21/07/2026
Well... this wasnât part of the plan. đ€
When we opened Kumiko, I never imagined our second adoption story would be my own.
The dream was to help our resident rescue cats find their perfect forever homes. I just never expected one of those homes to be my own.
Last month, just a few weeks after Kumiko opened its doors, I lost my beautiful cat, Stinco. Weâd shared 18 years together, and saying goodbye left a space in my heart that I wasnât ready to fill.
She was affectionately known as Miss Bitey Scratchy. She definitely had a reputation... but I was her chosen person. She had the most perfectly symmetrical little eyeliner, and when she was tiny she had two little dots on her nose that made her look like she had a little pigâs snout. Thatâs how she ended up with the name Stinco, after the Italian dish stinco di maiale (shin of pig).
I truly didnât think Iâd be bringing another cat home so soon.
But then there was Teddy.
Somehow, without me looking for it, he found his way into my heart. He has brought so much comfort, laughter and gentle companionship to our family at a time when we needed it most, and I canât imagine him anywhere else now.
People often ask what it feels like when a Kumiko cat is adopted. Itâs always bittersweet. We miss them, of course we do. But this is exactly why Kumiko exists: to give rescue cats the chance to find the loving homes they deserve.
This time, one of those homes just happened to be mine. đ€đŸ