These days, more people than ever are turning to their local animal shelter when they’re ready to welcome a new family member into their home, and why wouldn’t you? Not only can you provide a home for an animal who may have come from a difficult situation like being orphaned, but you also help the pet shelter so they have space and funds to keep providing important services like spaying/neutering, vaccinating, and getting more abandoned animals off the streets and introduced to willing adopters.
If you're still not convinced, let's look at the testimonials from the adorable pets themselves! Here are some pictures of rescue animals who haven’t known their new families for long, but are already pretty sure they’re going to fit in just fine.
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The Time I Rescued A Crying Kitten Outside My Cat Cuddled Her
i thing this kitten claimed your cat and this was definitely reciprocated
My Rescue Cat Assuring My Recently Adopted Pup That She Will Be All Right And Is Now In A Home Full Of Love
My Friend Just Texted "Adopted A Dog Yesterday" With This Pic
Why do some new pet parents say that they planned to adopt one kitten, but ended up with two? It turns out that the reason why so many animal shelters push taking home a pair of kittens and even incentivize it with adoption deals is because two kittens really are better than one—for the kittens themselves, your home, and everyone in it.
According to cat welfare educator Hannah Shaw, who specializes in kitten care and is known for her popular Youtube channel Kitten Lady, kittens that grow up with playmates are better-behaved. First of all, having two makes them less likely to get bored and turn to destructive behavior to entertain themselves, and also importantly, they learn not to play too roughly by testing boundaries with another kitten, rather than your hands.
You may think this only applies if you would be bringing your new kitten into an empty house, but even if you already have one cat, your older cat will thank you for getting two kittens who can keep each other company.
We Adopted An 11-Year Old Cat From A Chicago Shelter. He And My 13-Yo Daughter Fell In Love. This Is Them After She Got Back From A Week At Camp
Today, I Adopted Two 8 Week Old Kittens Who Are Brothers. I Originally Applied For One But When I Got The Call About Being Accepted To Adopt, I Was Asked If I Wanted To Adopt The Brothers Together Because The People Adopting His Brother Backed Out. Meet Kingston And Derby!
Rescued Him From The Streets. Vet Visit Was Great Despite Skin Issues
The Way Our New Puppy Looked At Me The Whole Ride To Her New Home Melted My Heart
Adopted Him Last Week From A Shelter. I Think He's Happy About It
Jubilee Got Adopted!!!
This Is Ruger. We Rescued Him In August. He Was Found In A Box On The Side Of The Road. No Fault Of His Own. This Poor Boy Would Have Died. I Can't Even Think Of It Without Crying. He Is Now One Of Our Children And Will Never Go Anywhere Else.
Thank you for saving him and that is terrible that someone left him on the side of the road.
Karen And Kevin. Adopt, Don’t Shop
On Our Way Home From Adopting Her. Like Father Like Daughter.
We Rescued A Terrified Australian Shepherd As A Friend For Our Dog. Now He Doesn't Leave His Side.
I Adopted A Senior Cat. He's 11 Years Old And 19 Lbs. The Shelter Told Me He Is Skittish And It Would Be A Slow Intro. His Last Family Returned Him After 6 Months. He Is My Shadow- Woke Up At 4am To All 19 Lbs Sleeping On My Chest, Face An Inch Away From Mine. Goose Was Always Meant To Be Mine
Adopted This Guy A Week Ago. Was Scared Of Everything, But Decided To Trust Me. Four Days Later, And He Is A Very Good Boy With His Very First Own Squeaky Toy
Adopted This Sweet Boy Yesterday And Couldn’t Be Happier! His Name Is Moose.
Just Rescued This Puppy From The Streets. That Is It First Nap After A Shower And Food
We Rescued Him At Just A Couple Weeks Old And Now He Thinks I’m His Momma, He’s My Paracat
First Time Cat Owner. I Used To Think I Was A Dog Person, But I Think I May Have Been Wrong
Our Family Applied To Adopt This Little One Today. Hoping All Goes Well
Adopted This Little Croissant Today
Recently Visited A College Friend And He Adopted These Adorable Kitties, Brother And Sister. Meet Lucifer And Lillith!
