Get ready to suffer a heart attack from the cuteness that you will experience in this listicle. Not literally, of course.
You can wager how excited people get when they adopt and rescue a puppy or a kitten or any other floof of floofiness, but it seems to go double—nae, triple—for the floofs themselves. And when it hits the internet, the joy spreads.
Speaking of which, guess what’s hiding just a few scrolls away? Yep, the joy we just talked about.
#1 The Time I Rescued A Crying Kitten Outside My Cat Cuddled Her
Image credits: zozozkittykat
#2 We Adopted An 11-Year Old Cat From A Chicago Shelter. He And My 13-Yo Daughter Fell In Love. This Is Them After She Got Back From A Week At Camp
Image credits: tiffanymcclure
#3 My Friend Just Texted "Adopted A Dog Yesterday".... With This Pic
Image credits: slabcobot
It goes without saying these days that pet adoption and rescue is the way to go if you’re in the market for an animal companion who would nibble on your couch but would in turn love you more than any human could.
We won’t dive into why shopping for pets is less than ideal but rather will focus on the 920,000+ reasons why there ought to be more adoption.
#4 My Husband Couldn't Have Pets Growing Up. When We Bought Our First House I Got Him A Little Surprise
Image credits: MaggieTheMoggy
#5 My Rescue Cat Assuring My Recently Adopted Pup That She Will Be All Right And Is Now In A Home Full Of Love
Image credits: logannicole_xo
#6 I Adopted The Saddest Looking Cat At The Shelter Three Years Ago
Image credits: Tiffix
The aforementioned 920,000 number was actually how many dogs and cats were euthanized annually in the past several years. This is actually an improvement on the 2.6 million who were euthanized back in 2011. Luckily, the number declined.
And it’s statistically more likely that this number included a bigger proportion of cats than it did dogs.
#7 Today, I Adopted Two 8 Week Old Kittens Who Are Brothers. I Originally Applied For One But When I Got The Call About Being Accepted To Adopt, I Was Asked If I Wanted To Adopt The Brothers Together Because The People Adopting His Brother Backed Out. Meet Kingston And Derby!
Image credits: lukas120
#8 Rescued Good Girl Wants All The Love
Image credits: UnlikelyFix
#9 My Cat Had Anxiety Issues, So We Adopted A Little Sister For Him
Image credits: lackingdaisiez
In context, the U.S. is estimated to have roughly 90.5 million homes, or 70% of the total number of households that own a pet. Among these, there are more dog owners than there are cat owners.
The good news is that there are about 4.1 million animals that end up adopted from shelters each year, with more stray dogs than cats returning to their actual owners per year. So, the ball is definitely rolling.
#10 Khemjira Klongsanun Found An Abandoned Puppy On The Road Side In Thailand Whilst Running A Marathon, Carrying It For 19 Miles To The Finish Line And Adopting It. That Puppy Is Now All Grown Up!
Image credits: elch3w
#11 On Our Way Home From Adopting Her. Like Father Like Daughter
Image credits: Noxcaelum_
#12 This Is Ruger. We Rescued Him In August. He Was Found In A Box On The Side Of The Road. No Fault Of His Own. This Poor Boy Would Have Died. I Can't Even Think Of It Without Crying. He Is Now One Of Our Children And Will Never Go Anywhere Else
Image credits: Blendedmom520
However, the fact that there are still around a million dogs and cats who get euthanized annually means that there isn’t enough adoption and population control happening.
It’s not to say that things aren’t happening. The leap from 2010 to 2022 of the number of households that owned pets was 14 million—73 to 87 million. But more has to be done.
#13 Had To Say Goodbye To Becker. Adopted Him At 18 Because He Needed A Final Home And He Surprised Us By Being The Most Loving Cat That Ever Lived. Never Missed An Opportunity To Get Pets And Would Always Greet You At The Door. I Don't Think He Ever Stopped Purring. #adoptdontshop
Image credits: abstoler
#14 Harvey’s Skinny Body Was Found Abandoned In A Ditch, Soaking Wet, And Dotted With Cigarette Burns. He Was Infested With Fleas, Anemic, And Starving. One Look At His Little Face And I Knew Had To Adopt Him. Fast Forward 5 Years, He’s Now A Confident, Happy, Healthy Boi With A Career In Modelling
Image credits: olivealexander
#15 My Dog, Who Has Never Liked Cats, Adopted My Bottle Baby Foster Kitten. She Adopted Him Too, I Think
Image credits: reddit.com
Folks consider the decline in euthanizing shelter animals to be a hopeful sign. One of the main factors for this decline is adoption and stray animal-owner reunions. However, when the minimum required period to keep an animal in a shelter is as low as 48 hours, with the typical being 5 to 7 days, time is of the essence. Also, just 5 states—California, Florida, Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina—alone are responsible for half of the euthanasia.
#16 Frankie Was Born With Four Ears And An Eye Deformity But He’s Still Purrfect
Image credits: Missy-Andry
#17 As A Single Dad, I Had To Put My Foot Down And Tell My Seven Year Old Daughter That There Was No Way She Was Getting A Dog For Chanukah, No Matter How Much She Asked. Anyway, Meet Waffle
Image credits: skydivinghuman
#18 Charlie! He Was My Sober Gift To Myself. 130 Days Alcohol Free Today :)
Image credits: jreynol5
There are, of course, no-kill shelters who keep animals around indefinitely, with the exception of the ones who are terminally ill or suffer from poor quality of life. However, they do go out of their way to make sure every animal finds a forever home and the no-kill shelter count has actually increased over the years, which is another hopeful sign on the matter.
