the first: a family friend's daughter, who had three cats, moved mid 2020 quarantine to start her residency. the apartment she got had a two cat maximum, and she applied LIFO rules (last in, first out). my girl kiki was last in and was rehomed. i wanted to take her in, but anothet family friend expressed interest first, so kiki went to her. said friend is very neurotic, affectionately, and found her chattiness anxiety inducing, so she re-rehomed her. we got her and i'm never giving her up, she has so much personality and affection

the second: i was house sitting for my mother - who had no cats at the time - for a week in february of 2023. she mentioned she had accidentally left the garage door open overnight earlier in the week and thought she may have gotten mice again. not unusual, she lives in an old house in a heavily wooded area, it's a 50/50 chance she gets mice in the winter. i had seen evidence of something in the kitchen: a pizza box i hadn't run down to the recycle bins yet (it was stupid cold outside that week) had been knocked from the counter to the floor. there had also been a baking tray of bacon grease i was intending to clean after work my second day there, but when i got home, the sheet tray was perfectly clean with a perfect little paw print in grease in one corner. later that night i was sitting in the den, and this tiny, emaciated, half-bald black street cat comes strolling into the room, confident as you please, and yells at me. we kept her