Trapped This Feral Kitten At Work To Save It From The Exterminator. Now She Has A Great Home And I’ve Got A Great Kitten! Everybody Wins!
When I Rescued Icarus, I Was Hoping He Would Like Me, And I Hoped He Was A Cuddle Bug. I Think I Got My Wish. Pupper Is Out Cold
Meet Luna Lovefood Our Adopted Fur Baby. Yes, That Is A Wild Mouse On Her Head.
Tell Me The Story Of How I Was Rescued Again
My Friend Adopted This Sweet Baby And I Think You All Needed To See It
Best Friends Since Yesterday
This Is Wednesday, The Rescue Kitten With Only One Eye
I always find it extra heartwarming when a kitty with any kind of disability gets rescued. So thank you for rescuing Wednesday.
Suki Was In Care For 8 Years Before I Adopted Her, And I Couldn’t Love This Little Goblin More.
Welcome Mr Tiggs My Wife Adopted Him As His Previous Owner Wanted Him Gone. Mr Tiggs Has Made Himself Feel Quite At Home On My Bed
Rescued Two Kittens From Different Litters & Caught This Moment Just Two Days After Bringing Them Home. We Stopped Worrying If They Would Bond Or Not After That. Fozzy (Orange) & Arthur (Grey) Been Inseparable Since!
First Walk With Our Rescue Named “Beau”
We Adopted This Gorgeous (Albeit, Grumpy) 15 Year Old Girl Today. Previous Owners Could No Longer Take Care Of Her. Here She Is Settling Into Her New Forever Home!
We refer to my girl pup as having "Resting Pit Face." Sweetest, dorkiest weirdo in the world, but looks like she's wishing you a fiery demise when she's relaxed.
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Thank you for adopting this sweet senior kitty. I love the senior kitties too :)
This is my cat! My friend sent me a link saying that our post from Reddit had been used. Her name is Misty, for those wondering about the previous owners they were elderly themselves and couldn't manage looking after her anymore with personal reasons that I won't mention. We took her in as we had just bought a house and had the space :)
Thank you for taking this sweet kitty in. You are awesome <3
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Looks exactly like my dear cat. She passed last september at age of twelve :'( umbra-5e30...17bfd8.jpg 
Sorry for your loss. Your girl was so pretty.😿
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Thank you for adopting a senior cat. My rescue pup had to be put down on January 6, 2020. Rescued him in March 2004, the rescue thought he was 5 years old at the time. He, his name was Ty, would have been 21 years old this year. He was a Chihuahua mix. On January 23rd, I adopted another Chihuahua mix, he is 11 years old and is so full of life! Acts like a little puppy! My new little boy is named Riley.
Such a grumpy face 😂😂 Thank you for giving her a wonderful retirement 😊
Oh that face!!! I love grumpy-cats / grumpy-bubs. (I was a melancholy kid, and very happily so. So, I totally adore the grumpy-factor in animals / kids).
She does have a "don't mess with me" look about her all the same! Lovely cat though.
LOVE THAT FACE!!!!! I love grumpy looking cats! Every time I look at their face, they make me laugh!
I never really could understand how an owner can not take care of a cat anymore, because in my experience they basically they take care of themselves for the most part, they only part you have to do is clean there litter box and feed them and give them a cuddle when they want to and, only when they want to.
There are many factors, David, so please open your mind to some of these possibilities: medical issues such as dementia, Alzheimer's, severe depression, change in living situation and inability to find a new home, jail (yes, this does happen), and any number of life circumstances that you personally don't have to live through in order for them to exist.
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Meet Butters. Yesterday He Was A Tough Street Kitten. Today He's The Proud Owner Of A Queen Size Bed
Grandma Got A New Bestfriend. "He Chose Me."
Our Newest Little Family Member. Meet Jack!
I Almost Adopted Just One Of These Girls But My Daughter Asked For Both. I’m So Glad I Indulged Her
We Saw This Pic, And 3 Hours Later Adopted Jonah The Bunny!!
Few families are fortunate enough to have a real live cartoon character.
