Animal Rescue Stories

Eliza Doolittle

Meet Eliza Doolittle. After my last cat passed about nine years ago I went to adopt a cat from Friends For Life. I had always had Siamese so asked for a blue eyed cat. The ladies doing the adoptions didn't think the adult Siamese they had would get along with Marlee, my first service dog who passed two years ago due to melanoma so they suggested this tiny ball of white and orange, blue eyed kitty. They called her a flame point mix. I brought her home and we all became immediate friends. She thought Marlee was her mommy and she moved right in.

Today Eliza is still very shy. She still prefers to spend at least the first part of the night cuddled up with me even during our hot Arizona summers. Her favorite toy is chasing the laser pointer. Now that Marlee is gone Eliza doesn't have to compete for her turn since the new dog or cat hasn't learned how much fun it is. She also still prefers the dog bed to one of her own and this dog as Marlee did respects it and won't get in unless I ok it.

Her name is because she was found all by herself as a less than 6 week old kitten. Just like Shaw's Eliza she was a street kitty.

Mary Pat Mills
Mesa, AZ

PICKED OUT OF THE TRASH.

TWO YEARS AGO I PICKED TWO KITTENS THAT WERE ONE WEEK OLD OUT OF A TRASH CAN. THEIR MOM WAS KILLED BY A CAR. SOME ONE TRASHED THEM. I HAND RAISED THEM AND GAVE THEM NAMES. THE ORANGE TABBY KITTEN IS GARFIELD AND HIS SISTER WHO TURNED OUT TO BE A SIAMESE KITTEN IS ODIE. I LOVE AND CHARISH EVERY DAY THEY ARE WITH ME. THEY MAKE A BAD DAY AT WORK SEEM TO DISSAPEAR. I'M GLAD THAT I PICKED THE TRASH THAT DAY. THE TREASURE'S I FOUND WERE TO ME PRICELESS. ODIE IS WITH MY PARENTS AND THEY ARE A PERFECT FIT BUT GARFIELD IN IS 20 LBS IS MY BABY BOY AND I CANT LIVE WITHOUT HIM. THANK YOU ORD FOR WHAT YOU'VE GIVEN ME. I PROMISE TO TAKE THE BEST CARE OF THEM AS ALOUD.

Myndi
Saint petersburg, FL

Gracie: 3rd home's the Charm

A year ago, I adopted what I thought was a 6 mo "almost" full grown @ 11 lbs puppy with a real talent for shining her big brown eyes. The vet check later showed she was more like 3 mo and would grow up to be 24 lbs, but by that time she'd sold me. She obviously had a rough home in the past and has some acute fears of certain objects...BUT if something appears to be threatening her people she is fearless and will have nothing of it. :) even if we are only pretending it hurt us... She loves all non-threatening people, swimming at the lake, empty milk containers, out running other dogs, showing off, sticks and FOOD. Oh and I should also mention she's now potty trained, sits, stands, jumps strait up, stays, and shakes on command and undersands "goodbye", "oops" {dropped food}, "food"/"are you hungry?", "outside", "inside", "potty", "what do you want?", "get me something", "ball", "what was that"/"did you hear that" {puts her in alert mode}, and "get the BUG" {bug will be attacked}". So I'd say she's pretty bright. She still thinks we are going to ship her off to the pound when she gets in trouble for somehow managing to get a hold of and devour the plate of peanut butter cookies while we are gone, but always (pitifully) begs forgiveness and more petting.

Megan
Monroe, LA

A cat named Grigio

In June 2007 after a long battle with illness, I had to put my sweet little Persian ZoomZoom to sleep to end her suffering. She was my best girlfriend and my little diva. I rescued her from an owner that was going to put her to sleep because his girlfriend had a cat. I knew her time with me wouldn't be long, but I know she had a wonderful four years, she was very spoiled.I began looking for another kitty to adopt when my fiance Guido from Italy arrived the end of that July for his one month vacation.Guido is a cat lover like me and has rescued many cats in his little town of Anzio.
My daughter and I went to the store one day while Guido recovered from his jet lag. As we got out of the car, some neighbor girls came around the corner followed by a grey kitten. The girls said he was looking for his sister, but I saw a starving, dehydrated flea ridden kitten looking for food and water. After some negotiations with the girls and the parents who said the cat was sort of cared for, I took Grigio to his new safe home our apartment. Guido chopped up half a roasted chicken while I fed him water and applied Advantage.He also had coccidia so he wasn't too peppy until that was cleared up. Il pazzo Grigio, in Italian means the crazy grey.Grigio is so smart, he slept in trees at night before I found him, to stay safe from the coyotes.He has figured out that my daughter is deaf so he paws at her hand when he wants to sit in her lap and be petted.He's my best buddy and I love him to pieces!

