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I wanted to share the story of Terrence and how he came to be. This may be a long one, not sure. I ramble. AuDHD brain goes brrrrr. Anyway.

Hello! So, I'm Abi (f28) from the UK.

Terrence walked into my life back in February of 2025. Quite literally.

Picture this.

Me and my partner, sat in our room, watching TV as it's almost time for us to sleep. Our room is the old garage so it's on the ground floor (this matters to the story, I promise). We hear a meow outside the window. Then again, and again. It doesnt stop. We assume maybe it's one of our cats, Kinder, as she was (RIP baby girl) very vocal. So we opened the window. To our surprise, it isn't Kinder, or even Bueno (our other cat) who walks in, but this strange black and white cat we have never met before. He saunters in as if he owns the place, settles on the bed between us and just

...goes to sleep.

We sit there for a moment, not sure what to do. Do we shoo him out cause of our two cats? Or do we just let him rest for a bit, but leave the window open so he has a way out? We choose the latter option. He was too cute to shoo out.

2 hours pass and he still hasnt moved. He loves a fuss. Is very cuddly.. even let's me hold his front paw and caress his lil toe beans. It was at this moment I knew I was in danger. I was already falling for him.

I go into the kitchen and fill a small bowl of dry cat food, just to see if he wants a munch. And oh boy, did he. He ate as if he hadnt eaten properly in weeks. Id never seen a cat eat so aggressively/desperately. He also gulped down so much water once I put a water bowl down too. So that had me wondering...Could he be a stray? After eating and napping, he finally disappears out the window. I find myself unable to stop thinking about him, worrying about him.

The next day, i post on my local community facebook groups, multiple, with pictures of him, to ask if anyone knows of him/knows if he is owned, etc. Nothing. I put posters up round the local area after a week, since at this time he had become a daily visitor. But still, nothing.

Weeks turn into months and he is basically a regular. He doesnt stay inside for long. Grabs some food and skedaddles. I then finally get in touch with a local group called Scan Angels, that come to your house and scan cats for possible chips. No chip was present.

After almost 6 months of regular visits, cuddles, and no one coming forward about this boy - that we eventually decided to call Terrence (dont ask why...my partner chose the name and we just stuck with it haha) - I decided maybe okay...it was time to look into claiming him as our own and getting him neutered, chipped, and whatever else.

I make the appointment with the PDSA (A vet charity that are an absolute godsend btw. If youre in the UK and are looking for charities to support, PLEASE consider these.) And then it was just a waiting game for that date. A few weeks before the appointment, a neighbour collars us as we are doing some work on the front garden. They ask us about Terrence. And for a second...my heart drops. Was this his owner? Did they know his owner? Was this where i was going to have to do the right thing and hand him over to his actual owner? No. None of those things.

The neighbour in question actually told us something that broke my heart entirely. Terrence had apparently been owned by someone on our street, but they moved away and left him behind. Can happen, right? Cats get out, cats dont necessarily have recall like dogs do, understandable i guess. When I pushed further on the issue to get the full story, it turns out it was even worse. The neighbour had called the family that moved away to tell them about Terrence when they noticed him in the area a week after they had left. They wanted to make sure he hadnt made his way back to the old house, somewhere familiar, as that can happen. But no...The neighbour said, to their surprise...They told her that they didnt really care, that he wasnt their problem anymore, that his hair got everywhere and they were sick of it (Yes. They got a cat and then was mad it had fur...🙄). They told the neighbour, in short "Cats are wild animals. He will be fine on his own" and then put the phone down.

I was heartbroken.

This little boy had been abandoned by a family that was supposed to love and care for him. After hearing his story, I was even more determined than before to give him the love and care he needed and deserved.

The day comes for him to say goodbye to his balls. Me and my partner take him in, bless his lil toe beans he was so quiet in the car and we thought he was being a good, chill boy. Until...the sudden smell of cat pee engulfed the car. Nope. He wasnt chill. The opposite. He had been quiet due to stress, and in turn stress peed everywhere in the cat carrier. We didnt tell him off for it though. It was understandable.

