The following story was a finalist in the Pawsitively Picture Perfect photo contest. The top three finishers received $500 in cash, as well as $2,000 in cash and supplies for their favorite shelter. To read more stories, click here!

Norman and his siblings were found as abandoned kittens and in need of lots of medical care. The wonderful staff at the Animal Refuge Center got them healthy and quickly showed them that people can be trusted and loved! Norman was the most lovable and outgoing of his litter, but he was diagnosed with a severe heart murmur. The vet's prognosis was a lifespan of one to five years, so despite Norman's lovable and silly personality, his opportunities for a forever home diminished.

PHOTO: CAMIE RODGERS

As a foster for the Animal Refuge Center, we took in Norman as a "helper kitty" to help the shy and unsocialized kittens come out of their shells and learn to trust people. He did wonderfully, and has helped several kittens find their forever homes! However, he was still looking for his... or was he?

Turns out he had found his forever home and had no intentions of leaving us! He quickly integrated into our home, family and hearts! Norman is the best kind of foster, a foster fail (or win!). He will live the rest of his, likely short, life with us, where he has lots of kitty and dog siblings to play with!

PHOTO: CAMIE RODGERS

Norman literally lives every moment as though it's his last, and he never holds back. He loves to play with his kitty siblings, with any toy, or other interesting item he finds! He enjoys watching Cat TV, soaking up the sun and observing the daily neighborhood activities in the window, and just a nice nap on his momma’s lap! Norman now sneaks into bed and will gently solicit pets and cuddles at night when he’s feeling extra affectionate! This sweet boy is hard to resist!

One of my favorite things is to watch Norman when he experiences something new! There is one picture that is him watching Cat TV for the first time, he is just fascinated! As he integrated from the foster room to the rest of the house, he worked hard to make quick friends with some of our more resistant kitties. Now he is running and playing with all of them; they have not just accepted him, but now go out of their way to include him in their games! Again, Norman is hard to resist!

PHOTO: CAMIE RODGERS

Norman plays hard and loves with an intensity we've never experienced before. We encourage him to play, explore, snuggle and love life to its fullest because we just don't know when his time will come. Norman is the best because he reminds us every day that life is short, and to not take anything for granted! We hope Norman is around for a long time, but if he isn't, we know he had the best life and he made such a lasting impression on so many lives just by being part of our foster and forever family!

This story was submitted by Camie Rodgers in support of Animal Refuge Center Inc. To read other stories from the Pawsitively Picture Perfect photo contest, click here!