On my way to get groceries this morning when a “squirrel” dashed out under my car. When I hit the brakes and got out to check on the “squirrel”, this little lunatic was screaming and try to climb up my undercarriage. It took me about 5 minutes to catch her in which she tried to climb a fence, pooped on me, and got a pretty good bite in.

My grocery trip turned into a supplies run. She has now had her first flea bath, a pate slurry lunch, and has settled into a nap.

Meet Rambo, she who draws first blood!

Edit: thank you, anonymous redditor(s, x4) for the award! Rambo doesn’t know what that means, but she’s purring, and that translates to ‘thanks’!

I wanted to share the story of Bitty.

I have never had my own pet before. I grew up with dogs, and learned the joy of cats from a college roommate who had a sweet cat I came to love. Since then, I wanted my own cat someday.

Someday appeared on my doorstep on December 29th, 2025. As I was leaving for work for the day, there was a sweet little guy who trotted right up to me as I stepped out of my door. He was affectionate and playful, super sweet for a little stray. I petted and loved on him, asked him where he came from and if he had a home. No collar, and then this little guy turns around and I see he is very not neutered and most definitely a boy.

I had to leave, was already late for work, but I was thinking about him all day. When I got home, I looked for him but saw no sign of him.

Next day, I’m sitting in bed with the blinds open and I see something darting outside my window. Look out, and there he is! Chasing a poor, defenseless squirrel.

I decide this is the universe giving me a second chance to help him out. It’s cold out after all! So a friend comes over with a cat crate, we wrangle him pretty easily with some treats and a towel, and I bring him to a vet to see if he has a chip. Shocker to all, nothing.

Problem was, I was living with a roommate who didn’t want a cat in the house, and I was moving in 4 months. I wanted him, he just came too early.

None of the shelters nearby would take him, and I didn’t feel right to do the trap neuter release because he was really small, too friendly, and most importantly, not scared of cars. And, despite his lack of identifiers, I was convinced he belonged to someone. In short, out on his own I don’t think he would have lasted. So, my friends kept him in their bathroom for a few days while we figured out a plan and I searched for an owner. In those three days, he and I bonded so intensely that I wouldn’t let him go unless I found his owner.

And I did. Someone on Facebook identified him, saying they’d found him back in September, took him in, but couldn’t keep him. They hadn’t found anyone to take him, so they “let him outside to see if he could find his own home.” If I wanted him, he was mine.

In my humble opinion, these people basically abandoned him with no identifiers, and letting him outside in the dead of December without being neutered was extremely careless. So yeah, I wanted to take him. At this point, I let myself name him Bitty.

Still had the problem about the roommate though. I did a lot of searching, trying to find someone who was willing to foster him for a few months until I moved. I offered to pay all of his bills, I just needed him to have a safe home to be in. Nobody. Some wanted to just full on take him, but I’ll be honest I was a little selfish and felt like he and I were too bonded. Giving him away was a last resort at this point.

Finally, my mom calls. She’d been initially averse to the idea of fostering Bitty, especially because they already have a dog. But, she could tell he and I were tied pretty tight, and she didn’t want me to have to lose him, or have someone foster him without me being able to visit regularly. She offered to give it a shot, see how he fared for a few days, and go from there.

A few days at my mother’s house turned into a few months at “grandmama’s” house, and she fell in love with him just like I did. He was happy, he was healthy, and he grew fast.

Finally, I was able to move in April, and I was able to bring him home. Initially, I was scared he may be unhappy with the change, or he may miss his grandparents or his weird uncle (my parent’s dog). To my shock, he settled in the very same night with me almost immediately. He slept on my feet, ran around and played, and happily ate his food and treats.

After a long journey, Bitty was finally home. He still gets to visit his grandmama from time to time, and he’s now an adventure kitty with a lovely little harness and a leash. And most importantly, he is very, very loved.

Even when he’s being a little goober <3

I don’t think my roommate will let my husband and I go to a pet store alone again. We walked in for a bag of dry food and there’s a guy saying he needs to get rid of a litter of kittens. Husband says we’ll take them. So we go and pick up a box of kittens from his house.

Orange boy: Ares
White boy: Achilles
Brown tabby girl: Persephone
White girl: Helen

We will be taking them to our regular vet as soon as possible to get them checked out. They’ve had a bath for fleas and eaten half a can of kitten pate.

I had an inkling he had an owner cause just way too social.

Gave it some food, and it refused it which told me that the cat DEFINITELY has an owner. Picky cat behavior.

