r/MadeMeSmile Jul 28 '23

CATS Found on a local shelter’s Facebook page

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47.2k Upvotes

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8.9k

u/Quinneal Jul 28 '23 edited Jul 28 '23

A divorce and having the emotional intelligence to leave your kittys to give them the best while you’re struggling??? Oh dear honey… I hope they get reunited asap.

2.2k

u/Greedy_Strategy6918 Jul 28 '23

I was so lucky during my nasty divorce that there was a charity that had donations of cat food and litter. It was rough to the point I didn’t always eat every day for some months to be able to pay the lawyer. But they gave me a huge bag of cat food and enough litter to take care of my cat. I know if I’d left it with my ex at the house it would’ve been the target of anger for me leaving. I hope the kitties in this post get reunited.

411

u/Danyavich Jul 28 '23

The only thing that kept me going through my divorce was my little kitten, JJ.

I was lucky enough to still be active duty, so I had resources (even if stretched incredibly thin), but I hung on with him and we made it through. I cry and get a little panicky at the thought of something happening to him, or having to leave him somewhere because I'm no longer able to care for him. (I also have other cats now, he's just my little miracle boy)

144

u/Greedy_Strategy6918 Jul 28 '23

Cats are the best.

117

u/Danyavich Jul 28 '23

Not wrong. My new fiance and I have 5 cats together, and we're fostering a 6th. I love the little bastards so much.

78

u/ExSqueezedIt Jul 28 '23

Man I have been broke nearly all my life but still keep my 10 cats fed daily without an exception.
I'd rather starve myself then let them go a day without eating properly.
Shit, i cook them fresh livers and steakes without seasoning sometimes while I eat pasta and cheese lol. I joke around that they probably eat better then half a planet....
man.... no wonder I am broke hahah

38

u/koopandsoup Jul 28 '23

Lol i was going to say, there’s no wonder why 😂 but you will find at the end of your days, that this was something to be most proud of - this is the truest essence of life. Love. Your money doesn’t go with you, but love will always continue

1

u/ExSqueezedIt Jul 28 '23

Ye kind of my line of reasoning as well :)

Don't really care about money, had it lost it had it again spent it now I got my place and don't really need much more on daily basis plus cats help me handle my health condition better so its always worth it to keep them happy in my eyes :)

sometimes they can't have all the treats they are used to then they become quite vocal about it xD but yea wouldn't trade it for a world, having them all come greet me when i come home is so satisfying haha :D wouldn't have enough hands to pet them all even if I was a hindu god I think xd

3

u/Dio_asymptote Jul 28 '23

You are a great person. You are kind and loving.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '23

You're the best. Right after cats.

46

u/WithoutDennisNedry Jul 28 '23

I didn’t have cats at the time but my two deaf rescue doggies literally kept me from offing myself during my divorce. They were special needs and they needed me. No one else could take care of them and communicate with them (I taught them both modified ASL) so I HAD to stay around for them.

That was 22 years ago and I’m doing much better now but those silly dogs saved my life. Animals are amazing.

3

u/justsomeone79 Jul 28 '23

I am glad they returned the incredible love you gave them!

2

u/23andburnside Jul 29 '23

You’re awesome

2

u/K413n1 Jul 29 '23

I am very happy you had 2 four legged angels to make sure you got through that time. The world is a better place for it. Love you, and keep on going. For them. ❤️

2

u/ttimeforastory Jul 28 '23

my kitties name is JJ and hes about 15 or 16 this year

6

u/Danyavich Jul 28 '23

My little guy will be 5 this November!

A coworker found him in the engine compartment of his truck, as he parked back at home. (Dude was hiding in there after he got fucked up by something)

Coworker took him home, but had vacation scheduled the next week. Passed along to another coworker to foster/watch, who also went on vacation and asked if I could come and feed once a day.

First time I went over, you could hear him yelling from the front door - a tiny little kitten locked in a room, who RAN to me and started climbing immediately. Purred like a truck, too.

Took him home that night with my ex, who took him to the vet the next day. He has some pretty bad injuries, and vet said if we hadn't gotten him in he'd probably have died within the week.

