This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Submit your own rescue story here. Your story just might be the next to be featured on our blog!

I stayed overnight in a cozy little motel in Kentucky on my return trip from a conference in Texas. I decided to read a while before going to sleep and went to my car that was parked outside my room. I left the door to my room open.

As I closed the door to my car, I looked at my hotel room door. There was a magnificent cat peeking into the room. As I approached the door, I meowed at the cat and she entered my room. I put a bowl of water on the floor for her and prepared for bed.

A few minutes after lying down on the bed to read, the cat approached me and gently laid down on my abdomen. I was amazed! She laid there and purred. She had wrapped me around her paw!

The next morning, I asked the wait staff in the motel restaurant about the cat. They said she had been around for a couple weeks. The maid told me the same thing.

As I was getting ready to leave, I preformed one last test. I put the cat on the ground. She rubbed against me and purred. I followed her to a U-Haul vehicle. She purred around my legs again. That was all of the encouragement I needed. It was off to a store to purchase litter and a litter box, food, water, and a bowl.

I soon discovered I should have purchased a house, as she decided the best place to be was beneath my feet next to the clutch! Oops - not a good idea. Eventually she decided the next best place was in the litter box on the back seat.

That evening, I met my husband and a friend who were attending a meeting. By now, I was covered with white hair, but no one noticed in the dim lights of the night club. I said to my husband, "I picked up a hitch hiker." He replied, "Cat or dog?"

The next morning, my husband purchased a carrier for the cat, and the cat and I continued our journey home. He also named her Pumpkin - because of her color.

When we took her to the vet, we were informed that she had a bad case of ear mites and quite a few fleas. She underwent a hysterectomy, only to discover that she had already been fixed. The incision was not mid line and no one thought to look on her side, which is where the surgery is conducted when a cat is in heat.

Ultimately Pumpkin became my cat. She would come to the living room to remind me that it was time for bed. She had several physical problems - thyroid (received radioactive treatment), small tumors, and ultimately she was on chemotherapy. She died in my arms. Her picture is next to our bed.

I never understood how anyone could let such a precious cat out. The next time you are staying at a motel and see a friendly cat, find out if it belongs to anyone and then, if you can, don't hesitate to "adopt" the cat before it suffers the indignity of a shelter! The life you save will reward you with more love than you can imagine!

Story submitted by Katherine Cooper.

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!