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We noticed that there was a family of cats - a mom and three kittens - playing in our back yard. After awhile, they would go and hide in some raised wooden decking by the pool. We tried to approach them, but mom wouldn't let anyone near her. She was totally wild and appeared to be a purebred Manx.

KITTEN. PHOTO: PIXABAY / RIHAIJ

My husband and I watched the little ones grow up, still unable to get near them. One day, hubby came home and said he'd found the mom hit by a car and, unfortunately, dead. We started putting food out for the babies.

It turned out that two of them were females and did what little girl cats do at about 6 months old. It made them easy to catch. But, because they fought us, we had to take them to the humane society. The little male hung around. Hubby would go outside, and they developed an attachment. We had named him Red, since we had to call him something.

CAT. PHOTO: PIXABAY / VICKY MORRISON

Soon after, we went on vacation. I told hubby that, if Red was still there when we got home, we were going to catch him, take him to our vet and, if he was healthy, neuter him and bring him into the house. He got along with our other two cats. We changed his name to Randy.

Three long years later, he sat down on the newspaper one morning, and he became mine. Randy was with us for more than 10 years and many moves before we lost him to kidney disease. I still miss him.

PHOTO: PHOEBE FARLEY

Story submitted by Phoebe Farley from Glendale, Arizona.

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!