‘The kitten that I thought was meant to be mine... is going to a stranger, and there's nothing I can do about it’: Rescuer’s soul kitten is adopted out to another family due to a shelter mix up, but kind commenters come to help handle the heartbreak

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Sep 2, 2025 3:00 PM EDT

Feline rescues are tough, and seemingly so, even tougher when it happens that the rescuer tries to do things the right way, or shall we say the shelter approved way. The problem with this method being that you put yourself at the whim of people who are overworked, understaffed and have immense pressure to rehome the cattos in their care. Which, as it happened to our heroic rescuer, can mean that your innocent attempt to find the cat child's true pawrents, ends up in a clerical error that gets your soul kitten adopted out to another family.

So take this story as a cautionary tale that proves that if you are chosen by the Cat Distribution System, that only thing you need to do is love and cherish that catto until the end of its days, no more, no less. The rules and regulations of the hooman world do not apply to cat culture.
 

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  • 01
    I live in a house with two roommates, one with a dog, and another with a cat. We'll call the one with the cat J. At the end of this summer, we will all be moving out to separate places. No animosity, no
    via fromthewindyplace
  • 02
    drama, but we're all at different points in our lives. One issue: J's cat absolutely loves me, and I feel the exact same way about her. If J isn't home, then the cat is probably hanging out with me.
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  • 03
    Whenever J goes out of town, I get to watch the cat. It's going to be hard to live without a little friend like that to keep me company, and J has encouraged me to adopt a cat of my own.
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  • 04
    About a month ago, I was doing my usual Sunday evening routine, sitting out on the front porch, taking in the summer air, drinking a kr, and reading, when I heard what sounded like a kitten mewing close by. I
    via fromthewindyplace
  • 05
    saw a cat across the street, but the meows didn't match her size (there are quite a few outdoor, stray, and feral cats in our neighborhood). I went
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  • 06
    inside and told J that I thought there was a kitten outside, and she immediately wanted to find and catch it. About ten minutes of searching later, we had him located, but he was skittish, and didn't want to let us catch him. We eventually
    via fromthewindyplace

  • Wow, what are the chances that the Cat Distribution System would suddenly kick into gear just as this cat lover was about to be separated from their friend’s feline who had been keeping them company for ever more. You really cannot know when to expect the CDS.

  • 07
    cornered him, and J pretty much ended up diving into a bush to grab him. Once we had him caught, we could see that he was pretty young, small, dirty, and had an injured tail.
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  • 08
    He meowed at us a lot, and bit J on the hand, but we wrapped him in a towel and gave him a Churu, and that calmed him down a lot. After that,
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  • 09
    it didn't take long for him to lower his guard and let us pet him and hang out with him. I sat with him for a a while, and he climbed into my lap, made biscuits, and started to purr while I pet him. In
    via fromthewindyplace
  • 10
    less than an hour, he had gone from running, hiding, hissing, and biting, to the sweetest little ball of black and white fur. J told me that I might've found my cat.
    via fromthewindyplace

  • Erm, yes it very much sounds like you have found your cat, your cat has found you and all is headed towards a very happy ending. What a wonderful turn around too. It is so funny how cats can sort of get stuck in a mindset and ignore the reality of things until they snap back.

  • 11
    We got him fixed up for the night with a litter box, and J made a run to get him wet food (her cat only eats the dry stuff). He seemed pretty comfortable, but we still didn't know if he had any
    via fromthewindyplace
  • 12
    health issues, and if he was indeed a bona fide stray cat free for the taking, or just somebody's escaped pet.
    via fromthewindyplace
  • 13
    We decided that J would take him to the city animal shelter the next day, but if everything checked out, I would adopt him. I tried not to get too attached to him, I
    via fromthewindyplace
  • 14
    knew there could be a million things that could happen, but every time I thought about him, I knew that I had to keep him.
    via fromthewindyplace
  • 15
    J dropped him off at the shelter the next day. They told her that because he had bitten her, they would have to put him in a quarantine period to make sure he didn't have rabies or anything. She
    via fromthewindyplace
  • 16
    gave them her info, and told them that if he wasn't someone's pet, I wanted to adopt him. They told her they would contact her with updates and gave her a reference number for him, but I would have to fill out an
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  • 17
    Cheezburger Image 10548935680
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  • 18
    adoption application myself before they could put a hold on him. About a week and a half went by, and J didn't hear anything from the shelter.
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  • 19
    On July 3rd, I got out of work an hour early, giving me time to go to the shelter during their adoption hours and ask about the cat. When I arrived, I was told that while he was just finishing up his quarantine and still
    via fromthewindyplace
  • 20
    needed to be cleared by their vet, but I could apply to adopt him while I was there. I was approved, of course, and the adoption counselor told me that with the holiday coming up, it would probably be another few days before I
    via fromthewindyplace
  • 21
    heard back, plus it was standard procedure to foster kittens to get them properly socialized before they could get adopted out. All good though, since he was reserved for me, and they had both my contact info, and J's.
    via fromthewindyplace
  • 22
    A few days came and went, and I didn't hear anything from the shelter. I wasn't worried though, I know these things can take time, and I had already gotten my name on the kitten before he had even hit the adoption floor. I figured if they
    via fromthewindyplace
  • 23
    needed to update me, they would. Besides, I don't like it when people bother me while I'm just trying to do my job. I knew they were busy, and I was certainly busy with work and life. I didn't want to rush them, my cat would be there when the
    via fromthewindyplace
  • 24
    time came, right? More time passed with no updates. I kept a close eye on my email, and made sure my phone ringer was on. I was starting to get concerned, but I still didn't want to bother people just because I felt impatient. It
    via fromthewindyplace
  • 25
    had been nearly two weeks without contact. I decided that it would be best if I called them, even if it risked coming off as rude. No answer, but I was able to leave them a voicemail. I also sent an email asking if there were any updates. That's when
    via fromthewindyplace
  • 26
    they finally responded: "Hi fromthewindyplace, Thank you for following up and we apologize we haven't contacted you back regarding this kitten. After looking into it, it appears this kitten is still in foster. We do already
    via fromthewindyplace
  • 27
    have an adopter lined up for this kitten once it is out of foster, but we can add you as the second adoption hold if you'd like. This means that if the first adopter does not end up adopting, we would contact you to see if you are still interested in
    via fromthewindyplace
  • 28
    adopting this kitten when the time comes. If you have any questions, please let us know. Thanks, City Animal Shelter"
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  • 29
    iamagirl... M... Top 1% C... As others said, call them and go to the shelter till they give you your cat back. Maybe try to contact the other adopter and tell them about the situation.
    via fromthewindyplace
  • 30
    Ok_Distr... Top 1% Comme... That's actually heartbreaking. I'm so sorry. You can talk to the other adoptees, explain the situation and ask to visit. I hope you're able to find a friend there, though!
    via fromthewindyplace

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