I am an animal lover, who has always had a soft spot for cats. Iv'e always felt a connection to all animals, especially cats. Growing up, my family always had a dog and a cat, and from a very early age I knew the value in connecting with animals. I moved out of my folks house and bought my own at the age of 25 (I know, I know) and was living alone. My job was taking me away from home for weeks to months at a time. Pets were out of the question. Fast forward a little more than a decade after buying my house, I moved my girlfriend in, and finally found some cats to call my own.
![20151222_124451[1].jpg](https://images.ecency.com/p/cyxkEVqiiLyAJMrzqHfWLT7YbdgoprDQGwdeDRwrXdGwTmLNKueBLwXC5DkRT5hQtBkEgGDvioqRYoaHff2t4mCmGwiHCKzUtR8Xvb5eZXMB6c4XqEGJ2hUyZxwfWMiifLA?format=match&mode=fit)
So, here is the story of how we met. It was late spring of 2015 and I was out on my front porch smoking a cigarette. Looking across the street I noticed a couple of kittens sniffing around and such. They were exploring the neighborhood with a curiosity only matched by the likes of Shackleton or Columbus. I made some clicking sounds with my mouth and immediately got their attention. The next thing you know, they came cautiously across the street to investigate me and the sounds I was making. Then came all the rubbing up against me and purring. It was love at first sight!
![20160223_140642[1].jpg](https://images.ecency.com/p/cyxkEVqiiLyAJMrzqHfWLT7YbdgoprDQGwdeDRwrKkaGJ44wQPi1PBWxX8kokSMXBGqEPoo4qhMGwn2JuTRyZPHQyP4ZhA1LWSByY1awMKDmth9EyFX6V4qYdQFRZa99AWr?format=match&mode=fit)
As time went on, they began to come and visit me quite regularly, as the weather was getting warmer and I was spending more time outdoors. It got to the point that whenever I came home from work, they would be waiting for me on my front porch. Thinking to myself they must have been someone's cats, I began canvassing the neighborhood to see if I could find who they belonged to. After doing some digging around, I come to find out that one of my neighbors had abandoned these cats because they weren't fixed yet, and were spraying in her house... Really? You cant spend a couple of hundred dollars at the vet?
![20150816_135804[1].jpg](https://images.ecency.com/p/cyxkEVqiiLyAJMrzqHfWLT7YbdgoprDQGwdeDRwr5td98gFk9sLfVbh5GkRwDUDAunhDjEQYvaqTGgdzrqCqPjeV6YcJ6WUikjkcaZnD563NVEayUcnovx8zsd3yaxuGVYz?format=match&mode=fit)
It was right then and there, that I decided they would be moving in with me for the time being. I would constantly check the community mailboxes for missing cat posters taped to the side, which is normal where I live when a pet goes missing. About a month went by with no missing cat posters, I knew the cats were going to be staying for good. They did spray a few times in my house (just cats being cats), so I took them to the vet to have them fixed, micro chipped, vaccinated, the whole works.
![20151210_191926[1].jpg](https://images.ecency.com/p/cyxkEVqiiLyAJMrzqHfWLT7YbdgoprDQGwdeDRwrHiBEV4tMXP6YoEyTQc95UP3RDHSVB7RRAb7TfKRY3aC33NedJJwmZj2rAqYYj8iDP4oLMZ26UR22G58wuUcwfypCv8v?format=match&mode=fit)
It's now two and a half years later, and we couldn't be happier. I know the neighbors who abandoned these cats, see them sitting in my window from time to time. They have never asked for them back, and to be frank, I would never give them back.
![20160307_232158[1].jpg](https://images.ecency.com/p/cyxkEVqiiLyAJMrzqHfWLT7YbdgoprDQGwdeDRwrZ83rFD5vSHChZaGfk9ss8fA17AcyrzmX8d2eD8rLZFJgQcjTRhWjh8HTozXuRv5jjCw7TwMm6T2NyKwVDGgPjh5UjVp?format=match&mode=fit)
The moral of the story here is, don't buy pets if you aren't prepared to look after them, including visits to the vet. Better yet, don't buy animals from a store when there are so many sitting at overflowing shelters. You will feel so much better knowing you gave an animal another lease on life.