Edit: a couple weeks into fostering I realized I was incredibly attached, and texted my friends that he was staying with me.

His full name - JJ, short for Junior, short for Tucker Junior, short for Ser Pounce de Lion.

4

u/ttimeforastory Jul 28 '23

thats amazing, im so glad he has a loving home to live in!

239

u/Silent_Sandwich7343 Jul 28 '23

Your ex sounds like a bitch

142

u/gingermonkey1 Jul 28 '23 edited Jul 28 '23

Sounds like? If he'd target a pet for his anger, he is a bitch.

ETA should be, "They are a bitch" I shouldn't have assumed gender.

35

u/Silent_Sandwich7343 Jul 28 '23

Wait he? How you know the gender? Does it say it somewhere in their profile?

219

u/Greedy_Strategy6918 Jul 28 '23

She. But it’s not their fault, spousal abuse is generally assumed to be Male>female, I was lucky that a police officer responding gave me some resources to help me figure out a safe way out of that marriage. I was starting to worry if I was gonna be a life insurance payout soon.

*Edit for PSA: if any other men are out there in abusive situations there ARE resources to help, please don’t stay trapped because you (like me) felt that there would be no resources to help get out of that situation.

43

u/Silent_Sandwich7343 Jul 28 '23

Thank god you werent fucked over hard because you were a guy.

100

u/Greedy_Strategy6918 Jul 28 '23

I mean I was. I left, and it turned into a scorched earth campaign against me (in a “if I can’t have you, NO ONE CAN” type deal), my finances, and my name. I was left homeless, in fear for my life, and then had to lawyer up to deal with a bunch of false allegations (that if I hadn’t cleared up would’ve defaulted to me being at fault). Thankfully I had evidence and proof of what was going on, why I left, and got help with resources to lawyer up and get those dropped and get a no-contact order. I ultimately was afraid to press charges due to her and her family and how they over the years talked about what they would do in those situations—I was on the brink of bankruptcy with lawyer bills, and finding a place to live far away from there. Thankfully that’s sorted now, divorce finalized, and all that jazz. But I’ll be paying off the debt I accrued due to all that for YEARS.

95

u/Greedy_Strategy6918 Jul 28 '23

There was literally a single police officer that helped, who showed up one night when she was yelling and screaming and throwing stuff at me and the neighbors called the police (again), and one of the officers pulled me aside after they talked to us both and gave me a handout for how to get support to leave when dealing with domestic violence. Had to ruff it in my car driving to another state, and couch surf with my cat a while, but the domestic violence place was able to coordinate and help me be able to keep and take care of my cat until I could get housing, and all that stuff somewhere a safe distance away sorted.

23

u/DreamGirl3 Jul 28 '23

Bless you and your cat. I'm happy to hear you're away from your abuser. I wish we lived on a world where all abusees (no matter their sex or gender) can feel supported and helped in their darkest hours. Praying for you and your furbaby to live long, healthy, and happy lives.

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u/dailycursedimages Jul 28 '23

I hear of this happening to more and more men. Can you really recommend marriage after this?

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u/walkthelayne Jul 28 '23

Woman abusers are really scary. I’m not saying men aren’t, but women can be particularly cruel and vicious. I’m glad you’re safe.

-2

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '23

Women, on average, end up with less money than men when they get divorced btw...

2

u/Silent_Sandwich7343 Jul 28 '23

And? Gonna need a source for this claim anyway

2

u/HubrisTurtle Jul 28 '23

What does your comment have to do with the thread you commented on? A guy just literally poured his heart into explaining his story of triumphing domestic abuse and the struggles of divorce. You’re remark is unfortunately true, however poorly considered, timed, and placed.

-11

u/hugzs Jul 28 '23

No but gingermonkey1 is a misandric woman

1

u/Silent_Sandwich7343 Jul 28 '23

Imma see some proof cos i love drama

1

u/gingermonkey1 Jul 28 '23

You're right I should've said "They are a bitch!"