#19 Adopted Her Today! Finally Peeking Out Of The Couch
Image credits: lipglosssed
#20 This Cat Was Abandoned And This Is His Photo Minutes After Being Rescued
Image credits: beccilouise96
#21 My Mom Meeting Her Dream Kitten For The First Time Today!
Image credits: crazyt123
In just 6 years, the number of no-kill shelters in the U.S. has more than doubled, jumping from 24% to 57% between 2016 and 2022.
This in turn means that 42% of counties in the U.S. are officially no-kill zones for pets, and 93% of all no-kill shelters have managed to sustain their goals of not euthanizing animals in 2021.
#22 These Two Were Adopted 3 Years Apart From Different Cities. A Dna Test Revealed That They Are Long Lost Siblings!
Image credits: Sparklesandfur
#23 We Rescued A Terrified Australian Shepherd As A Friend For Our Dog. Now He Doesn't Leave His Side
Image credits: tiffanysonreddit
#24 Meet Lucy. Our 5 Year Old, Recently Adopted Spaz With A Zest For Life And A Need For Constant Belly Rubs. I Hope She Makes Someone Smile
Image credits: sammy_sweets
A huge chunk of cases of adoption are attributed to the need for companionship. 47% of families who adopted pets reported that they wanted a pet and so they got one, with 25% specifying that they wanted a friend. 47% said that it was just the right time and circumstance to finally adopt as they were spending more time indoors.
#25 Colby = Biggest Love Muffin Ever. ? All He Wants Is Pets. ...but People Are Usually Afraid Of Him. So, He'll Just Stare At You In Adoration Until You Pet Him. Rescue Doggo
Image credits: KarinaJean
#26 Adopted This Sweet Baby Boy Today. His Name Is Pickles!
Image credits: hamhars
#27 The Way Our New Puppy Looked At Me The Whole Ride To Her New Home Melted My Heart
Image credits: just-a-redditor-
One of the bigger reasons why folks don’t opt for having pets at all is the amount of responsibility it entails. And much of it leans on the cost of having a pet. Luckily, there’s a thing called pet insurance (no, it’s not like volcano insurance), which can have reimbursements of up to 90%. So, no more oopsie daisies off the shelf when making that impossible jump, Mr. Whiskers.
#28 I Didn’t Know Cats Could Have Such A Wide Range Of Emotion Until I Adopted Leonardo Dicatprio
Image credits: averygillisart
#29 We Rescued This Little Guy From The Streets. His Face Can Melt Hearts
Image credits: MisterOrang
#30 My Grandmother (87) With Her Newly Adopted Senior Peanut (14) On Their Way Home From Foster Care Today ?
Image credits: reddit.com
So, if you need more goodness of the animal adoption variety, you’re welcome. But if it’s time to go offline and maybe enjoy your own pets for now, then why not share some of your takes and stories in the comment section below!
#31 Just Adopted This Dude. His Name Is Tucker And He Is Good Boye
Image credits: TheBelowIsFalse
#32 Girlfriend And I Adopted A Puppy, Meet Scarlet Batdog :)
Image credits: cato11087
#33 Lolita’s First Night At Home!
Image credits: jela_03
#34 He Was A Rescue. A Runt. Probably Blind, Deaf, Won't Make It Very Long, They Told Me. Well, Happy 10th Birthday, Buddy
Image credits: JohnRalphEmery
#35 After Adopting Our First Cat Everyone Prepared Us For A Nervous And Timid First Few Weeks, This Was Our Sweet Boy 30 Minutes Later
Image credits: juliacodes
#36 This Cat Adopted A Puppy
Image credits: reddit.com
#37 Charlie Before And After His Adoption
Image credits: russev
#38 Abbi Learned How To Walk Upstairs Alone & She’s Very Proud Of Herself
Image credits: marble69
#39 Couldn’t Decide A Name So I Just Kept Calling Her Little. So Meet Little!
Image credits: vinsomm
#40 The Love Of A Rescue Dog
Image credits: HunterSaysWhat
#41 Adopted Him Last Week From A Shelter. I Think He's Happy About It
Image credits: itosssalads123
#42 Karen And Kevin. Adopt, Don’t Shop. :)
Image credits: reddit.com
#43 My Wife And I Were Warned About Adopting A Second Cat. Within A Few Days, The Older One (Brown) Was Snuggling, Grooming, And Spending Every Minute With Her
Image credits: s_dandylion
#44 The Day I Adopted Her
Image credits: cheshirechris28
#45 Rescued Him From The Streets. Vet Visit Was Great Despite Skin Issues
Image credits: Kep23
#46 My GF Wanted To Adopt A Kitten, I Said Not Now. As Compromise Here's The Kitten
Image credits: Folsky
#47 My Girlfriend Has This Rescued Cat, And I Think She's Cute
Image credits: ahmedzei
#48 I Think I Adopted A Vampire
Image credits: rachar2187
#49 Lots Of Strange Things Happening In The World Lately. Adopted This Rescue Kitty Today To Help Make Both Our Lives Better
Image credits: TheWhiteBobbyJindal
#50 Adopted This Guy A Week Ago. Was Scared Of Everything, But Decided To Trust Me. Four Days Later, And He Is A Very Good Boy With His Very First Own Squeaky Toy ❤️
Image credits: wild_northerner
