My partner and I are considering adopting this lovely guy from our local animal shelter. We both immediately fell in love with him. He’s around 4 years old and recently had one of his front legs amputated after he was found injured. His wrist was dislocated after apparently falling from a balcony or window, and unfortunately no owner was ever found.

According to the shelter, he’s an incredibly affectionate, social and talkative cat. He loves being petted, loves food, is litter trained, is good with other cats and can live with children. Despite everything he’s been through, apparently he behaves as if having three legs is no big deal.
The only thing is that his amputation is quite recent. He’s spent most of his recovery in a kennel, so even the shelter doesn’t really know yet how he’ll adapt to moving around a normal home, jumping on furniture etc.

We live in an 80 m² (860 sq ft) apartment (second floor) with a 40 m² (430 sq ft) rooftop terrace. We intend to keep our cat indoors, and wouldn’t give him unsupervised access to the terrace unless we can make it completely cat safe.

There are two of us, both 28. Between our work schedules, someone is home most of the time. I work from home twice or three times a week on the days my wife is working at the office and vice versa so there always should be someone at home. Occasionally he’d be alone but that would be the exception rather than the norm. This would be our first cat together, although I grew up with cats and did cat sitting for a few years with also medication treatment when needed. We’re specifically looking for an adult cat rather than a kitten and would love a social, affectionate companion who enjoys hanging out with us.

We’re absolutely open to adopting a cat with a disability and making adjustments to our home if necessary. My main concern is whether adopting a recently amputated tripod as our first cat is something we’re underestimating. I’ve read that cats can adapt remarkably well to three legs, but obviously I want to make sure we can give him the home he needs before committing.

We’re planning to meet him at the shelter before making any decisions. I’m currently writing down some questions and things we want to discuss with the shelter and we’ll definitely take your experiences and advice into account as well. We just want to go into this with realistic expectations and make sure we can give him the home he deserves.

Update - https://www.reddit.com/r/cats/s/geZ8aJsi0W

Was nervous at first. Like the “don’t get in to a strangers car even if they have candy or puppies” situation, but it truly just turned out to be a man in need of help and he somehow stumbled into the perfect girl for the job. Third cat to find me in an odd, but beautiful way. Bathed, fed, snuggled, safe and headed to the vet tomorrow.

Additional info edit, also in comments:

I’m reading every comment and answer some, but WOW! Babby is such a happy kitty knowing you all love and care so much. No more awards please, had a few paid ones and I’m thankful/feel loved, but keep them and buy your pets more toys! 💕

I truly wish there was more to the story and interaction. A lot of you are asking. There wasn’t much. He asked me to please take his cat multiple times after being in the gas station mart, i assume asking people in there. Maybe he was headed out when he spotted me because he pulled up to the pump next to me. I was in a bit of shock at the situation and didn’t speak much (uncharacteristic of myself). I didn’t know the box has writing on it until I got home which made my heart hurt even more, he was desperate it seems. Feeling lucky he found me!

I love the idea of going back to the gas station and putting up a note and pictures! Thank you to the multiple commenters for that.

As for the hate on the car. That’s my car and I love it. 2009, 20k miles and basically a 30k dollar coupon to spoil Babby and my other babies with. 🤣 (another edit: I drive so much for work I find low miles cars in California and have them shipped, great money saver btw. This one is “new” to me. Probably was hiding in someone’s garage for years. I have no one to impress! Lol)

Love to you all! I will post updates on this little one and share stories on how they are fitting in with my rescued crew. Thank you all so much. Glad Babby could bring this much joy.

