20/11/2025
This is a wonderful email that I received today from someone who adopted a kitty from us 15 years ago. I wanted to share - it is a great time to be thankful!
From The Kitty Ashley's mom....
I’m writing to let you know that my beloved cat, Lola—formerly Ashley—passed away this month after fifteen years of life together. She was already an adult when I adopted her from you in January 2010, so she lived to be about eighteen years old. I wanted to share her story with you, because you’re the reason she ever reached me at all.
Ashley came to you from BARC, along with her sister Mary Kate. They weren’t bonded, and Mary Kate was adopted quickly. Ashley… not so much. She was an adult, set in her ways, not fond of other cats. She lived in her foster’s bathroom because the community cats overwhelmed her. Her online bio was blunt and hilarious and practically a challenge:
“She’s grown, she’s grouchy, she doesn’t care for nonsense.”
But the moment I saw her photo, I felt something.
I knew she was mine.
Right after Christmas, I went to PetSmart on a random day with one thought in my head:
“If that difficult, misunderstood adult cat is there, she’s coming home with me.”
And she was.
I asked a Petsmart employee to open her cage. I had not yet spoken to her foster, had no approval, no plan except: if she’s there, she comes home.
The second the cage opened, Ashley jumped out of the wall unit and straight into my arms, like she had been waiting for me and couldn’t bear another day without me. It wasn’t a careful climb. It was a decision.
After that moment, I stepped aside and called her foster to get official approval to adopt her. The foster was relieved and happy. Ashley had finally chosen someone, and that someone was me.
From that day forward, she was Lola.
For fifteen years, she was everything to me:
my protector
my companion
my grounding force
my comfort through grief, loss, and love
the soul of my home
the reason I survived some of the darkest years of my life
She wasn’t the “easy” cat.
She was the right cat.
She passed peacefully, loved every single day of her life.
I wanted you to know that because of your rescue, an adult cat who struggled with the world ended up living a long, safe, cherished life. She died with dignity, warmth, and love; everything a rescue cat deserves.
Thank you for saving her.
Thank you for giving her the chance that changed both our lives.
I will be grateful to you for the rest of my life.
With all my love and gratitude,
Shannan Thompson
Proud companion of Lola "Bear" Targaryen aka the Dragon
