Not many people know how I got my cat. When people ask where she is from, they are always surprised by the answer. I did not get Ainsley in the typical way. Most people go to their local shelters and pick out a cat. That is how my family got our other 3 cats and how I was planning on getting my own. Things did not go as planned.

I started my search for a cat on pet finder. Pet finder is a website that has information about all of the cats that are in participating shelters. I looked up cats in Connecticut and started looking. I found a bunch that I wanted to meet. Unfortunately, I was away at college and would have to wait a few weeks to go to the shelters.

I decided to stop searching for a while and wait until I got home. Even though I did my best to wait, I could not get one of the cats off my mind. I looked at the description and discovered that she was actually in Louisiana and no where near me. She was being watched by an organization that brought cats from Louisiana to the north east. I decided to email the organization about the cat.

Unfortunately, the cat that I wanted had been adopted that night. The organization sent me a picture of another cat they had not posted on their website yet. The cat's name was Ainsley. She had bald spots and was severely under weight, but she was one of the cutest cats I had ever seen. She was at a high kill shelter and she didn't have long to be adopted.

Despite the warnings I had gotten from friends and family about meeting her first, I adopted her. I could not have gotten more lucky.

The day before I came home for the summer, Ainsley and 30 other cats arrived in New York to be given to their new families.

The moment I met Ainsley, I knew I had done the right thing. She was one of the sweetest cats I had ever met. With a little bit of love, she would be a healthy and happy cat.

Now, Ainsley is a healthy 10 pound cat. Her bald spots are gone and her fur is long and soft. She loves people and loves to meow.

I am very thankful for the organization I got Ainsley from. It is called Save the Whodatt Fur Babies. It is an organization run by college students from South Salem, New York. Every month they bring new cats from Louisiana up north to loving families.

Next time you are thinking of adopting a cat, look at all of your adoption options. You never know what you might find.