“Originally named Cannon when we adopted him,” says Alex, “we changed it to Maui. We wanted to keep his name in the beach theme, and we had just gotten back from our second trip to Maui, a place we really love, filled with so many happy memories.

“My partner, Elijah Covitch, and I adopted Hyacinth from Furry Friends in March of 2024,” Darian says. “Although we ‘technically’ kept her name, we call her either Cinny or Miss Cinnygirl!

“She was separated from the other cats when we first saw her, but she was so pretty, and she seemed like such a sweet girl who just needed some people to love her. She adjusted pretty quickly when we brought her home and immediately found her safe spots around our home, one of her favorites being right in the middle of Elijah’s pillow in our bedroom.

“We adopted Juno back in May 2023,” Chris explains. “My wife Renee and I wanted a companion for William, our other cat.

“We looked at all of the pictures and descriptions of the cats on Furry Friends’ website and thought Juno looked sweet and irresistible. Juno took only a few days to get acquainted with our house and with William. William and Juno are now the best of forever buddies.

“When I first met Coco, she immediately started purring and hasn’t stopped since!” explains an excited Julie.”  

“She is supremely affectionate and feels her best when she’s snuggled up against us at night or curled up in our laps,” Julie continues, and her husband Matt and their two children Carson and Camdyn heartily concur.

“My daughter Grace and I adopted two kitten brothers: Vito and Victor,” explains Jeanne. “Although Vito loved his name, Victor didn’t look like a Victor. Because he resembled Rocket from ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ we renamed him Rocket.

 “We had had two outdoors orange tabbies who adopted us, but sadly died of old age a number of years ago. We felt that we were finally over the sadness and ready to adopt. We knew we wanted tabbies again, and so when we saw Vito on Furry Friends, we decided to apply for him. We also knew that we wanted to adopt siblings so that they wouldn’t be lonely when we were at work and at school, but thought we’d wait awhile. Then, my dad passed away suddenly, and since Vito’s siblings all had Italian names like my dad, I took it as a sign to apply for a second one.

“The reason we adopted Cooper (this is not his original name) was to be a companion for our other cat Knut, who had recently lost his best friend, and was lonely and sad,” explains Sunny.

 “Cooper entered our lives percolating with personality right from the start! He was our first Furry Friends kitty. And yet, despite his cheerful playfulness, it took him a week to break down Knut, who didn’t want anything to do with him. But he persevered, and they are now the best of friends!

“I adopted Scooter - originally named Scottie  - last year,” says Anthony. “Although he was my third cat, I only have two now that my older cat passed away.

 “I adopted Scooter because, while my senior cat was aging, he stopped playing with my younger orange tabby, Fridge. She was getting bored and needy, and so I started searching for a companion for her. Mesmerized by Scooter’s eyes and cute photos on the Furry Friends website, I was disappointed that they didn’t have a facility I could visit in order to meet him and ‘hang out’ with him, and so I put him out of my mind.

“Bubby (originally named Mazda) is the first cat I’ve had with my husband,” Marissa acknowledges happily. “When we adopted him on January 1st, 2024, after searching for an especially sweet and cuddly cat who also enjoys playing, he was the perfect match. And the best way to begin the New Year!

“I adopted Mama Hubbard last January from Furry Friends and promptly changed her name to Violet,” explains one very appreciative Genevieve.

 “She has been an absolute joy and Godsend! I adopted her just over a month after I lost my kitty Pepin that I had had for almost 19 years. I was so sad and lost, but this little bundle of joy was and is such a bright spot in my life.

“We adopted two amazing kitties from Tanika, a foster mom for Furry Friends, and they are both perfect and amazing,” admits an elated Samantha.

 “Both males, whose names are Oatmeal and Cowboy (originally Bacon), they were found living under a forklift in Portland with their two siblings. Although they are a bonded pair, they have such different personalities! Oatmeal LOVES to cuddle, whereas Cowboy prefers cuddling sometimes and is much more passionate about playing and play time. I had a childhood cat growing up who was my best friend, and ever since she passed I had been looking for a bonded pair to keep me company while I go through graduate school.

“We adopted Butch (formerly Andre), named after the WSU mascot, last summer,” Daschell explains.

“He joined one cat and three dogs when he came home with us. It took him only a few days to settle in and become part of the pack. Butch is almost the same color as our golden retrievers and is sometimes hard to find because they’re usually all sleeping together!

“When we adopted Henry (formerly Todd) in May of 2023, he joined our other cats, Rudi and Gary, from other rescues,” Emily explains.

“When I found Henry, he was just hanging out by himself and really enjoyed being petted. When he came into the room with us, he just sat on my lap and purred and purred! When we got Albert and Nigel, I had been looking online for a younger cat to play with my Gary, who runs on his own time and has no ‘off’ switch, but I kept coming back to sweet Nigel’s profile. I loved little Albert’s face, and after meeting him, I knew he would be an easy addition.

“I was originally just adopting Jack,” Ellie explains, “but his foster mom offered me Beauty, the mom of the litter!

“Having grown up with cats, Jack and Beauty were the first ones I’ve had since I moved out of my parents’ house. I had wanted some company in my new place since I was living alone then, and when I saw Jack, I thought he was the cutest thing. Beauty was having a hard time seeing her babies leave (she was such a good mama), and little Jack was still trying to nurse from her when I brought them home.

“Kit Kat is our first kitty,” Emma says. “And the reason we chose her was because she was adorable! We loved her markings.

“It took a couple of days for her to get used to living with us. She hid most of the first night, then spent some time walking around meowing like she was looking for something the next day. We adore her. She has brought us so much joy, laughter and comfort. She is such a good kitty.

“Nomu, originally named Jameson, isn’t my first kitty,” Ella explains. “When we got the litter to foster, I picked him up and this precious little mini-panther immediately fell asleep in my arms. Even his adjustment to our home was immediate. He ADORES being petted and cuddled and has the loudest purr. He loves lying on top of me and if there’s a blanket covering me, he’ll ‘nurse’ on it.

“Teddy, formerly Oscar, is my second kitty since moving in with my boyfriend, Chris,” Cassidy says. “When we visited Furry Friends, we originally went to see two bonded kittens, but after seeing Teddy, we had to have him. Part of the reason we chose Teddy is because he had been at the shelter for many months. No one wanted to adopt him due to his allergies and atopic dermatitis, which results in frequent vet visits and a special diet.

“Thirty years ago, when Byron and I first got together, we had three cats and a dog. After the last pet passed away, we considered adopting some more, but since we would soon be retiring to another state, we waited until moving here.

“We chose Frankie because of her sweet face and unique coat. We also were further encouraged when we met her, and her foster mom described how sweet and snuggly she was. She adjusted pretty well to our home. Initially, she was a little scared, but she simply needed extra snuggles and love to help her become acclimated.

“My husband saw his picture on the Furry Friends website and that was that. We knew we wanted him. He fits right in with our family. We’re so happy to have Simon here with us. He’s brought a lot of love and laughter to the house. He’s most loving and wants pets and hugs in the mornings or right after he wakes up. Then it’s playtime!

“Rosey, whose original name was Freckles, is our second cat,” Jennifer says. “We adopted her for our daughter Kady who fell in love with her on sight.