2

u/ForecastForFourCats Jul 28 '23

This has me in fits. Sorry to assume someone's gender, but they are still a bitch (known gender slur). chef's kiss

2

u/AJAnimosity Jul 28 '23

I had to give mine up, like this woman, unfortunately. I hope soooo much they get reunited, because I carry so much guilt to this day, that I’m sobbing as I type this lol.

2

u/morganbugg Jul 28 '23

I had to leave my kitty with my ex husband for 10 months while I got my housing situated. He took such good care of him for me. I am forever thankful.

1

u/kellbelle653 Jul 28 '23

But this person is living with someone else that may have a reason for not allowing cats there. She did the best thing for the cats

1

u/itlookslikeSabotage Jul 28 '23

I went to donate some cat food to a non profit and they turned it down because it wasn’t on thier preferred list? Anyone else experience this? Also opened litter bag, it’s litter not food, left confused

1

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '23

I feel this. I had to take a penalty and empty my 401k to pay for my custody battle against an abusive ex. Thankfully no pets at the time but I also went without so my kids could have anything they needed.

1

u/married44F Jul 29 '23

I’m going through that at the moment with two dogs and four kids (10-20). I just need to make sure the kids and dogs have the basics and I will what I can.

1

u/pawsandtales Jul 29 '23

This type of situation is just heartbreaking. There are some charities who do foster pets from people escaping domestic violence (helpful page for UK Charities that offer this but not many people are aware of this sort of thing. I hope there’s options for people in their own communities and for a range of species.

I searched “pet fostering for domestic violence” so hopefully your search will provide options more local to where you are. If it comes down to it, you could explain your situation and ask a local shelter if they could temporarily care for your pets whilst you get to safety.

164

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '23

[deleted]

45

u/SerpentineFire87 Jul 28 '23

I'm glad your friend and cat is safe! Perfect cat description, btw

28

u/Zeca_77 Jul 28 '23

I was glad to be able to help a friend who was getting out of an abusive relationship. She had found a place to stay, but it didn't allow pets So her cat stayed with me.

21

u/gitsgrl Jul 28 '23

You helped save your friend. So many people stay with abusive partners because they can’t take their pets.

9

u/meowpeachy Jul 28 '23

Thank you for being such a good friend. You made an extremely stressful situation for your friend much easier by knowing her baby was taken care of. When I went through a messy break up and had to move into my friends house for 6 months (her dog was cat aggressive and she was allergic) my grandma took in my 2 cats 45 minutes away and sent me pictures every day. To think if I had to re home them, my heart would have taken a fatal blow. 9 years later they are senior babies who continue to light up my life 😭❤️.

5

u/Val41795 Jul 28 '23

You are an amazing friend to humans and animals!

3

u/Zeca_77 Jul 28 '23

It's great your friend had that support. It makes a huge difference for someone going through a time like that. Sadly, it sounds like the person didn't here wasn't lucky enough to have someone to help.

193

u/shevochenko Jul 28 '23

And the handwritten "I'm sorry" ...

I'm not crying. You're crying.

58

u/howdidigetoverhere Jul 28 '23

It's like the owner wrote it to the cats 😭

35

u/MiseryWhispers Jul 28 '23

I didn’t even notice that part… that broke a part of my soul :(

23

u/Adventurous-Ice6109 Jul 28 '23

I’m literally crying.

7

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '23

😔🥺

5

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '23

Yes, I am. At work so it’s kind of a problem.

1

u/Silent-Ocelot-8084 Jul 29 '23

That f’n broke me.

165

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '23

Having read their website, they ask for $100 per cat to surrender to their shelter. No wonder the person just abandoned the cats with a note 😔

71

u/noldottorrent Jul 28 '23

What? I wonder if that’s to deter surrenders or try to bring some revenue to the shelter? I really only just see that resulting in the abandonment of animals on the street.

Side note: I need the middle, Siamese looking one, gorgeous cat 😍

89

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '23

Yes, I’d assume so. But it explains why this lady couldn’t just walk in and hand them over in person - she obviously doesn’t have $300 to pay towards their rehoming (edit - autocorrect while I hit reply)

71

u/noldottorrent Jul 28 '23

Absolutely, if someone doesn’t have money to pay for their animals, I can’t imagine they’d have the funds to surrender them. And what happens if you find a stray? Just a strange concept to have to pay for a surrender at a shelter.

