Shortly after my cat and I moved out of my parents' house this past winter, my parents, 
Cooper doesn't get along with other cats so, in the shelter, he was kept in a dog kennel instead of sharing the common room with the other kitties. In his new home, he's discovered the big outdoors. He loves it! The poor little guy, at 3 years old, has had to retrain his muscles just to jump up to the windowsill, and he still doesn't know what a scratching post is for.
The really heartwarming part, though, is how grateful he is to his new mom and dad. Two years of solitude, and he cannot get enough of their love.
Once, dad and I were standing by the couch chatting, and Cooper wanted our attention. He tried to jump up on the back of the couch but could only make it half way. He stuck his claws in and hung on for dear life. Without missing a beat, dad gently pushed him up to the top, where Cooper immediately started nuzzling dad's hand with a deep purr.
Cooper is a jumpy little guy, but he adores his parents, and his new catnip toys. It never fails to pull the heartstrings when we encounter more effects of his past life. Like this instance, when we realized he'd never seen a fan before.
All this to say: folks, adopt from shelters! These little guys need you. And you might not know it yet, but you need them. These innocent little creatures have bottomless hearts; they're right there on your welcome mat, just waiting for you to open your door. Once you let them in, they just do something to your insides, and it's beautiful and wonderful, and so adorable it hurts.
