Entrant's First Name
John

Tell us your Rescue Story
Several years ago, one of my two rescue cat companions died, at the age of 16. This sad event left the remaining cat, Mitzi, without a feline friend.

Several months later, after a period of mourning and adjustment, it seemed to be time to find a new friend for Mitzi. After going to several cat adoption events, I went to one which was run by Kitten Rescue. There, in the midst of the miscellaneous potential adoptees, waited a 9-month-old, striking male, standing in his cage, nervously longing for companionship and connection. When I was still at a distance, he locked eyes with me. I was immediately drawn to him, and soon approached him. He greeted me with a look and manner that said, "I like you already. Choose me."

So I did, and so it began. The Kitten Rescue volunteer, Ece, who helped with the adoption process, had an accent which I couldn't place. She told me she was from Turkey. Then she told me about Kozmo. He had been found by Ece's mother, with his kitten siblings, on the streets of... Istanbul! I was surprised, to say the least. It turned out that Ece's mother rescued the kittens and brought them to Los Angeles on a visit to her daughters, and to turn them over to Ece's (and Kitten Rescue's) care. I had made an instant bond with a cat who had flown thousands of miles to L.A.

A few days later, when Ece brought Kozmo to my place and let him out, he immediately leaped onto my chest and nuzzled my face with his wet snout, rubbing and kneading me as if we were long-lost best friends. His charisma was powerful, as was his physicality and agility. Ever since then, he has proven to be a character with lots of nerve, amazing athleticism, and great affection. He and Mitzi have a sometimes-warm, sometimes-contentious relationship, but they respect each others' wishes, ultimately. When it's time to sleep, they both love to settle in with me, and we all end up dreaming while curled up together.