I was going through old photos of kitties the other day and thought it would be fun to show all the kitties I have rehomed since we moved here in 2006. I am not kidding when I say I am a stray cat magnet.
We moved here with our elderly cat, Chloe. She was a one-cat household type of cat (as is Pixie), so no other pets. Not to mention John’s allergies and all. The first stray happened the year after we moved in. I had started seeing her in the area between our house and the neighbors where all the strays like to hang out because there are lots of hiding places and shelter in the overgrowth. This kitty had obviously been injured in the past because she dragged her front leg around, but didn’t seem in distress at all. I worked for quite a while taming her and feeding her. I named her Moxie because she had a lot of it to survive with her injury. I actually did bring her into the house, but she hid from Chloe for the most part (who was partially blind anyway). I took her to the vet to have her checked out. See how her leg just hangs there?
The vet said that her shoulder was shattered and had just healed up. She was probably hit by a car at some point in the past and actually survived it. She had no feeling in the leg. The vet was up in the air about whether it should be amputated or not, but she definitely needed to be an indoor cat. He also shaved her tummy and saw a scar from being spayed, so she was somebody’s kitty at some point. I put ads in the paper, but no one claimed her, so she went up for adoption. A nice woman who lived in a single level ranch adopted her and named her Cassidy (as in Hop Along). I was so sad to see her go. It doesn’t take long for me to get attached to kitties.
Right as Moxie was being adopted, there was another stray yowling at our door. We heard her again the next day. Guess who that was?
Look at her big feet! Her mane hadn’t even grown in yet. She was pretty young and skinny when she got to us, and pregnant to boot. She miscarried her kittens. Then I had her spayed and couldn’t give her up.
Fast forward to fall of 2009 and I was out for a run. I saw what looked like a little puff on the ground. As I got closer I saw it was a tiny kitten. At first I thought it was dead, but then it weakly lifted it’s head and meowed at me. It was pretty cold that day, too, and I just tucked him into the top of my trisuit and came home. The warmth perked him up quite a bit.
He was so durn cute! He was in rough shape, though. Full of fleas and malnourished. After he got some food in him, he would not shut up! We called him Mouthy McGee because he was constantly talking. Pixie hated him, too. She hissed and beat on the outside of the carrier he was in. No mothering instinct for her 
This guy required constant feeding and I contacted a rehabber to take over care for him. She had just finished with a batch of kittens and was able to take him after a few days.
Here was a picture she sent me of how he improved. Isn’t he the cutest thing?!! I am dying just looking at this photo again 😀
Fast forward to 2012 and then there were the brothers.
Boo:
You can see Billy there in the background. This was when we thought he was Lily and absolutely hated us.
Boo is doing really well in his home – And I see him frequently because it was my parents who took him in! My mother fell in love with him and right before he was going away to a different foster home, my mom decided she wanted to adopt him. I wasn’t sure if she wanted that broadcast, but she said it was okay for me to tell people.
And Billy.
You all know those stories since they were so recent. So, my average isn’t too bad. I kept 1 cat out of 5. If I wasn’t married to John, guess how many kitties I would probably have? 
Aww, what a kittie softy you are! I had fun catching up on your blog this morning! –I have salmon for dinner and will try your recipe technique; yes, maintaining is harder than it should be. you should be very proud that you have been so successful at it, as compared to some of us who-ahem-have gained a bit of weight; I love Billy, and wish I had lived closer and could have adopted him; and, your venison stew pic put me in the mood for beef stew, so I picked up some stew meat at the store today. Your blog is always good for dinner inspiration for me! –there, I think I’m caught up on commenting!
Welcome back!
I say you would have about 8. If we are judged by how we treat children, the elderly, and animals, I think you will be judged A+. I love the kitty success stories.
Thanks Kim, you are sweet 😀
Yeah good thing I’m here to save you from yourself…
In more ways than one…
Awww, I love this post! I feel like a stray cat magnet, too. Three of the four cats we have were strays! The difference is, you found homes for them 😉
Boo is sitting with me in my chair as I type this. I showed him his picture, but he wasn’t impressed. All he wants to do is nap! That little blue-eyed kitten is the cutest thing!
If John wasn’t there you would be the godmother of cats.
LOL @ his comment by the way.
I know – it is scary to think about how many I would have.
I loved the story of the tiny little kitten you saved! Great picture of him sitting in your trainer.
I didn’t realize Pixie has been so skinny. Now she looks like a queen.
