# Stephano's 1 Year Anniversary!!!



## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

Actually, Stephano's "Gotcha Day" anniversary was December 6th, but I'm a bad mommy, and didn't post about it here (but I did on Facebook so maybe I'm not too bad of a mommy). 

Last year, I was working as a Pre-K teacher, that is part of a little Church, right across from where I live. On Monday morning, we found a little black kitty in the sandbox, scared, shivering, starving. I brought him home, and we were SO lucky, we were able to find him a home by that night, a really good home, he is very loved and adored. 

Fast forward to Thursday. We hear this AWFUL crying coming from the woods behind the church, loud, sounded just like a baby's cries. We all start calling "here kitty kitty", and this little guy emerged from the woods. He would walk towards us, and then retreat back in the woods. I called my hubby, who was on vacation "bring the cage and a can of food". Five minutes later, he decides to come out for the food. And here he is...this little black dot in all weeds...

My husband, also known as "the cat whisperer" amongst my co-workers, picked him up, put him in the cage and he hungrily gobbled down his food, loudly, making nom-nom-nom noises while he ate. We agreed to take him home and I would find him a good home. We were fairly certain that he was the brother of the cat from Monday, they were identical, with an identical teensy white spot in his belly, and we had also found two cans of food near the sand box on Monday. We thought someone dumped them there, probably knowing that a bunch of crazy cat ladies worked there. Smart thinking on their part!

I brought him home, put some advantage on him, put him in the garage for the night. We sat out in a chair with him, and he nestled right under our neck and just purred and slept. 

The next day, we couldn't bear to leave him in the garage, inside the den he went, with us. Very content to be there, and he stayed glued to our laps....or our shoulder or chest. He was the single most snuggliest cat we had ever seen, ever. Within 3 days, we were all in love and we didn't think we could let him go. We had two people that wanted him, but one, my sister, had an indoor/outdoor cat, and we did not want him going outside, she lives near a very busy road, and her cat gets hurt all the time from other animals. Another person wanted to declaw him, and we didn't want that either. 

We had to be sure he would get along with Taffy and our dog Greta first. We knew Beep, our other cat, would never be allowed around him, since she is vicious and lives a separate life from Taffy already. So we did the gradual intros, with Taffy, and after minimal hissing and growling from Taffy for maybe a day.....here is their first contact.
My heart just melted. Taffy started to groom him, and I knew it was going to work out. He got along find with the dog also. Here they are the next day.

Stephano has been such a little sweetheart, although he is hands down the naughtiest kitty I have ever had. He climbed the curtains for a solid year, and is finally too big to pull his rear end up them any longer....more than a few inches (he still tries on occasion), he steals food, he gets into stuff...we have to baby proof as if we have a toddler around. But we wouldn't trade him for anything. He is still a lap cat, he cuddles up next to my daughter every night, or with Taffy. He is a such a clown. But I can't imagine my house without him in it. Here is a recent photo of my little clown, with my daughter, who calls herself his mommy.....she says "you are not his mommy, I am". We all fight over him. She says he has swag in this picture.

We love our little boy. He is quite spoiled. But I guess you couldn't guess that


----------



## NebraskaCat (Jan 15, 2013)

Happy Gotcha Day, Stephano! A win-win for everybody.


----------



## Heather72754 (Nov 1, 2013)

Yay for a year with the naughty little cuddlebug lol. :blackcat


----------



## katrina89 (Jul 30, 2013)

Yay happy gotcha day!!!

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Jetlaya67 (Sep 26, 2012)

AWW, sweet story! Beautiful boy.


----------



## CatMonkeys (Sep 27, 2012)

Happy gotcha day to you and Stephano!


----------



## pkbshrew (Feb 13, 2013)

Such a beautiful story and kittie. I got quite misty eyed reading it ...


----------



## tezster (Jun 4, 2013)

Happy Gotcha day to Stephano! What a wonderful story


----------



## 0ozma (Sep 22, 2012)

Woohoo happy day!


----------



## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Ah Stephano, You were "Working It"!!
You 'picked' your people well!!
Smart Boy! 
Happy 1st Anniversary!


----------