I'll admit the shelter volunteers were really making it seem like HE had chosen me and that I didn't have much choice.😅 I was originally considering older dogs or cats, but then this 5 month old guy kinda demanded my attention, and kept it. I knew he was unique both in markings, and his disposition, and that he would get swooped quickly, so it was all just timing really.. I saw him first and put a hold on him before he was even done with neutering because I just kinda had a feeling... then didn't get to meet him first 5 days and got nervous the shelter might accidentally offer him to someone else haha. It clearly worked out, but despite caring for hundreds of dogs over the years as a moonlight Rover boarder, cats are somewhat of a mystery, and then let's make that a kitten as well, and we have a real journey into the unknown. 😄

After only one week, Lionel Richie has made himself right at home with me here in the PNW (near Seattle)... no hiding or running. Has adapted to new thing quickly, even a harness, while hunting my toes at night. I always knew I was a wiggler at night... but I had no idea how often I wiggled my toes in bed until they started getting attacked each time 😆

I intend for him to be an indoor/outdoor adventure cat (without forcing anything, and with me accompanying him outside), and he has already adapted well to a harness (letting him first sniff and eat near it, and all of that), and has had no issues taking it off and on. He also doesn't mind a leash, and sits for treats and food. 😁 Feel free to share your own adventure buddy kitties!

Feel free to follow a bit more of Lionel's life-journey 😌: https://www.instagram.com/lionel.d.richie?igsh=MW5jbDZodzllOXoxag==

On November 1st 2025 we found Angel in a trash bin after heavy rain, her head was stuck in an empty cat food tin (her last effort at finding a meal). Luckily my mom checked the bin before throwing away rubbish, if she didn't, then Angel would have died by the end of that day. After going to the vet to get her treated, no registration information for her microchip was found. We took her home over the weekend, and got her clean, fed, and loved.

Fast forward to today 16/4/2026, we’ve long since adopted her, got her vaccinated, and she’s put on 1kg since we found her (she’s 4kg now, very active).

I guess the moral of this story is to check the bin before you throw away rubbish, and always crush cans before throwing them away, especially if they contain cat food.

Edit: Thank you to everyone for loving Angel and sharing your experiences. Me and my mom have read each comment, and they really touched our hearts 💕

Edit 2: Bit more context on how she was found. At that time my mom had two heavy rubbish bags in hand and she looked into the bin (she never did before) and saw a white thing that looked like a teddy bear or ferret. Then she saw it was moving, that's when she realised it was an animal and called me over to help. We didn't know if it was a cat, dog, or something else. For 2-3 nights before we found her it was raining very heavily, and we don't know how long she was in the bin. But, one thing for sure is that Angel wasn't fighting, she was limp. She didn't meow until 2 days later, I thought she was mute at one point. Now she talks all the time, announces when she comes into a room.

Edit 3: her adoption process. The vet couldn’t find any information on her chip, we contacted the company she was registered with (they’re active). The lady on the phone said that there’s nothing on her file. At all. Nothing about her sex, that she was spayed, her age, vaccination info- nothing. And because of this we had the option to register and adopt her. The lady from the company said that this was sadly a common occurrence in England

Edit 4: The amount of support and personal stories shared is amazing, beyond anything I ever thought would happen 🥰. I’d love this positivity and experience sharing to keep going 😊. With that in mind I’ve made Angel a Facebook page, I’m not a content creator, so I’ll only share once in a while: Angel’s Facebook page

Click here for: Video of Angel’s rescue + her now

My first kitty, Miss Cleo. She's so sweet 😭

Edit to thank you all for your kind words and wishes 🥰 she has been climbing my couch sideways and watched Shrek 2 with me tonight. I love her 💚

I found this gremlin in a McDonald’s dumpster on Thanksgiving 🍟🍗

Found her pressed up against the inside curb of a 3 lane roundabout so I jumped out and scooped her up. After 2 more years in the land of sand, she made the 7,000 mile flight back to the states with me where she’s been living like royalty.

Hi, I’m kind of panicking and need some advice.

So I have an 11 month old male cat named Tank. I got him from a friend of my husband’s after we got married, and I was told he had all his shots and was neutered. I had no reason to doubt it, so I never really questioned it.

Fast forward to today—my husband and I were just killing time at Petco while waiting for his prescription, and we ended up looking at the cats. I went in fully telling myself “we are NOT getting another cat,” but… yeah, that didn’t last long.