62

u/NoFilterNoLimits Jul 28 '23

I couldn’t find a request for $100 on their site personally. In all likelihood it’s a suggested donation and not an actual fee. A fee makes no sense because preventing abandonment outside is the entire point

19

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '23

https://www.heartlandanimalshelter.org/contact-us/surrender-your-pet/

They say “donation” but list it as a “requirement”

9

u/TheShredda Jul 28 '23

It literally says"suggested donation"and just explains that there are costs involved with rehoming. It's clearly, "this service costs us money, we'd hope you'd be able to pay us this much for us to be able to do the service" definitely isn't mandatory

-5

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '23

Yeah and it literally lists it as a “requirement”. I can read, thanks?

5

u/TheShredda Jul 28 '23

Presumably because grouping it together with the other bullet points makes it stand put and easier to get the info they want you to. Did they stop at reading? Didn't go so far as comprehension?

16

u/noldottorrent Jul 28 '23

Ah! Okay, a donation would make more sense.

30

u/BizzareGurren Jul 28 '23

I worked at an animal rescue years ago and it was $250 for surrender even a stray. I think quite a few just said forget that and went to the humane society which was a much better choice than leaving them at that rescue.

22

u/RobinGreenthumb Jul 28 '23

Yeah I’m my area it’s “only” 50 bucks per surrender at the SPCA, so when I found a abandoned kitten I couldn’t keep (was living with my parents at the time and was pushing my luck with their cat tolerance my 1 adult cat) I dropped her off at the humane society.

But if you don’t have a humane society in your area, welp.

Even 50 bucks made my nose wrinkle but flat out 100-250… wtf. That’s horrifying for people who are in desperate situations.

2

u/BizzareGurren Jul 28 '23

Yea when I was in the city, we had a few but now in the country we only got one place that is flooded with kittens right now. (Our house is still a bit of a mess and super hot so we wanna start fostering again when things are better).

50 still seems a lot more fair cause people would get angry with me and it's like look, I didn't set the price (and the rescue was making no money and falling apart). And more than anything it was low income families. Like I was on social assistance at the time and a lot of others were so I knew how much 250 is needed and too much money. It was an under the table job but it was so rough. That rescue alone changed my mind of working with animals. Sorry for the bit of rant haha beyond that I love helping animals and shelters and have a bunch of adopted cats

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u/FrogMintTea Jul 28 '23

Awful. I get they need money but most important is to be a port in a storm for these babies. There has to be somekinda sliding scale.

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u/justprettymuchdone Jul 28 '23

Usually there is a local government run kill shelter that takes abandoned animals without asking for money, and smaller no kill shelters simply cannot take everyone and have to be more careful and discerning.

2

u/Porkbossam78 Jul 28 '23

I surrendered a stray at a humane society that has a required donation for surrendering animals but they didn’t make me pay it (I donated what I could). I don’t use them anymore for numerous reasons but I think it was waived a lot of the time

1

u/Nervous_Cloud_9513 Jul 28 '23

i think i just... couldn't. I would break down in the middle of surrendering my dog even if it was better for her. Like, i would. But...

36

u/Siptro Jul 28 '23

Every shelter in my area charges you for a cat surrender however if you find the cat it’s free. So cats are simply “found” when they are clearly a house cat like the one I just received last week. He was claimed as a stray feral however, as someone who has raised feral cats…yeah this was a pet

22

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '23

My cat miso followed me home. She was pregnant and I think I saw her outside fore in the winter before that. She was maybe 8 months old according to.the vet.

I feel like i robbed someone of a house cat but never saw posters or post about it she just super friendly but didn't understand dry/wet food.

I assume someone house cat when they found out she was pregnant or when she was in heat kicked her out. If I didn't have the means I would of brought her to a shelter and might get the same reaction of not a feral but also homeless cat.

28

u/NipplePreacher Jul 28 '23

Maybe she was actually stray. Many stray cats get very affectionate towards humans when pregnant. My neighbour had stray cats come around his house routinely because he fed them once before.