Meet Our Witchy Girl Wynne! We’re So Glad She Chose Us To Be Her Forever Home
Note: this post originally had 123 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
Looking at such heartwarming pictures is the best way to start a working day.
We rescued a cat last year, very cute longhaired tortoiseshell. My dad was showing pics to his colleagues and they were discussing what breed she could be, and he jokes "Oh, it's a koferman" Them: "Oh, must be very exotic, never heard of it before. Where did it come from?" Him: ".....guys, it literally came from a garbage can" (kofa=garbage can in our language).
As someone who has rescued many cats and works with local charities to chip check, trap, rescue, re-home and reunite cats, I really cannot stress the importance of looking in shelters and rescues for a fur baby. It is so important the shelters have frequently empty cages to give these kitties a temporary safe place until a foster home can be found. It's so heartwarming to see many more people going to rescues and charities instead of feeding the awful breeding industry. One of the cats who chose me was left breeding until she was 8 years old and has had upwards of twenty litters in her life and each kitten was sold for £60. It's so sad.
So happy to see these animals have found their forever homes, they are all such cuties.
I don't think my parents or I have ever owned any animal *but* rescues for pets... At "most" it's rescued-from-shelter like our current bonded pair, who couldn't get adopted b/c nobody would take both... THen they took me!
Both my dogs are rescues- one I found dumped by the freeway on-ramp (I found her"owner" who said that I could keep her...10 years of bliss and counting!) the other was abandoned in a foreclosure- she and Daisy met and fell in love at the dog park- her foster mom was so happy that she was getting a great forever home. We love love love our "dogters" - they're super snugglebums
I adopted a 14 year old cat surrendered from a deceased estate. She was adorable. Sadly I had to have her put to sleep as she had a stroke and could no longer walk or sit up straight. I always think she is now with her original owner sitting on their lap which she loved to do.
Our cat was tom for three years, he's got a lot of battle scars. He was so scared when we got him, freaked out at feet (must have been kicked a few times) scratched and bit when we were too fast to pat him. Then my daughter got severe tourettes and became suicidal, he never left her side. He sits on her bed even though it is constantly shaking from her tics. When she hits a low and can't stop crying he sits with her, purrs for her and won't move until she gets through it. Never did we think he would become a support cat =^.^=
I am proud to say I have never purchased a single pet. They all found me! I say that because they truly did, every one of them walked up to my door or in my yard or followed me home from somewhere.
Love all the rescued fur babies! Makes me want to get 2. I lost my 10 year old, 103# black lab to cancer a couple weeks after Easter last year. Then a few days before Thanksgiving I lost my girl Nala (9 yrs old) to hip dysplasia. I was completely devastated from losing my babies. I want to adopt 2 older rescues to give them a loving and forever home. I just don't know if I can handle the heartbreak of losing them.
Thanks for this fabulous post, everyone should have one or more pets, more love !!!
Took my Richard the cat off street 11 years ago. Best decision in my life. 86730117_1...a2e867.jpg 
Wife and I went in to adopt 1 kitten, but these 2 fuzzbots are siblings, and I just couldn't separate them. Taco and Shiva, they are much larger now, and still sleep on me like this... 13938272_1...12d8eb.jpg 
What great pictures and stories. Does my heart good to see animals loved <3
Loved all the pictures - except one....the little kitten in a cage, the cat food still in the can, which usually have sharp edges from being cut or pulled open. Before Lil one gets cut get a bowl ….please.
Question from European to Americans: Does "adopting" mean something different to you or do people there really put their pure-breed animals in shelters?! 🤯 I'm always confused when reading lists like that and seeing animals like Siamese cats, Samoyed dog, Shar-pei puppy, British shorthair kittens... Those breeds cost lots of money, why would anyone spend it on buying an expensive animal and then abandon it?! Where I live, animals for adoption (from shelters or non-profits) are only muts and unidentifiable mixes. You really have shelters with pure-breed animals in them?
Years ago a pregnant stray cat showed up at my house. She must have known I was in the market for a cat. I took her in and named her Ragamuffin because, being long-haired and scruffy, she sure looked like one! A couple weeks later she delivered her babies in my bathroom. I found forever homes for all of them with help from Petsmart, and had Ragamuffin spayed. RIP, Rags - you are missed. 😢
Thanks for another great post, now I go to bed with a smile !!!