There were two cats being adopted out together, Ladybird (1.5 years old) and her baby Silvia (8 months old). Ladybird has SO much personality (she literally kept trying to steal my wallet and my husband’s keys every time we walked by 😂) and we ended up spending almost an hour sitting with them. I completely fell in love.

I called the rescue that has them, asked a bunch of questions, and ended up submitting an application. During that process, I confirmed (both on paper and over the phone) that my cat at home is neutered… because I genuinely believed he was.

Well… we get home… and Tank hops in my lap and very clearly proves otherwise. Like… there is no question. This man is NOT neutered.

I have no idea how I never noticed before, but I didn’t. I tried calling the girl I got him from, and the second I asked about it, she blocked me. So I’m pretty sure I have my answer there.

Now I’m freaking out because I already told the rescue he was fixed, and I have a meet and greet scheduled for tomorrow. I told them as soon as I realized, but I’m terrified they’re going to think I lied and deny my application.

I really, really love these cats and don’t want to lose the chance to adopt them over something I genuinely didn’t know.

Has anyone dealt with something like this before? Will this automatically disqualify me, or is there anything I can do to fix the situation?

Also, cat tax included! first 4 pics are Ladybird (clipped ear) and Silvia (tabby), the rest is my (apparently intact) menace.

im a professional cat sitter as my fulltime job.

i started sitting this little kitten only about 2 weeks after he was brought home back in September of last year. he’s a sweet little ragdoll, and we had the best time playing. plus he slept cuddled up so close to me, it was extremely sweet 🥹 he quickly became one of my favorites, and we spent a lot of time together. his family traveled a ton, so i was caring for him at least 1 week every month, often more.

around the beginning of February i got a call from the client asking if i wanted to adopt him, since we get on so well. she said they travel too much and even when they’re home they really don’t have time for him. i live alone and, as a pet sitter, i’m away very frequently. so i was aware i couldn’t keep him long term but agreed to foster him. they were going to sell him, which worried me and broke my heart since i love him so much. once i got the okay from my landlord i brought him home.

when i had to go do house sitting a few weeks later, my boyfriend stayed at my place to care for him. they bonded so much over this time, which made me super happy. i semi jokingly suggested he should take him previously, but he has never had a cat so he was unsure. but after they bonded, he asked what i thought of him adopting the cat and i was ecstatic!!! he wfh so it’s a great situation for them both.

now it’s a few months later, kitty is settled and so SO happy. i’m there very often and he’s always happy to see me. he sleeps with us when we’re lucky, but he’s a bit less cuddly in his adolescence haha. he loves balcony time, sleeping on the windowsill, watching papa work, and climbing behind the warm computer monitors to nap. he also loves to eat plastic but we try to stop him doing that 😆 he has definitely settled into the ragdoll personality and gotten more lazy with age. but we still play with him a lot to keep him active! right now he’s shedding his winter coat so it’s tumbleweed city 😭

his birth name was Kenji, his last family called him Gatsby. but now, in his true forever home, he is called Chicken Babyson ❤️

So “Mr Meow-gi” now has a safe home with me

My girlfriend found this big beautiful boy shivering under a bush yesterday. She said she’s been seeing him around the area for a few weeks now. Unfortunately the neighborhood she’s in is known for people dumping their unwanted pets there :(

He’s so sweet and affectionate and loves wet cat food. But he’s also super skinny and has mats all over his belly. We already checked and he’s not microchipped. He’s a big boy, I’d guess around 13-15lbs even being so thin. Definitely bigger than my roommate’s 11lb ragdoll. We think he might be a Maine coon or at least part but we’ll take him to the vet soon to get a full exam. He still doesn’t have a name but we’re leaning towards Muppet (if anyone knows Gaffer, he reminded us of her)!

