I hope that, as people share their stories about rescuing animals, more people will decide to make the same choice.

We’ve found that the emotional stuff can be more difficult than the physical issues as well. Time and patience are so important in making sure an abused animal feels safe and comfortable in a new home.

My husband and I have also discovered that the animals who do bounce back from emotional stress often end up being the most appreciative of our pets. Though all of our critters love a good ear scratching and cuddling time, there is something about those who have been abused that really shows they appreciate having people around who really care about them.

Thanks for sharing Pumpkin’s story.

I hear you completely about staying away from the shelter. I would also be guilty of coming home with a new critter every week. My husband and I do foster cats, though, so we usually have a few extra family members with us until they find forever homes.

Thanks for sharing the stories of your cats!

I made the decision a long time ago to adopt pets from humane shelters, as apposed to pet stores or breeders. I feel that there are so many wonderful animals that are homeless out there, that just need a little love and care!

Our newest addition to the family, Pumpkin, actually adopted us. Although he had a street/feral background and we didn’t know anything about his past, we could immediately tell that he was a ‘special needs’ cat. He had obviously been physically and emotionally abused throughout his young life; his ear had been burnt and was missing the tip, he has problems with his hips (sometimes dragging his back legs around when he goes down stairs), has weak teeth, and is incredibly skittish around any people besides his immediate family/new circumstances.

But he is the sweetest, strongest personality, funniest cat that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. His injuries are quite easy to handle and do not require any special medications or extra vet visits. His emotional stress has been the hardest to break through, but as time goes on…he becomes more and more content with changes.

I definitely recommend looking into adopting special needs and/or older animals, they bring such a wealth of love and happiness to a home…it’s well worth putting the time and effort into the relationship!

Thanks for writing!

I do plead guilty to having a four-month-old puppy… but I also have six cats, five of which are rescued in some way.

There’s Princess, a black cat with no tail (a farming accident) – she showed up hungry one day, and stayed. Princess had four kittens – we kept two are were thankfully able to place the other two.

There’s Black Boy, another black cat… he appeared with what seemed to be a gunshot wound in his hip and a torn ear. We nursed him back to health and now he’s the ‘senior cat’ about the house.

Pretzel just materialized behind a rock – she couldn’t have been more than 4 weeks old. She must have got lost as her mother moved from one place to another, so she calls this home.

There’s Cumin the Siamese… he has only half a tail…

All these cats provide so much joy, especially the ones who need us more. I try to stay away from the shelter because I know I’ll come home with a new family member – still, for now, six cats and a dog will do.

And yes – taking a pet back to the shelter (unless there’s a serious reason) is a difficult concept for me. My pets drive me nuts, they’re costly and time-consuming and hard to organize – but my life would be so much emptier without them!

http://matadorlife.com/photo-essay-meet-matador-pets/

Mine are in the seventh photo down; the only 4-way photo in the series.