“I’ve had cats since I was a child,” Elizabeth says.

“While fostering Solana and her litter of 4-week-old kittens, I’d pretty much planned on adopting California as soon as she was born. The reasons I chose her were because my 19-year-old calico and 14-year-old dog had recently passed, and I have a soft spot for calicos. My husband and children, meanwhile, fell in love with Loki since he’s naturally social and affectionate.

“After seeing a post from Finnegan’s foster mom on Facebook, I emailed and asked about him and his personality,” says Laura. “Then named Boo, something about his picture pulled at my heart, and he seemed like a perfect fit for our family.

“Angel and Ramona were part of a group of nine kittens I was fostering last year,” says Misty. “Ramona came with her sister, Quimby, as in Ramona Quimby, age 8, for those who remember the ‘Beverly Cleary’ series. Angel came with her brother Leon.

“Ramona’s and Quimby’s looks were unique -- a combination of kitten, raccoon and Stitch from the movie ‘Lilo and Stitch.’ They had shorter legs, skinny little necks and itty-bitty heads with enormous ears! They were adorable and very snuggly. Angel had great ears too, but she was the shyest kitten of all and only came out of hiding to play with the other kittens. It took me months to gain Angel’s trust.

“As a feline fancier, I’ve always had cats in the past,” says Toni.
“Adorably and originally named Badabing and Badaboom, I met the boys at their foster home with Jenn. The reason I chose them was because I wanted a bonded pair who would snuggle my face! When Jenn shared pictures of the boys doing exactly that, I knew it was meant to be. 

“While I’ve had cats in the past and have an older one currently, I found Wink on Facebook’s homing page for animals and saw that he was at Furry Friends.
“Needless to say, I chose him because he had the sweetest little face, and his one little blue eye made my heart melt! When I actually met him, I immediately knew that he was coming home with me. His adjustment to living here was almost immediate! It did take my older kitty awhile longer to get used to him, but Wink was quickly playing and running around the place.

“My fiancé and I currently have two cats, 10-year-old Zara and 5-year-old Mochi,” says Melanie. “Zara likes to relax and only plays on her terms, but Mochi loves chasing her around (to Zara’s dismay), so getting another cat has always been in the cards.

“Our current cat, Polly, was adopted from Furry Friends,” Britni says, “and it made perfect sense to adopt another one from Furry Friends as well.

“We attended an adoption event at PetSmart, and my husband actually went in and saw the cats while we went to bathroom. He told us that he had held a cat named Pepper and said, ‘Oh no, this is the one!’ before the rest of us met her. And he was right: she was just so cute and so sweet.

“I was fortunate enough to have had one cat when living with my parents. I got him when I was 13, had him for 9 years, and he’s still living with them.

“I found Feng Min, then called Penelope, on Pet Finder and finally met her at a Furry Friends adoption event at PetSmart. I chose her because, ever since I was young, I had wanted a black kitty and because I loved her orange eyes as well.

Mac and Carl and Sara and Mike
“Knowing we wanted two cats, Mike and I attended a Furry Friends adoption event at PetSmart,” says Sara. “After speaking to a volunteer and the foster mom of four tabbies, we picked up Mac and Carl. They were so happy to be in our arms, very affectionate, purring and snuggling away. Also, their fur was the softest we’d ever felt. We couldn’t imagine finding any sweeter cats.

“Having known the joy and enrichment cats bring, Katherine and I decided to open our hearts and home to more feline companionship after losing our own wonderful cat of 16 years,” Perry says.

“Enter Benny and Marvin (formerly Bermuda). They arrived at Furry Friends together, having shared a journey that included a life-altering procedure – the amputation of their back right legs on the same day! This shared experience had forged a unique bond between them, and their foster parent realized that they should stay together. We were immediately drawn to the idea of adopting a bonded duo, knowing they would have one another for company when we weren’t in the house. The fact that these two special needs kitties had already formed such a strong connection sealed the deal.

“Growing up, we usually had two cats in the house at one time,” Elijah says. “And so, it came as no surprise when my mom, April, recently decided to adopt four cats, bringing the number of cats living here to six!

“Joining our two current cats, Buffy and Coco, are Chandler, Joey, Bean and Spaz. Chandler, Joey and Bean were foster fails from a group of eight, sick feral barn kitties, while Spaz was previously at another foster’s home. Now that she’s firmly ensconced here, she’s found her true love in Joey. Chandler quickly decided that I was his person, Bean fell in love with my mom and Joey, our big, fluffy goofball is infatuated with Coco.

“Jonny is very special to my family and me,” Jessica says. “I was going through a difficult time after learning that I had thyroid cancer.

“While we already had an adult cat named Asteroid, I began looking on the Furry Friends website for another kitty to adopt. As soon as I saw Jonny’s photo, I knew he was the one. We met him at his foster home nearby – proving even more that this adoption was meant to be. Not only that, his name, which we kept, is the same as his dad’s!

“Since I’m particularly passionate about cats, I’ve owned three cats in the past,” Izzy says. “For the last four years, though, I’ve been a foster home for Furry Friends.

“I always had cats when I was growing up,” says Madison. “Our last one was an outside cat named Milo, who would go on walks down the road with my mom.

“My boyfriend, Jacob, and I didn’t have one for awhile until we adopted Olive. We were fortunate enough to have found her (she was then called Bowie) on the Furry Friends website and we met her in person at an adoption event Furry Friends was holding at PetSmart.

“As cat people, we have always had cats in our lives,” says Sarah.

“Although we already had three in our house, we discovered the Furry Friends website and found ourselves tempted. The photo of a cute male kitten named Fraggle caught our eye. We then attended a Furry Friends adoption event at PetSmart, met him face to face, promptly adopted him and renamed him Moses.

“I have always had cats in the past,” Shannon says. “And yet, this time it was different.

“How? You might wonder. While volunteering as a foster mom for Furry Friends, I fell head over heels in love with four of the kittens in my care and simply could not say goodbye. They are all foster fails! 

“I have always had cats in the past,” says Michelle. “My husband, Scott, and I knew that our resident three-year-old male cat needed a playmate capable of matching his energy level. And soon, we were scouring the Furry Friends website for the perfect match.

“Being a cat person I have always had cats in the past,” says Amy. “Working for Vancouver Pet Urgent Care, I met a kitty from Furry Friends named Frank.

“One look at his sweet little face and I was smitten! That combined with his sweet nature, and I promptly adopted him, changing his name to Bagheera (Mister).

“I have had cats for most of my adult life,” says Jill. “And it goes without saying that each one has held a special place in my heart.

“During Covid, ironically, I found myself without a cat until a feral showed up at the door. I considered her my ‘Covid project,’ and after countless hours over a period of many months, I was finally able to get her into our home. I was in love! Sadly, she became very sick and passed away.

“When I was growing up, we always had at least two cats at one time,” says Amy. “Peaches, who was originally called Marigold, is the first kitty I’ve had as an adult not living with my parents.