The shelter points woman toward the lively kittens, but she chooses the quiet orange one sitting alone in the back; she chose right, since now he's leash-trained and they adventure outdoors together.

Ayala Sorotsky • Writer and Editor

Jul 15, 2026 7:00 PM EDT

Some cats choose their person, but some people choose their cats - and it's a purrfect match.

I didn't choose my own cat, per se. Obviously, I adopted her; she's my soul cat, and I'm her person. And even if I was the one to come to the foster who saved her and the wee age of 1 month from abandonment in the streets, and eventually took her home with me - I didn't so much choose her for who she was as a cat. She was a sickly and abandoned kitten, and I was searching to adopt a cat - and this all happened at the same time.

That's not the case of u/ThrowRAexhaustod, who actively chose the most unbothered kitten in the shelter. She chose this floofy orange boy because of his aloof-yet-loving demeanor on purpose. She knew what she was searching for - a hiking buddy, a fellow adventurer, a quest goer. A cat who won't need too much convincing to go explore the great outdoors. And she found the right match for her.

You know, I wish I'd also have an adventuring cat like that. I love hiking, I love taking walks, but my cat is a bit skittish. She is more-or-less leash trained (if you want to learn how to leash-train your cat, go to this cat leash walking guide), but she's far from being "trained" to venture far and explore. She's a leash-walker to the building next door, to the parking garage, and to the stone fence of our building. She never reached the park across the road. I take my hikes without her and make a point to bring her a leaf to play with (she loves them).

But there's something special about choosing your own feline fella for adventure-taking. It's like stating you didn't even need the help of the Cat Distribution System, and went and did all that by yourself. And even did it in an "adopt, don't shop" way. This woman really does deserve praise for her plan, execution, and wholesome adventures she takes her cat on. What a delight to witness. I'm low-key jealous, but mostly happy to see it working out for both of them.

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