15 Touching Stories About Cats Who Decided That They'll Adopt Humans And Not The Other Way Around
Some cats do not wait to be adopted, they simply decide who belongs to them.
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That is the fun of these stories, a stray shows up, a shy kitten claims a porch, or a determined feline starts splitting time between two homes. The humans may think they are making the choice, but the cat usually has other plans.
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These 15 stories are full of that exact kind of cat logic, and every one of them is a little reminder that love sometimes arrives on four paws. Read on.
1. "These hoomans are the one." This cat decided.
This is Ludwig, who turns 16 today. In 2007, I had to put down a beloved cat on a Sunday afternoon. We stopped by the shelter and went in to meet the cats. This guy ran to me. I picked him up, and he snuggled in and purred loudly. I put him down and picked up a second cat. This guy meowed in protest, so I picked him up again. I picked up a third cat and got even louder protests. I then handed him to my husband, and the cat continued to pour on the charm. He made it clear that he wanted to be *our* cat, and we held out no longer. He has been the friendliest cat I have ever known in 60 years of having them as pets. He lost his hearing a year ago (like his namesake, Beethoven) and can no longer chew kibble, but he remains loving and happy. He is snuggling on my shoulder as I type this. I have had him longer than any other in my life. Ludwig had it right all along! See less
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2. Now, Ted doesn't have to stand outside and wait anymore.
This little boy took up residence right outside the door of my bedroom. Every time he saw me, he stood up and pawed at the door, begging to come in. He adopted me. Meet Ted!
3. Rue chose her human.
I was picked in 1998 by an amazing cat. When the time came for another one, I went to the local pound, and the volunteer led me to Rue. I put my fingers in the cage, and she gave me headbutts and licked my fingers. None of the other cats there showed any attention to me at all. So, Rue picked me and saved me at the same time.
4. Ghost knew that he was what this human needed.
His name is Ghost. I was going through a very difficult time in my life and was at my lowest due to a long illness. He was born to a stray in my backyard right after I had surgery. From the time he opened his eyes, he clung to me. It's like he knew I needed him. He brought me out of my low, and we share a very strong bond to this day. I've had several cats in my life since birth, but he is different. He is my best friend.
5. Martha and Mary decided that they'll adopt a human couple.
These ladies were found in a parking lot with three of their siblings. All of them went to good homes. Each one then chose her person - Mary chose my husband, and Martha chose me.
6. Cat thawed a human's frozen heart
I worked at a college, and a feral cat had kittens behind one of the dorms. One of our student employees took them in, and since having cats in a dorm room is frowned upon, he needed to find homes for them quickly. I had no intentions of getting a cat, but somehow got talked into meeting her. She crawled into my lap and fell asleep, and every time I moved her off my lap, she crawled back in. That was 15 years ago.
This is the same messy human versus cat situation as the man who gave his girlfriend a cat, then adopted another, and moved out.
7. Awww...
See the gray at the end of the white blanket? That's my knee, and this was Edgar's first night home.
He was abandoned and found on top of a shed roof in the gutter.
He smelled terrible of skunk and was so infested with fleas that he had to have topical and oral medication to treat them. Literally crawling in his own skin, he couldn't take an unhindered step.
The vet estimated him to be only 6 months old. Six years later, he's a happy, healthy boy who still won't leave mama's side. My precious boy.
8. A blessing to her daughter
About a year ago, at 6 a.m., I heard a tiny siren. I got up and found a four-week-old kitten screaming to be let in. So I did. She saved herself and made the perfect companion for our daughter, who had just moved home after five years in Japan. They needed each other. There are no strays in our neighborhood, so she must have been sent.
9. Persistence is key.
I've fostered hundreds of cats over the years. My foster room is in our finished basement. I was fostering Tuna as a kitten, and she found a way to escape the foster room through the ceiling tiles and then found my husband, laying it on thick with the purrs and cuddles. We rearranged the room so she couldn't get to the ceiling, but she would fly out of the room every time the door was opened and would seek out my husband every time. I got sick of chasing her down to put her back in the room, so I just let her have free run of the house. After a few days, my husband, who has never asked to adopt any pet, asked me, "So what's going on with this white cat? Are we keeping her or what?" That was his way of saying he really wanted her. So I would say she moved herself in.
10. A quick decision
12 years ago, we saw our cat at Petsmart (placed there through the local humane society). He was the only black kitten. I asked if we could play with him in the little room, and as soon as they closed the door, he jumped inside my open purse, looked at me, and meowed like, "Okay, time to go." So he got to come home with us.
11. "I've decided it'll be you, hooman."
We were looking at the humane society and wandered past this glass box shelter. We kept going to see the cat we thought we were there for and suddenly heard this very demanding meow-yowl. We turned back to see what was making such a noise, and there was Blu, looking at us like, "Ah, you walked by me?" We never did go see that other cat. This was him, all sad and dirty from sleeping on newspaper. Best boy ever.
12. What bliss is like
He saw the toys, the beds, the fancy food, and catnip, and just stayed! I didn't encourage him, but his owners, my neighbors, chucked him out all night, even when he was small. When they moved, they left him behind, so the next day I booked him in to be snipped and chipped. We are very happy together.
13. "This is my home now! And you are my hoomans starting today!"
About 2 months ago, this guy started showing up to eat when I fed my outside feral cat. I suspect he had been dumped in the neighborhood. He let me pet him right from the start. About the third time I opened the door to go out, he just walked in, had a good look around several rooms, and decided this looked like a good place to call home. My 89-year-old dad lives with me, and he named him Lucas. They are best buds. Lucas rides on Dad's walker wherever he goes.
14. Cat wants two families.
This is my neighbor's kitty. In my house, lol. He is very loved at his own home, but he has adopted my family too. He is so very loved by everyone.
15. We're wondering what happened to the babies. But at least, she found her humans.
One rainy summer day, a very pregnant, skinny cat arrived on my porch. I fed her some dog food since I didn't have cat food. Two days later, she came back and wasn't pregnant anymore. We searched the woods looking for the babies but never found them. She's been with us for 4 years now.
Cats have been domesticated for thousands of years, and during that time they've developed a close bond with humans.
A big part of that relationship is cats adopting their human companions as surrogate parents. There are several reasons why cats might do this, one theory is that it's an evolutionary adaptation to help ensure the survival of their species. They consider us family, and we should take care to reciprocate that affection.
For more “the internet can’t handle this cuteness” energy, see 50 purrfect cat pictures that had people posting about it online.
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