Why I took in two stray cats

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.

Meet "Vincent" on the left, and "Mr Snuggles" on the right.

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!

They love to cuddle!

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?

Fur Pillows.

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.

Not impressed right now.

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.

They also like to hold hands!

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.