Lily in the crate at PetCo

Just three days before I started my internship at Fast Horse, my boyfriend and I adopted a rescue cat. While he grew up with rescues, this was my first time adopting an animal or even owning a cat. It has been just over two months since Lily came into our lives, and she has been a one of a kind.

We had discussed the idea of getting a cat for a long time, but I always had been fairly skeptical. I liked the idea of buying a kitten that I could raise from the beginning and really bond with. The fact that rescue animals have a largely unknown past made me nervous, how would I know what happened to it? What it’s scared of? Would it ever really trust me? Or love me?

We stopped by a local PetCo when we knew Last Hope was holding their adoptions. We figured we would take a look, and see what there was. If there was nothing that made us absolutely confident, we would move on, try again another day.

Lily, only 5 pounds

The cat adoptions were right inside the door, and there in the first crate, was Lily. Her eyes followed us the moment we walked in, and one of the volunteers offered to take her out and let us hold her. Lily instantly collapsed all five pounds of herself into my arms, and started nuzzling my shoulder. We were sold. We kept saying “there’s no way the first cat we see is the one we adopt, let’s keep looking.” We looked at the rest there, and even went to another PetCo, but Lily won us over in the first minute, and there was no denying it. We rushed back and signed the paperwork.

Lily was just over one year old, and weighed only five pounds. She had been found out at the McSTOP in Lakeville (yes, a McSTOP – a McDonalds Truck Stop) where she had already had kittens, but they were nowhere to be found. Lily’s heartbreaking story, and heartwarming affection made her irresistible.

In the two months that we have been raising her, the growth and discovery has been incredible to see. She is now up to seven and a half pounds, a notably healthy increase, and learned her new name in the matter of a day. We watched her initially creep around the apartment hardly making a sound, and become more and more comfortable and confident around us as the days passed.

We have learned a few of her many quirks, such as how she is missing a few of her front teeth, so her tongue tends to stick out like she’s teasing you. Or that she discovered the warmest place to sleep is on top of the DVD player, but her favorite place to sleep is on top of the garbage can. She rarely “meows,” and more often makes what we like to call her “Chewbacca” or “mogwai” noise. She figured out how to take off her collar, which has led to a never-ending battle to keep it on. And when you come home at the end of the day, she runs to the door to greet you with purrs and will flop on her back for a tummy-rub.

Lily, sticking her tongue out

Lily's favorite sleeping place, the garbage can

Lily has been an amazing adventure that is only just beginning. With all of her adorable quirks, and the number of medical issues we have had to work through to get her to a healthy place, it has been beyond rewarding. I want to emphasize, though, the commitment and responsibility needed to adopt a pet. Our decision to adopt a rescue cat was months in the making, and was not taken lightly. There has been a lot of stress and sacrifices made because of Lily in the last two months, but if you are in the right place in your life, rescuing a cat and giving it the life it deserves can be one of the most rewarding experiences.

Last Hope was an amazing help every step of the way, even a few weeks after we took Lily home. You can really tell they truly care about each and every animal that comes their way. If you would like to help out Last Hope and their cause, they have many volunteer opportunities, you can donate online, or even support them on their Facebook page.

Lily helping me hotdesk

Lily, Home Sweet Home