Describe the circumstances of meeting your first cat
I was 13 when our neighbor called and asked if I wanted a kitten. My parents said I could have one so I went over and picked her up. My mother took one look at her and said she was the ugliest kitten she had ever seen and insisted on giving her the ugliest name she could think of: Sputnik. This was in 1957 and the Russians had just sent up the first sputnik. She was so tiny we had to feed her milk with a doll baby bottle. She grew up to be a beautiful long-haired cat and we all fell in love with her.
How many visits did you make before adopting?
This doesn't apply since we got her from our neighbor. The mother was a neighborhood stray that had kittens in the neighbor's garage. All of the kittens were gray except this one and she was orange. The mother put her out three times trying to kill her. It was after the neighbor rescued her the third time that she called and asked if I wanted a kitten.
Advice
- Try to learn about cats before you get one. None of us really knew anything about cats when we got Sputnik. We just learned as we went along and, fortunately, things worked out.
My First Cat's Name, Age at Adoption, and Oldest Age
Sputnik, 4-6 weeks, lived to be 13 years old.
The Mutual Bond I Shared With my Cat
She appreciated having a good home and we appreciated having her.
Significant Benefits of our Relationship
I fell in love with cats from having Sputnik. She taught me the joys of having a cat and, now, more than 50 years later, I have 4 nice cats.
Why I'd Do It All Over Again
The joy of discovering what great pets cats are make it all worthwhile. And having had many more cats since then, I think a cat that is a rescue just knows you saved her or him and is extra loving because of that.