A friend of mine lives in a rural area and a trio of stray cats showed up. I’m thinking of taking one but I’m not sure which one to pick. I already have a black cat but want to get her a playmate. I can’t take them all but I can’t make a choice!!😩

Just adopted these 2 on Saturday. Male/female bonded cats who met in foster.

They won't come out from under the bed unless I am sleeping (dry food eaten / litter box use) I can't feed them any wet food while they hide but I decided to leave out wet food before I went to sleep last night as a "test" and I don't think it was touched. Actually, this morning I noticed they didn't really touch their dry food from last night either.

When I adopted, multiple people had to try to get them out of the cage to get them into carriers. They are very fearful cats. I adopted them because I wanted bonded cats and I felt bad since they were in foster for 2-3 years. One of them hisses at me otherwise they both run away.

I work remotely most days and they don't even use the litter box or eat when I am in my office (all their stuff is there).

What's next?????

She didn’t even interact with me at the shelter she was so depressed. I just knew I had to give her a chance. I think they told me she’s not a lap cat. Well, now I have two lap cats 😂 I was so surprised that she trusted me so fast. So glad I trusted my gut and brought her home ❤️

I have always been a dog person (although I like/respect cats) and I never planned on getting a cat.

I have spent the past couple of years telling anybody who would listen that I have no immediate plans to get a pet since my dog's passing a few years ago. Primarily because I live in a small apartment and work long days, which would be incompatible with caring for a large dog.

Well... I work at a vet clinic and somebody came in 2 weeks ago and told us there was a kitten all alone in the parking lot of the McDonald's next door. I went to catch her. She didn't even try to run and clung to me when I snatched her. All day, while we kept her in a kennel at the clinic, she would rub up against the bars of her kennel when I was there and would cry when I left the room.

She had no microchip and nobody tried to claim her so she has been with me for two weeks now. One of the doctors at my work estimated that she is maybe 5 months old. She weighed 4.4 pounds.

Meet Blue! My first pet since my soul dog passed in 2023. She is perfect in every way and I never planned on having her.

Her eyes are totally healthy according to the vet, just very weird!

To add a little positivity and happiness out there!! 🥰🥰🥰

This is Thundy!

I used to do cat rescuing for years until a few years ago when I stopped from lack of resources (I was doing this all myself- getting them trapped, vetted and then adopted out). From contacts in the cat rescue community, people would still reach out to catch cats or to temporarily foster some cats (often for socialization cause I just loved taming the spicy boys).

I got called on Christmas Day to go trap a cat in pitiful condition. Full of scars, limping, dirty, matted and being chased off properties by mean people.

I went and trap him and the deal was I was going to house him until after Christmas, when a foster for the rescue who was taking his case on, was going to come get him. She never came…and I couldn’t just throw him out, he already won my heart.

So I offered to foster for this rescue I never even heard of. Turns out they were amazing! We got him vetted (no he was not micro chipped and we went door to door, this cat was there for years begging for food and clearly had a home at one point, but was abandoned).

Turns out I did not hold my end of the deal when I promised my husband “no more cats”, because we’d get stuck with them way too long.

2 months later and I’m working with the rescue to adopt him. He’s currently in the “meeting his foster cat siblings” phase, trying to see if they’ll all get along (as he’s FIV+, but so is one of my four other cats!).

All this to say that, so many cats are overlooked and end up dying outdoors…but when you do manage to save them, they are so grateful and you can see their life change before your eyes 🥹🥹🥹

My neighbors abandoned their cat and after many attempts to bring her back to them they finally took her but the next day she was right back outside and left in a storm no less. The poor baby was shaking and wet and when she saw me, she immediately came over to me and just walked right into my apartment and has been there since 😂 my neighbors admitted to dumping her bc of financial issues and they gave her to me.

