'We weren’t cat people, but I guess you could say we are now': A last-minute kitten rescue gets packed up for a cross-country move, and months later a second cat in need makes it a two-cat home

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Sarah Brown • Writer and Editor
Apr 1, 2026 2:15 PM EDT

They weren't looking for a cat, but the Cat Distribution System had other plans. 

With four kids and a cross-country move ahead, a pet was the last thing on the list for this couple. But living out in the middle of nowhere meant the Cat Distribution System had other plans. Two tiny kittens showed up from a nearby litter, and after one was taken by a hawk, the other quickly became an indoor cat. What started as "just helping out" turned into packing up a slightly chaotic kitten and bringing her along for the ride.

That kitten grew into a full-time menace in the best way. Always escaping, climbing roofs, and treating every neighbor's yard like her purrsonal playground. Fixing her helped a little, but mostly she just stayed her wild, adventurous self. The kids adored her, and somewhere along the way, she became part of the furmily.

Then the CDS struck again. A last-minute call about a Khao Manee cat needing a home changed everything. Even with no space or budget, they said yes. He turned out to be the complete opposite from their first cat. Calm, sweet, and instantly loving, like he knew he had been given a second chance.

Somehow, between the chaos kitten and the gentle one, this whole thing just clicked into place. What started as a temporary situation turned into something permanent, and it feels like the house was always meant to have both of them in it.

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    'Getting a pet was not on the agenda'
    via Mehmet Guzel from Pexels / Canva

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    I didn't want a cat. In fairness, | didn't want a dog either. My 4 kids and I were preparing to leave for a cross country move over 1k miles away so getting a pet was not on
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    the agenda. But, we lived in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere and the local CDS is being aided by a stream of un- nutered & unwanted barn cats.
    via rach_9667
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    A mama cat nearby had a litter and two of the kittens wandered our way. I set up a bed in a box and food & water for them just in case they had been abandoned. The
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    kids loved checking for them to visit until a chicken hawk took one and that was it, we had an indoor kitten.
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    The cross country move was a traveling circus and she is still the most ill behaved cat but the kids adore her and she's ours. As we settled into our new home, she missed no chance to escape and
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    Cheezburger Image 10619542528
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    we would find her on the roof, the neighbors trees, the neighbors roof, the walls between yards, etc. So we taped the doggy door shut and got her fixed thinking that
    via rach_9667
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    would do the trick (it didn't, she's still a menace but at least she can't get out to be someone else's menace).
    via rach_9667
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    But CDS found us there, too. A few months later, a frantic call from my oldest's friend said a beautiful Khao Manee was brought into the vet's office where she worked to be put to sleep if they couldn't find
    via rach_9667
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    it a home fast. They had surrendered the cat because it was their daughter's and she had gotten it from a former boyfriend and no one wanted it anymore. We had no room and no money but we
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    acces
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    took him in and he's been the sweetest joy. When the previous owner's dropped him off, all they said was that they weren't cat people. That landed.
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    We weren't cat people either but I guess you could say we are now. No judgement on anyone, just sharing my family's journey in unexpected cat ownership. We couldn't be happier with their choices.
    via rach_9667
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    Artistic_Split_8471 That second pic is a good illustration of why the ancient Egyptians revered cats.
    via Artistic_Split_8471

  • Humans never really stopped worshipping cats, we just act more subtle about it now. They still take over the best spots, decide when they want attention, and run the whole house without trying. Everyone adjusts around them without even thinking twice. Meals, routines, even where you sit somehow becomes about them. It’s not that different from before, just less obvious. Cats are still in charge, and people are still very okay with that.

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    Tina-Tuna Both these photos are so adorable the lil workmans' hat and the Royal cloak are so cute lol I'm going to ask if the kids did the dressing up or if you are eternally young and dressed them AA Two gorgeous kitties, thank you for sharing them with us.
    via Tina-Tuna
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    CrabbySlathers Love your story- so heartening to read of 100% awesome heroic humans (you & yr kids) doing amazing cat rescue & care while in very challenging circumstances.
    via CrabbySlathers

  • Taking in a cat during a big move like that is not easy at all. Everything is already stressful and unpredictable, and adding a kitten into the mix takes real effort. Keeping her safe, getting her settled, and still making the move work says a lot. Then doing it again for another cat makes it even more impressive. It might not have been the plan, but was handled  really well and gave both of them a solid place to land.

  • 18
    Comprehensive_Ad... Good kitteh, you're a Cubs. fan for life!
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    FuelAccurate 5066 Teaching your kids a great lesson about what it means to have empathy. Sometimes the right choice isn't the easiest. Your reward is 2 bundles of fluffy joy. Peace and health to your family thanks for being great.
    via FuelAccurate5066
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    DDiamondgem Congratulations!
    via DDiamondgem

  • Congrats on becoming cat people, even if it wasn’t the plan. It always starts with one and then suddenly there’s more and it just feels normal. They take over the house and everyone adjusts without really noticing. Sounds like you got both sides too, one a little wild and one super sweet. Not what you expected going in, but it looks like it fits your family really well now.

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    PartsUnknown242 The white cat seems so regal in that robe
    via PartsUnknown242

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