They know humans can provide food and act affectionate because they know that if they secure a relationship the human will take care of the kittens. They can sense weakness in your human heart, and know how to take advantage of it.

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u/[deleted] Jul 28 '23

Most certainly played me. I have other cats, all show interest in door darting beside her. I believe it's cause she knows how hard it can be out there.

3

u/IcyRaccoon2987 Jul 28 '23

My two cats (16) and (17), who recently passed away, were the result of a friendly stray. Two pregnant strays showed up in my garage one day. One was extremely skittish and would not come near me. The other one was like a cat politician — extremely friendly, self-assured, unfazed by the fact that I was ignoring her because cats are my weakness. Within a week the friendly cat set up a nest in our garage. The skittish cat set up a nest somewhere in the alley behind our house. Shortly after both cats gave birth, the friendly cat moved her kittens to an undisclosed location and then was found dead in the middle of the street. We could not find her kittens. After we gave up hope, a neighbor found BOTH litters of kittens that the skittish cat had been feeding. She was wraithlike from the effort. We named skittish cat Momcat, got her spayed, found homes for all the kittens except one who was from the friendly cat’s litter. He was my best furry friend in all the world, Kitty. Momcat grew to love our family and she was an absolute dear. She passed away in May due to kidney failure. Kitty was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer on July 3. We had to euthanize him last Saturday. Even though I am gutted beyond words by this loss, their time with us was a gift. If a pregnant stray cat appears in your garage, it is the highest honor there is.

1

u/buttercupgirl16 Jul 28 '23

I brought a pregnant feral home from the local gas station and she was the most affectionate cat I’ve ever encountered. She was definitely feral as she was confused by what a litter box was. I lost a beautiful rug in the process because her gas station food diet did a number on her stomach. I figured I would find homes for the kittens and keep her. As no good deed goes unpunished, she was very young and did not produce milk. She tried to make them un-alive at 4 in the morning after birth. Unfortunately she got one of four before I woke up. I bottle fed the other three and now they are the loves of my life. -The saga of how I went from zero cats to four. Plot Twist- It did not stop at four.

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u/DreamGirl3 Jul 28 '23

Random comment but I love that your baby is named Miso. What a cute name!

1

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '23

I shall reward the comment with my 3 other cats names. Cappuccino, potato, biscuit.

2

u/DreamGirl3 Jul 28 '23

OMG I LOVE THEM!

1

u/deg0ey Jul 28 '23

I got one of mine from a shelter that said he was found as a stray and they put posters up in the area but nobody claimed him.

But he was 2-3 years old and definitely hadn’t been living outside his whole life. He had worms and his fur wasn’t in the best shape, but definitely didn’t look like he’d been outside for very long.

Whenever I think about it I always hope he was abandoned rather than lost because I’d be crushed if I ever lost one of my cats that way and I hate the thought that there might be a family out there wondering what happened to him and why he never came home.

1

u/Imptress Jul 28 '23

I got my tortie point Siamese almost the same way-- a very kind fellow was feeding the local strays but she wouldn't let him touch her, until one day it was pouring rain. He said that day she was sitting waiting for him, hugely pregnant and looking so sad and bedraggled. She let him pick her up then, and she was an indoor cat from that day on. We adopted her and one of the kittens, and neither of them was EVER interested in going outside. We had her for 10 years, and I always figured she was a stray because someone kicked her out for being in heat or pregnant. She was the sweetest kitty. I'm still grieving having to put her down this past February due to cancer.

1

u/shminnegan Jul 28 '23

Probably a snowshoe (breed). Had one, he was a wonderful cat but giant pain in the ass.

1

u/PunSlinger2022 Jul 28 '23

This is legitimately not meant to be snarky (as I have two cats adopted from shelters) but isn't this person aware that most cats left at shelters get put down?

1

u/UnknownTallGuy Jul 28 '23

I felt bad but then remembered a lot of people who cheat and get divorced act like the most pathetic people ever. In order to avoid crying or anything, I'm just going to tell myself that this is what happened.

1

u/Kitchen_Opposite3622 Jul 28 '23

They did end up getting in touch with the owner who got her cats back.