“I remember walking into PetSmart for some food for my two resident cats, male Notixx and female Pocky, and being offered some kittens to hold,” Brooke says. “Grimm was the first and only one I picked up because of how she cuddled into my neck. She was so cute as she fell asleep in my arms.

“When I adopted Adora, her name was Pepper,” explains Tala. “Although my partner originally picked She-Ra, Adora was easier for everyone to say.

“I chose her because her eyes just drew me in. Then, when I met her at the shelter and she was so affectionate towards me, it was a done deal. She had my heart. Now she’s part of our kitty trio, joining Gris (age 4) and Torta (age 1 1/2).

“We’ve had several cats in the past and have two at home,” says Skye. “What we needed, we knew, was one who was good with others. Enter Sawyer, now Blanche, named after the witch cat from the Japanese horror movie ‘Hausu.’

“Juniper is the first cat I myself have adopted, but not the first cat I’ve lived with,” says Emily. “And although I changed her name from Aria to Juniper, I mostly call her Junie or Junebug.

“I recently adopted Pipsqueak who has since been re-named Bruce,” Katherine explains. “In fact, he’s the second cat I’ve adopted from Furry Friends. The first one was called Thomas, and he too was re-named. His current name is George.

“A few months ago, our beloved 19-year-old kitty, Luci, crossed over the Rainbow Bridge,” says Jeanine. “My husband Tim and I had adopted our now 8-year-old tuxedo Bowie (formerly Storm) from Furry Friends in 2020, and because having him here has been wonderful, we decided to adopt another Furry Friends cat.

“My ‘boys’ chose Mia when she was just over 3 months old,” says Judie. “My ‘boys’ are Tag and Jax, two 10-year-old Yorkshire Terriers, and we were visiting PetSmart when they found her. Then named Maxine, she was in a carrier which her foster mom had set on the floor near the boys, and as she pressed her nose to the mesh of the carrier, Tag and Jax rushed over to meet her with their tails gaily wagging. She wasn’t at all afraid of them and they didn’t ‘see’ her as a cat.

“I have had cats since the day I was born, usually more than one,” Duffy admits. “Finster, formerly Derry, has now joined Pete and Yukon, two senior male cats who used to be bossed around by a female, and are enjoying the bump in status!

“Far from being our first kitty, Barnabas Collins, whose original name was Sonny, is our fourth,” Angelique eagerly admits. “He joins our other three kitties, Isaac and Pogo, who are the oldest at 14, and then Pumpkin, who is 2.

“Steven is far from being our first kitty,” admits Tyler. “In fact, we’ve fostered about 10 cats since our own cat passed.

“And yes, Steven is his original name. I don’t know of any other name that would fit him as well. I first saw him when I was picking up supplies at Furry Friends during the time we were fostering. He seemed so upset and so isolated because he wasn’t getting along with the other cats. He was also older, so the likelihood of his being adopted was lower. I simply wanted to help.

“Ironically, when I visited Furry Friends, I was looking for an adorable little white male kitty with blue eyes because I’ve always wanted one,” Ann admits. “But when I went into one of the rooms to see Miyuki, she was in the far back of her cage, curled into a ball.

“When we adopted Kiki, her original name was Lovey,” says Garrett. “Although it was both accurate and appropriate, our children love Kiki’s Delivery Service, so that meant an immediate name change! She now goes by Keeks, Kooky-Dooks and Kookly-Dookly -- all of which are equally acceptable to her.

“James and I recently lost our beloved tuxedo and we dearly wanted to help other tuxedos,” Bethe says. “We also have a soft spot for special needs kitties, and Smudge suffers from compromised vision.

“Tali, formerly Talia, is our second adopted cat,” says Chad. “While we thought that Talia was a very pretty name, we wanted to shorten it a bit and reference a popular media character we like (Tali from the “Mass Effect” video game series).

“I adopted Harry from Furry Friends in April, shortly after my best friend and ‘adventure’ kitty, Lucky, passed away,” Tom says. “Harry was one year old and the purr-fect kitty for me.

“He came with his name, which I kept, because my dad was named Harry, and it held a very special meaning for me. Harry loves being close to me at all times: lying in a chair in my home office while I work, perching on the window seat in the breakfast nook next to my chair and curling up on my bed at night.

“Ollie, formerly Oliver, isn’t our first kitty,” says Janet. “My husband Rich and I have had several cats because I can’t go through life without having one or two. When we lose one, we get another to fill the void.

“Fisch (formerly Clawford) caught my eye in surgery clinic because he was meowing so loudly,” says Michelle. “My ‘mommy’ instincts kicked in and I couldn’t ignore him, so I took him out of his kennel and held him tightly against my chest. This comforted him and calmed him down.

“I chose to adopt Lucie because she seemed so very sweet and especially energetic,” Justin says. “Plus I absolutely LOVED her coloring!

“Not surprisingly, her adjustment to living in my home was fairly immediate. Lucie is as sweet as I thought she was and a complete doll. Although she wakes me up every morning at 5:30 AM, I don’t mind it one bit. What I love most about her, though, is that she loves cuddling in laps!

“I’ve had kitties most of my life,” says Mila. “My husband Chris and I even adopted our sweet Isabel, who’s now 16 years old from Furry Friends many years ago.  

“When we lost our kitty, Willis, to cancer, we knew it was time to add another kitkat to the family. Since Isabel is older and our dog Georgia is 8, we figured that all of us would adapt best to a kitten. We were also looking for an especially fluffy one. Enter 5-month-old Haddy, whose name we changed to Charlie and which fits her perfectly!

“Awhile back, I adopted Morty, a magnificent Ginger,” Theresa says. “He was clearly lonely and in need of a playmate since my two older, 13-year-old ‘ladies’ whom I adopted when I lived in Miami, would have nothing to do with him.