Wish I could adopt a playmate for my rescue cat. We lost him suddenly about 2-3 years ago and my heart still cried from missing him. Alas, I'm 70 now and the odds of outlining a cat are slim....
I think we should start off every day with posts like these. I feel better already! Thanks
There are 48 rescued dogs in my house in Chile. Love to upload a pic or two. How?? Aussie and perros😉
This handsome boy was returned to the shelter twice! We adopted him in August after losing our beloved dog of 13 yrs. They said he was food aggressive and didn't like cats or children. Well, guess what? Those people who returned him were wrong! He loves our cat and snuggles with him and our other dog. He loves babies and kids as well and whenever they come over they snuggle with him. He is no where near being food aggressive. We had our faces and hands in his dish the first day and he just tips his head and continues eating. He has been the bright ray of sunshine we needed. All 3 of our furry babies love each other. We have a picture on the wall of our dog who passed and every day this guy boops the picture with his nose. He also boops the box that the ashes are in. He and our other dog get along so well too. They're besties. We believe that our dog who passed sent us to him. He is so much like him. And they were both born in December too. Collage-5e...3df030.jpg 
This the sweetest story ever! A beautiful ending. Wish there were many more people like you who have a big heart and the loyalty to your animals of loving them forever no matter what people say. Just so warming to my heart..made my day!
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Human cruelty and idiocy has no limits. The government of China is telling people to kill their pets because they cause corona virus. The dogs, cats shared the same habitat with humans for millennia. Do you know what causes corona virus? The human consumption of "exotic meat" and human consumption of deliberately, heinously tortured dogs and cats.!!!! Just like human consumption of primates - "bush meat" is causing Ebola virus in West Coastal Africa!!! Human abhorrent cruelty will prove itself self-destructive; but why the innocent animals has to suffer for it? What have they done wrong? Stand up and speak out against cruelty to animals...for their sake and ours. Thank you.
You are so right! I couldn’t agree more! Thank you for your post..well said.
Load More Replies... Looking at such heartwarming pictures is the best way to start a working day.
We rescued a cat last year, very cute longhaired tortoiseshell. My dad was showing pics to his colleagues and they were discussing what breed she could be, and he jokes "Oh, it's a koferman" Them: "Oh, must be very exotic, never heard of it before. Where did it come from?" Him: ".....guys, it literally came from a garbage can" (kofa=garbage can in our language).
As someone who has rescued many cats and works with local charities to chip check, trap, rescue, re-home and reunite cats, I really cannot stress the importance of looking in shelters and rescues for a fur baby. It is so important the shelters have frequently empty cages to give these kitties a temporary safe place until a foster home can be found. It's so heartwarming to see many more people going to rescues and charities instead of feeding the awful breeding industry. One of the cats who chose me was left breeding until she was 8 years old and has had upwards of twenty litters in her life and each kitten was sold for £60. It's so sad.
So happy to see these animals have found their forever homes, they are all such cuties.
I don't think my parents or I have ever owned any animal *but* rescues for pets... At "most" it's rescued-from-shelter like our current bonded pair, who couldn't get adopted b/c nobody would take both... THen they took me!
Both my dogs are rescues- one I found dumped by the freeway on-ramp (I found her"owner" who said that I could keep her...10 years of bliss and counting!) the other was abandoned in a foreclosure- she and Daisy met and fell in love at the dog park- her foster mom was so happy that she was getting a great forever home. We love love love our "dogters" - they're super snugglebums
I adopted a 14 year old cat surrendered from a deceased estate. She was adorable. Sadly I had to have her put to sleep as she had a stroke and could no longer walk or sit up straight. I always think she is now with her original owner sitting on their lap which she loved to do.
Our cat was tom for three years, he's got a lot of battle scars. He was so scared when we got him, freaked out at feet (must have been kicked a few times) scratched and bit when we were too fast to pat him. Then my daughter got severe tourettes and became suicidal, he never left her side. He sits on her bed even though it is constantly shaking from her tics. When she hits a low and can't stop crying he sits with her, purrs for her and won't move until she gets through it. Never did we think he would become a support cat =^.^=
I am proud to say I have never purchased a single pet. They all found me! I say that because they truly did, every one of them walked up to my door or in my yard or followed me home from somewhere.