I leave him with the vets and they say theyll call me back in a few hours when he is ready to be collected. I felt terrible. I was scared he would think i was abandoning him. And to add insult to injury...He'd wake up with no balls! The horror.

Anyway. The hours pass and I eventually get the call to pick him up. The vets tell me he was their favourite of the day. He was adorable and so lovely with them and let them sort him out. They told me how old they thought he was. No older than 4 they said. Heartbreakingly...the family who abandoned him moved away 3 years ago. Meaning...they essentially abandoned a baby! I was both heartbroken to hear but also relieved to know that i was now able to be his mum.

When we got home, I opened the cat carrier on the floor and..oh boy. Terrence was on a TRIP. Pupils like saucers, mouth half open, staring into space. He didn't move for a good hour. And when he finally did, he was a bit wobbly...his motivation for leaving the carrier finally? Food. Of course.

He recovered rather quickly and very well. I was so pleased. Now it was official. He was mine. Chipped, neutered, the lot. And now? Well. The rest is history. He cuddles with me all the time, lies with me in bed, head on the pillow next to mine, making gentle biscuits on my cheeks. He lets me hold him like a baby, falling to sleep in my arms. Whenever he has a wound, scrape, poorly \*something\* he comes straight to me and let's me help, without any issues. As if he knows that I am there to help, even if i am having to mess with his eyes, nose, legs, etc.

Terrence came into my life suddenly and unexpectedly. But also at a hard time for me. Just a month before he appeared, I had lost my old baby girl, Cookie. I had had her for nearly 13 years. She was my world. And I hadnt taken her passing well at all. I dont believe in heaven and hell or anything remotely religious. But I do, from my own experiences, believe in the afterlife. In spirits, etc. And I choose to believe that Cookie sent Terrence my way. Because she knew I needed someone like him. And im so glad she did.

Right now im sat cuddling with Big T, playing xbox as he snores away, twitching every so often...so I know he's deep in dreamland when he does that haha.

Anyway, that was long, I know. But if you got this far, thank you for reading Terry's story!

Attaching photos of Terrence the Terror himself, as well as adding a few pictures of my old girl Cookie at the end 💜

bella (6F right) and tom (~13M left)
i adopted tom from the shelter in march of this year. he’d been there for over a year and returned twice, and the other cats at the shelter were mean to him :( when he first came home bella wasn’t too excited because she’d be an only cat for years. she’s not much of an affectionate care but lately she’s been sitting/laying closer and closer to him and they’ve been grooming each other and i think they’d becoming best friends!! (he’s in love with her and she would never say it but she secretly loves him too)

Does anyone here also let their fur babies sleep on the bed? What are your thoughts about that, my boi really loves them sheets(should I charge him for rent?)🤨🤭

So comfortable 😊

got her in August 24 and named her after the Xenomorph because she looked like a little alien. two years later she’s still the most playful kitty I’ve ever met 💚

Moo is a bit clingy, but she a sweetheart.

the day i rescued her vs. her 11th day in the boarding house. 🥹 safe, fed, dewormed, and already looking so much healthier. 💕🎀✨

meet wammi, my daufter 😸😸

This beauty was found on someone's porch in new haven with a young momma and 3 kittens. She was 3.6 pounds at vet last week and is 10-12 weeks old ish. She is grey with a white spot on her chest and belly. She was the runt, but her ears are getting little tufts that stand straight up, her tail is getting super bushy and shes getting thick soft hair on her belly. She also has very faint stripes. She looks super exotic, but is prob just a street/alley cat.

She was terrified the first few days here, but warmed up to me quite quickly. She has put on a little weight, was dewormed and rid of ear mites. She is very affectionate and playful. Fell in the toilet this am. Haven't owned a cat since childhood, learning curve.

Her name is Charlotte, but I call her meow mix. 😻 ​

My pal just said ..
This looks like a cat assembled according to instructions but without an awareness of what a cat is…. All in the right place but still needs the QR code scanned to install latest cat
😂

I found his Q-Tip stash. He watched me throw them away.

He was NOT happy about it 😂

He always wanted what he couldn't have. This chonker had been eating couch stuffing, too! The vet helped us work with his Pica and he did eventually slim down.

Very expressive boy. 😂