Pets

Happily Furever After: Inspiring Cat Adoption Stories

by Kevyn Gohu
September 3, 2025

In honor of Happy Cat Month, here are some inspiring stray cat adoption stories to read!

Every stray cat and dog dreams of the same thing: a safe and happy environment where they can sleep, eat, and play with their loved ones all day. While we can’t provide for all the strays, the important thing is that we try. Fostering is still an acceptable practice, unless we’re the type to get too “attached” to our rescues (or in Tagalog, we call them “ampon“). For every cat adoption story, everyone wants a “happily furever after.”

So in the spirit of Happy Cat Month, here are some inspiring stray cat adoption stories to read!

In honor of Happy Cat Month, here are some inspiring stray cat adoption stories to read!

Naia: A Flight To Furever

Nearly run over rushing flight passengers, celebrity mom Jodi Sta. Maria picked up Naia from getting run over. The person who nearly ran over the tabby kitten even snapped at her for “being careless” about letting Naia run around. However, the celebrity mom paid no heed and even joked about the rescue attempt following a “catnapper peg.”

After a quick check-up, Jodi eventually discovered that Naia was a male. But the name stuck by then.

From bustling and dangerous pathways in NAIA to now the comfy couches in Jodi Sta. Maria’s home, Naia marked the start of Jodi’s advocacy for stray cats. The celebrity even became the face for PAWS’ “Puso Para Sa Puspin” campaign.

Gabrielle: A Donation for Furever

During her stint on Family Feud, celebrity mom Nathalie Hart had a choice about where to donate her winnings. Her choice became the well-known animal shelter: PAWS.

Her donation, however, returned two-fold. Besides helping all the strays, she adopted a cat herself. Affectionately naming her Gabrielle, Nathalie reveals that the cat immediately bonded with her and her daughter.

Celebrity mom Nathalie Hart remarked she wished could help every stray find its furever home. “My heart is shattered that I can’t help everyone in the shelter, but I also decided that I would adopt Gabrielle (Gaby) to my home.”

Tofu: A Furever Love

Originally named “Bob” by his fosters, Tofu found shelter in an old dog cage. Unfortunately, one of the strays adopted by the house was not happy with his presence. She snarled at him while Tofu didn’t even lift a paw or claw to strike. He just sat there, staring, “Whatchu want?”

After a few minutes of snarling, the mom and the eldest daughter ushered the territorial stray back to her spot. Because of his gentle demeanor, they fostered Tofu and gave him food. Unfortunately, the fosters argued over his name. The choices involved Casper, Gizmo, and Casmo (a terrible fusion of the first two names) until their two daughters—15 and 28 at the time—declared, “Let’s just call him Bob!”

Despite wanting to keep him, the house already had three cats: the stray (who hated sharing) and two Ragdolls (who were just as territorial). But he did get his furever. He now travels with his furparents, Julius Villanueva (zetaartsofficial) and cosplayer Shiro Guifei.

“Ming-Ming”: Reincarnation?

While most Filipinos name their cat “Ming-Ming,” her story is a lot more heartwarming.

The same house that fostered Bob had adopted Ming-Ming after the loss of their Japanese Spitz. By then, the daughter and the mom who doted on the dog “swore off pets” due to the grief. But Ming-Ming had come knocking on the door. The mom and the household help had fed her a few times, eventually gaining her trust.

When asked what made her pick up the stray, the mom said it was because of Ming-Ming’s “pretty blue eyes.”

Unfortunately, her spending most of her life as an outdoor cat made her quite destructive inside. Pawprints spotting white couches and destroyed window screens sent a clear message that she preferred the outside. While she roamed outside, the family made it clear that she still had a place in their home. In their back kitchen, she still has a warm bed, a two-floor cat condo, a carton, and food every time she returns from her adventures.

She also appears to understand the concept of “rent.” Her favorite hobby involves hunting mice and cockroaches.

Cleo: Love is a Highway

Abandoned as a stray kitten at the border between Taft and Buendia (near the PNR), Cleo had barely opened her eyes when discovered. As she crawled and waded through the canal water, she was picked up by a web developer named Aspen.

What drove him to pick up Cleo back then? “Her eyes were shut. Nobody was there—not even the mommy cat,” Aspen recalls. “She was just on the side of the road!”

Originally naming her Snow, Aspen learned the hard way what kind of work went into raising a baby. He would bring her to work and feed her every three hours. He would also bottle-feed her every three hours.

But she needed a more stable life and actual cat milk. Luckily, his girlfriend’s (now his wife’s) aunt had a female cat that had just given birth, and thankfully, she let the kitten latch. Eventually, Snow moved in with the aunt’s mom and was named Cleo. She even has her own throne in the dining room.

Tux: The Cat Distribution System Strikes Again!

When a cat chooses a person, the usual comment is that “The Cat Distribution System has deemed them worthy.” So, when the skittish Tux chose Kaelyn while she studied in DLSU, it was safe for everyone to say, “Tux adopted Kaelyn. Not the other way around.”

Kaelyn recalls the thorough interview the organization, DLSU Pusa, conducted when made her intentions known. “It was to make sure that Tux could thrive,” she explains. “They checked if I had all the essentials, where the nearest vet was, etc.” Eventually, Tux found his furever home with her in 2019.

Described as a “chill and affectionate cat,” Tux was her buddy and emotional support cat all throughout med school. “Whenever I had online classes back in med school, he would just sleep nearby. Whenever I cried, he would rub and paw on my face and would sometimes lick away my tears. He loves just being near my mom and I and would always sleep beside me on the bed,” Kaelyn shares.

Despite his bout with FIV and brush with death, he’s alive, kicking, and as Kaelyn fondly describes, “extra matakaw.”

He also had his lakad privileges revoked sometime ago due to him getting trapped on the neighbor’s roof in 2020.

Stray Cat Adoption Stories: All They Want is a Loving Home

We always hear heartbreaking stories about how some people are just cruel to animals. It’s shocking; we always end up asking ourselves, “How in the world do people grow up to be so cruel?“

But the truth is, not many people were open to adopting strays or cats until much later. With content creators constantly showing off their cats or how lovable they are, people realized that cats are just as lovable as dogs. Social media became a positive tool for change, which is what it was meant to do to begin with.

So if ever we do have a lot more love to give, consider adopting a stray cat. Trust us, it won’t go to waste! Happy Cat Month!