Love all the rescued fur babies! Makes me want to get 2. I lost my 10 year old, 103# black lab to cancer a couple weeks after Easter last year. Then a few days before Thanksgiving I lost my girl Nala (9 yrs old) to hip dysplasia. I was completely devastated from losing my babies. I want to adopt 2 older rescues to give them a loving and forever home. I just don't know if I can handle the heartbreak of losing them.
Thanks for this fabulous post, everyone should have one or more pets, more love !!!
Took my Richard the cat off street 11 years ago. Best decision in my life. 86730117_1...a2e867.jpg
Wife and I went in to adopt 1 kitten, but these 2 fuzzbots are siblings, and I just couldn't separate them. Taco and Shiva, they are much larger now, and still sleep on me like this... 13938272_1...12d8eb.jpg
What great pictures and stories. Does my heart good to see animals loved <3
Loved all the pictures - except one....the little kitten in a cage, the cat food still in the can, which usually have sharp edges from being cut or pulled open. Before Lil one gets cut get a bowl ….please.
Question from European to Americans: Does "adopting" mean something different to you or do people there really put their pure-breed animals in shelters?! 🤯 I'm always confused when reading lists like that and seeing animals like Siamese cats, Samoyed dog, Shar-pei puppy, British shorthair kittens... Those breeds cost lots of money, why would anyone spend it on buying an expensive animal and then abandon it?! Where I live, animals for adoption (from shelters or non-profits) are only muts and unidentifiable mixes. You really have shelters with pure-breed animals in them?
Years ago a pregnant stray cat showed up at my house. She must have known I was in the market for a cat. I took her in and named her Ragamuffin because, being long-haired and scruffy, she sure looked like one! A couple weeks later she delivered her babies in my bathroom. I found forever homes for all of them with help from Petsmart, and had Ragamuffin spayed. RIP, Rags - you are missed. 😢
Thanks for another great post, now I go to bed with a smile !!!
Wish I could adopt a playmate for my rescue cat. We lost him suddenly about 2-3 years ago and my heart still cried from missing him. Alas, I'm 70 now and the odds of outlining a cat are slim....
I think we should start off every day with posts like these. I feel better already! Thanks
There are 48 rescued dogs in my house in Chile. Love to upload a pic or two. How?? Aussie and perros😉
This handsome boy was returned to the shelter twice! We adopted him in August after losing our beloved dog of 13 yrs. They said he was food aggressive and didn't like cats or children. Well, guess what? Those people who returned him were wrong! He loves our cat and snuggles with him and our other dog. He loves babies and kids as well and whenever they come over they snuggle with him. He is no where near being food aggressive. We had our faces and hands in his dish the first day and he just tips his head and continues eating. He has been the bright ray of sunshine we needed. All 3 of our furry babies love each other. We have a picture on the wall of our dog who passed and every day this guy boops the picture with his nose. He also boops the box that the ashes are in. He and our other dog get along so well too. They're besties. We believe that our dog who passed sent us to him. He is so much like him. And they were both born in December too. Collage-5e...3df030.jpg
This the sweetest story ever! A beautiful ending. Wish there were many more people like you who have a big heart and the loyalty to your animals of loving them forever no matter what people say. Just so warming to my heart..made my day!
Load More Replies... Human cruelty and idiocy has no limits. The government of China is telling people to kill their pets because they cause corona virus. The dogs, cats shared the same habitat with humans for millennia. Do you know what causes corona virus? The human consumption of "exotic meat" and human consumption of deliberately, heinously tortured dogs and cats.!!!! Just like human consumption of primates - "bush meat" is causing Ebola virus in West Coastal Africa!!! Human abhorrent cruelty will prove itself self-destructive; but why the innocent animals has to suffer for it? What have they done wrong? Stand up and speak out against cruelty to animals...for their sake and ours. Thank you.
You are so right! I couldn’t agree more! Thank you for your post..well said.
Load More Replies...