a hole in our hearts. The picture is of Spike and Adam.

Story submitted by Nancy of Sacramento, CA.

We've got one more kitty's story we're sure you'll love!

Roxy's Story

Roxy was at a nearby cat rescue (in an elderly lady's home). The care taker had a stroke and all kitties needed to be rehomed. Roxy was the last one. We had just lost our tiny 1.5 lb little girl after 1.5 years in our life. She had a deformed paw and was tossed away by her mama. We gave her a good home and were heartbroken when she passed. So... we decided to take in Roxy...

PHOTO: Carol Roddy

We had no idea she was almost feral. She lived under a bed in our upstairs for several months, then moved to the main floor and lived under our couch for several more months. She would allow me to barely reach her to pet her, so we kept trying. Eventually she moved back upstairs and into our bedroom and lived under our bed.

One morning about 5:00 am she jumped up on our bed and allowed us to 'just' reach her and pet her. She eventually got closer and let us pet her, but we were unable to pick her up, so just were happy with what she allowed us to do. We got her a bed and eventually she claimed it as her own, but we could not walk up to her and pet her. We lived with her on her own terms. Over the last few years she became deaf. I was then able to pick her up, and I started bringing her down to the family room.

At first she would run back upstairs but eventually she started coming down on her own, and eventually she made the family room and the main floor her home. She has blossomed in these last 3 years, even coming up on my lap and allowing me to pick her up and pet her. She was worth the wait and we enjoyed what she gave us.

Today we had to make the very sad decision to put her down. She lived 21 years, with the last three being the best gift to us. She will soon be a member of our kitty memorial next to our fireplace. :0) We love and miss you Roxy.

Story submitted by Carol Roddy of Beaver Dam, WI.

Archimedes', Spike's, and Roxy's stories were originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!