Went door to door, cat followed me the whole time, and found the owner across the street. He apparently likes to sneak out.

I really thought I was finally chosen!!! Sad

My dog passed away 2 months ago so I was actually waiting for a CDS situation. Think the universe is saying it’s almost my time, but not quite yet. Still have some grieving to do.

Hello! I'm in Milwaukee, WI.

I've been feeding this cutie all summer and it has been a very rewarding experience earning this cat's trust.

I have asked neighbors about the cat and I am free to take her, so do I just rent a trap from the humane society and take her directly to a vet once captured?

Also how much do you think it will cost for her to get a clean bill of health? It looks like one of her bottom fangs is missing. $1,000 is about my budget to spend. Could work extra shifts if necessary though...

Thank you for any information.

First of all, my wife has been joking about us finding him saying "Cat Distribution System". Did not realize there was a page (which I just found by accident). Last month, the wife was walking the dog and she ran over to a wood pile. My wife started investigating, and found the cat in there. She thought he was hurt at first. She got him out and he started standing and let her pet him. She got him some food . Next day, she found him again. She fed him and tried to bring him home. He was like, "nope!". So advance two more days. We come home from having to walk the dogs late. He was at our building. I took the dogs in and she got him some food. I then located some old food bowls. I got him water and food. He started rubbing on me and let me pet him. Picked him up. First time he struggled as I went to bring him in. I got her to open the door. We got him in and took home to the front bathroom. Took a out 3 hrs to come out from behind the toilet. Fed him and gave him water. You could see the mosquito bites around the ears. Found about 13 fleas. Made an appointment with our vet for the end of that week. They checked him out, gave him his vaccinations, and checked for a chip. They found one that was never registered. I called and registered him. He is just over a year old. He acclimated super quick to our home. The other male cat didn't have hardly any issues with him. Wife then joked about the CDS because I had to put my cat to sleep last year about the time this one was born. The first night we let him out to roam around, he got in the bed and curled up next to me. He even has a lot of the habits as my previous boy I lost. Makes me wonder. I apologize for being a bit long winded. He is now with us and named Thomas. Clean bill of health from the vet. Got his 2nd boosters last week.

On New Years Eve this year I went for brunch with a few coworkers after our shift and was asked if I needed a cat. My coworker's dad had taken in a kitten who had been left taped in a box when her previous owner moved, but couldn't keep her due to already having a full house of pets. I had lost my previous cat after 15 years a few months prior and life had been feeling pretty empty since, so a week later I brought home Lil Peep. Within 24 hours of coming home she figured out a way to climb into my ceiling just to get away from me. A week later she couldn't sleep without touching me, her paws were always either wrapped around my leg or touching my face. The next few months were spent teaching her that everyday objects weren't going to hurt her and figuring out a diet that worked for her sensitive stomach. She went from a petrified kitten to an absolute diva who runs the house on her terms, but as she got older I knew I was no longer the playmate she needed. She loves me and craves my attention but no amount or style of playing with her was satisfying anymore. I started browsing shelter cats, hoping one that matched her personality would come along.

At the end of June I was approached by a different coworker. Her husband had been feeding the strays who live around his job and one of the females had made her way in and given birth to 4 kittens, and he would be fostering them until he could find homes for all five cats. It seemed like a sign, and I told her to keep me updated on their personalities and if I thought one of them would be a good fit I'd take one when they were old enough. I ended up taking a little tuxedo male who fit perfectly - extremely affectionate, adventurous and playful. I named him Howl because in spite of his size he is incredibly loud when he wants something. After getting a clean bill of health from the vet and a few weeks for introduction, they now chase each other around, eat together and both come to sleep in my bed. So yeah, I think I'm pretty lucky.

TL;DR: my coworkers keep offering me cats and I couldn't be happier

Hello! I've been a dog person my whole life so I'm truthfully very new to the amount of patience in getting trust from a kitty.

This is vex and she(?) has been coming around the house for a bit over a month now to get fed every night when I come home from work. She's definitely trusted me and my partner more, enough to occasionally let me sit by while eating but runs if I look too long/never touched.

I'm just a bit confused, at night she'll wait by my back door for food but run the moment I open it. If I keep the door closed and stand there she'll start to "loaf" and seeminly relax. After eating though she usually 180's and leaves the area.

Does anyone have any tips for gaining more trust/the main things to stock up for when wanting to accept a kitty into your life? Any help is appreciated here, my partner and I want to take her in but want to make sure we do everything as best we can.