Kate
Vista, CA

Hope for Tenchi

Tenchi is a beautiful mix-breed dog that was rescued as a puppy from a man trying to sell her litter on the street. Her mother and siblings came to PAWS Atlanta and were all adopted out to new families(spayed/neutered of course), but she was returned as an adult. She is now waiting to find a new home and a family that will love her forever. She is an amazing dog and LOVES people. She would be best as an only pet so if that is what you are looking for come on out. You won't regret it, and she really needs to get out of here. Tenchi is one of my favorite dogs, and she's had a tough time. Everyone at the shelter is just smitten with her and cannot wait to complete this rescue story with a new home for Tenchi.

PAWS Atlanta
Decatur, GA

Apache & Gremlin

I adopted Apache (left) when he was 9 months old from death row just a day before he was due to be euthanised. Gremlin (right) came a year later. Apache's name came from his surprise "attacks" and blood-curdling yowls, but his true personality was clownish and goofy and for 17 more years he gave me laughter & love before passing recently due to kidney failure. Gremlin fought diabetes for 7 years before passing in 2007 at age 17. He had a solemn personality but was unbelievably sweet-natured and affectionate. He and Apache came from two different shelters a year apart, but they took to one another like long-lost littermates and got along from the start. I miss them -- and hope to be adopted again soon!

Denise Cardos
Minneapolis, MN

THE LOVE OF MY LIFE

THIS IS MONA

I RESCUED HER. SHE WAS GOING TO BE IN A SHELTER OR RESCUE AT 8 MONTHS OLD. HER OWNERS DID HAVE TIME FOR HER. THEY KEPT HER IN HER CAGE 8-12 HOURS A DAY. SHE CONSTANTLY THREW UP. I GOT HER AND TOOK HER TO MY WONDERFUL VET AND HE SAID ALL SHE HAD WAS FOOD ALLERGIES. SHE CAME TO ME FIXED AND WITH PAPERS WHICH I SENT THEM IN. SHE HAS BEEN WITH ME OVER 3 MONTHS AND DID A 360 TURN AROUND. HER DIET CHANGED AND SHE IS A GENTLE SOUL. I REALLY LOVED THIS BREED AND COULDN'T AFFORD A NEW PUPPY. SHE SLEEPS WITH ME AND MY BOYFRIEND AND MY KIDS LOVE HER. SHE MAKES US LAUGH AND MY TWO CATS TOLERATE HER TOO. THE BEST PART WAS SHE WAS FREE. THE WOMEN DIDN'T WANT NOTHING BUT A GOOD HOME FOR HER.

I LOVE THIS DOG LIKE MY CHILDREN WHAT A GREAT FEELING KNOWING I RESCUED THIS ADORABLE BABY.

ANDREA

andrea
clifton heigts, PA

Brunnie the very clever stray cat

I was driving when I saw a cat sitting on the side of the road and I was worried it would get run over. I stopped the car beside it. The cat's beautiful green eyes were locked together with mine trance-like for minutes. I pulled over to check on her. I had tried to help stray cats before but they always ran away. Brunnie on the other hand came right over and started rolling for me and was very affectionate. She was very skinny, her bones were sticking out due to starvation and she was losing fur due to flea bites. I finally grabbed her after she started to trust me and put her in my car but she promptly squeezed her skinny body through my car window that was barely even open so I had to spend another ten minutes coaxing her over to me! But I knew she would be worth it. Two vets examined her. She was desexed so we knew she previously had owners but had no I.D on her at all. She was in such bad shape we didn't know if she would make it. Now three and a bit years later she is the boss of our house and good friends with our two dogs and in fact loves one of them so much she grooms her ears! We named her Brunnie as I found her on Brunswick Rd in Melbourne, Australia.

Kath Orgovany
Melbourne, Australia

Snowbaby

"Baby" was found by a friend, in the middle of a busy road, as a tiny kitten. My friend jumped out of the car and scooped him up before a tractor trailer came over the hill. I had just lost my 18 year old Siamese so I went to see him and he has been running our house ever since. He is "hanging out at the beach" in this picture at our week-end condo. I have had Siamese for years and he has some Siamese in him but he is the nicest cat I've ever had. Very talkative and attentive to me. He even "barks" to get my attention!

Karen
Raleigh, NC

Reach Out to a Feral Friend!

Vincenza Serafina is our new acquisition, rescued from the side of I-95. When first spotted, she was very young and already pregnant. Vincenza is amazingly loving and affectionate and has a sense of humor. Her favorite prank is to hide, jump out, tap feet, and jump back into hiding. We are so blessed to have her with us! Had we not pledged to take her, she would have been put down automatically because she was feral. She is the best kitty anyone could have, proving that it is NOT TRUE that outdoor and/or feral cats don't make great pets. She is living the good life and loving it.

Della Attisani
Coral Springs, FL