I’m glad Boo found a good home. I love his quirky look. 🙂
Yes, Pixie was quite the ratty kitty. She had fleas and ticks and worms. Ewww! She certainly is the queen now.
You should get a medal for giving up that kitten. And for surviving the wrath of Pixie for being such a cat angel.
Awwww you have such a soft heart. 🙂
I LAUGHED out loud at the final sentence.
Id have 8 English bulldogs if I were single 🙂
This post totally, TOTALLY makes me want to have a kitty in our lives again – especially that second photo of Mouthy McGee. Mr. Helen better hope no stray shows up around our house!
I know! He was so heart meltingly adorable! There is a lot to be said about adopting a more mature cat, though. The kitten stage can be really annoying 😀
You are amazing Lori!!!!!!!!! I loved seeing all the pics & back stories AND that your mom has Boo!!!!! You are truly the cat whisperer & I think you should have your own show!!! 🙂
You have such a big caring heart Lori. When we were first married we had a cat and the day we were moving across the state of Iowa a little kitten showed up. We walked all over the neighborhood trying to find where it belonged with no luck so we took her with us. Our cat was an outdoor cat but our new city had a leash law for cats – they had to be on a leash when outdoors! We ended up giving my Grandparents our cats so they could roam freely on the farm in Nebraska. Currently we have no pets but our neighbors cat thinks he owns our backyard as he hangs out here daily! We are told that he is a good mouser so we don’t mind. He won’t come up to us, when we go outside he takes off!
I love you big your heart is Lori – my Dad also tamed an “outdoor” cat. He would leave food for it outside our door, until eventually it felt comfortable to come in the house. He named it Gus and that was HIS cat – he loved it. Would even take a pyrex dish of our dinner food, cut it up and give it to him.
Sadly, he was hit by a car. He vowed he’d never get another cat! Until we were on vacation in Virginia, and one of my Aunt’s tenants cats had kittens, the tiniest one looked exactly like Gus! We brought it to my Dad, and he said, I am not even going to look at it! We left it on his shoulder and walked out of the room. Of course, it only took a minute for my Dad to fall in love with it – and since it was a girl, named it Gussie, and my parents had that cat for years!
I remember when you found that itty kitty – geez, has it been that long?!? I didn’t know Pixie was a stray…you do have a certain animal attraction!
Sweet that your mom adopted Boo and you still get to see him. 🙂
I love kittens. LOVE THEM. But suddenly they are big cats – at several points, we had 4 cats in our household. That gets to be a bit much, so I try to restrain myself now.
I remember when you found that tiny little kitty! And, honestly even though you’ve probably said it at some point, I didn’t know Pixie started out as a stray. I wonder if the people who lived in the house before you had outdoor cats and so they migrate because they smell cats in that area?
When we lived in the country, we had a dog and several cats. People knew we took good care of them so multiple times a year people would just drive to the bottom of our driveway and drop off animals they didn’t want! It was really hard on us kids because we felt sorry for all of them and wanted to keep them. I remember a neighbor who was mowing and uncovered a bunch of wild bunny babies. Unfortunately he picked them all up so their mom didn’t come back. We put them in a cage in our garage and they got out so many hours were spent corraling the random bunnies that blended in so well. Boy we have tons of stories! 🙂
This post was one “awww” after another. The kitten in the shoe??? That photo will go viral! Wow…Pixie has come a LONG way! (lucky little girl). It’ll be 3 years tomorrow that Dennis and I rescued Neva. Have a great Wednesday, you cat whisperer!
I LOVE that you’ve helped all of them find a home. Pixie is a lucky, spoiled girl. 🙂
I love that you are able to take in so many cats and get them healthy, ready for a good home. Wish I could. Ted’s allergic and not a cat person. I’ve never had a house cat, only a stray that my dad said we could feed by the barn (when we lived in Texas).
They are all beautiful.
kittays are awesome. I love all the kittays in the world. Kudos to you for loving and caring for them. (too bad I’m allergic)
I would definitely have more pets if my husband didn’t put his foot down. We had a dog before our Molly, and losing her (to old age) was just so hard. After a few years of no pets, we got Molly. It’s going to be even harder for me since I raised her from a puppy and am her primary caretaker. He’s just trying to spare the family that emotional turmoil (and the need for a sitter when we travel), but I would still love an indoor cat one day!
This post just makes me want to purr. The kitty in the shoe is absolutely cute, cute, cute! It is so cool that these kitties find you!
I’ve always had a special place in my heart for kitties 🙂
Loved this post. You are amazing!