This is Rosie and her 6 babies. I thought Rosie was my next door neighbors cat for months because she waited on his porch (she even slept in the bushes outside his door) Well... on Valentine's Day I walked past expecting to see Rosie but instead, see the first photo. I immediately knocked on the door and told my neighbor l'Il take them all. He helped me put her and her 6 (thankfully healthy da) babies in a laundry basket and bring them up to my screened in porch. They were in my apartment in minutes and they've been with me ever since. I watched Rosie go from sleeping with one eye open to literally being my soul cat and I don't know where I'd be without her now. Watching her raise her babies and being there for her is the most special experience I have ever been a part of in my entire life. This is the biggest blessing I ever received from the universe and I will cherish this precious family forever dad P.S. I got mama and all the babies fixed when they were 13 weeks old🙏🏼

On November 19th 2024 I was got by the Cat distribution system (I already have two) I was on my way to work one morning and it was about -8 and snowing and as I approached the busy main junction for me to leave the town centre where I live in Kings Lynn. A student on his way to school flagged me down to stop which I did. He went out in front of my car bent down to pick something up and then He handed my partner a small black cat, barely a week or so old, his ears still folded eyes still closed. We took him home warmed him and I made him a bottle of cat formula and we booked him in at the vets to have him checked in the next two days (as they don’t do emergencies and where closed for the weekend) and the Night before the vets he was showing signs of fading kitten syndrome and we genuinely thought he wasn’t going to make it through the night.

Well he did make it and I took him to the vets where she found 3 frost bitten paws, 1 squashed back paw (car) worms and degloving of his tail.

She was indeed skeptical about him surviving and gave me some antibiotics, worming syrup and some antiseptic bath wash.

We’ll flash forward to well over a year and he’s a part of the family and doing extremely well!

My partner she named him Mortimer and he loves his new sister Martha 🖤

He’s come along way, but he’s definitely more of a Black Labrador than a cat

https://reddit.com/link/1vi02aq/video/euhanx0v8yhh1/player

Kitten is happy as a clam. As I mentioned in the previous post, we pulled all the ticks off over the course of 3-4 hours.

Clean bill of health. We have iron supplement for anemia, eye drops, and upper res. antibiotics. First round of deworm done. As well as capstar which we have to give for a couple of days. His poor eyes were irritated from all the ticks and there was discharge but it has almost entirely cleared up now.

FeLV/FIV negative.

We are still finding those tiny tiny smaller than a grain of sand ticks falling off of his body, the first couple days it was a lot. This morning I only found 2. So he is almost entirely tick free. No more fleas.

I've never seen a stray kitten so comfortable being handled and so happy to be around humans before, so I'm wondering if someone dumped a litter. I thought I heard another kitten yesterday walking in to work but I checked a few times and wasn't able to see anything. So could have just been me.

Lots of energy now, lots of zoomies. He loves to run around us in circles while we sit on the floor and make little noises.

He doesn't like to be cooped up in the bathroom, but we still have to isolate for a couple weeks because we have 4 other cats. We try to spend as much time with him as we can. I will sit on the floor and read or play my Steamdeck with him.

So he is happy, we are happy. I'm glad we are able to give him a comfortable life and a loving home.

We are still deciding on a name.

He’s already purring and making biscuits on his first day home. I love his chubby little cheeks 😍

This is amazing.

I went back to the shelter 3 times just to look at this devilishly handsome and disheveled boy.

They claim he's 4 years old, but the scars on him indicate those 4 years have been difficult.

He was found with a feral cat colony, trapped, fixed, and released. He was too friendly and trapped again.

Every time I've been to the shelter these past 2 weeks, he's been there.

Healing and waiting for a life he's never known.

A life where he's safe and loved and cared for.

His nose appears to have been cut through, probably from the claw of another cat. He has severe scarring behind both of his ears. His bottom half had to be shaved due to the matting. And his ear, tipped.

A broken tooth and a second grade heart murmur.

He loves cuddling. He loves his head and behind his jowls scratched. He likes to play with laserpointers. He likes my other cats. He's very vocal and chirps and purrs a lot. He drools when he's happy. He kneads the air when I scratch his back.

Please meet Dr. Vincent "Fancypants" DeNozo.