“I’ve always had cats in my life,” explains Tasha.

“I came to Furry Friends to meet two sisters, but after meeting every cat-friendly cat and being unable to choose, these two brothers, Lincoln and Cookie (originally Loki) were suggested to me. I’ve never had boy cats and was a bit reluctant, but I trusted the people who knew the kitties. They were very shy and would probably do well in my quiet house.

“We already had a 13-year old-female kitty when we adopted Bayley,” Shelley says. “Although her original name was Quinn, she was born on St. Patrick’s Day 2024 and we thought Bayley was more fitting.

“When I lost my 21-year-old angel, it took six months to feel ready to fill that void,” says Anne. “I saw Maggie’s photo (previously Hanna) and noticed that she had been available for adoption for a few months. I also thought that she needed me.

“She was very shy, but gradually, day by day, she’d let me get a little closer, and I found that she couldn’t resist a good stroke or a chin scratch. At the same time, I thought that she would benefit from having another cat in the house and I couldn’t stop thinking about her brother (previously Haiku) who was also available. Although they weren’t a bonded pair at the time, I believe they are now as ‘wherever goes one, so goes the other.’

Originally called Elsa and Dexter, these bonded siblings’ names were changed to Lana and Rey by first-time cat parents of two Manuel and Jassmine.

“They were so sweet and so cute that we couldn’t resist them,” Manuel says. “Their adjustment, though, to our home was gradual. Their favorite spot was under our bed. However, we would hear them exploring at night getting more comfortable! Lana and Rey have been the addition to complete our little family.

“After unexpectedly losing our senior kitty last year, my husband Kevin and I were left heart-broken and with a sad emptiness in our home,” explains Jennifer. “We didn’t want to rush into adopting a new kitty, but we also missed having one as part of our family. We have always had a cat – we prefer adopting those who like being only children though. Then we spoil them!

“It’s hard to believe that nearly a year has passed since we adopted Herman,” exclaims Flor. “My husband Andrii and I both grew up with family cats, but Herman is our first cat together as a family.

“When we started our search to adopt a kitten, our goal was to expand our small Seattle family and find a kitten whose personality would mesh well with our 14-year-old Chihuahua, Lady. However, the process proved more challenging than we anticipated, with long adoption wait times, waitlists and the high energy of most kittens.

Rachel has loved many cats in her life, and right now she and her husband have three, including their most recent addition.

“Called Lovebug when we brought him home, we renamed him Popo, which has since morphed, as pet names do. We now call him Po,” Rachel says. “We chose him because of his giant fluffy butt. This three-pound ball of floof with the monster feet became our 14-pound ‘force of chaos and love’ within the year!

“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.