When LaRae Stevens and her daughter wandered into the adoptable cats section at PetSmart last October, they weren’t planning to bring a cat home that day.
For years, the mother-daughter pair had dreamed about adopting, but not everyone in the family was ready for a new pet.
So, they settled for occasional visits — a chance to admire the cats and imagine what it might be like someday.
But that day, one cat had other plans.
As they walked past the rows of glass enclosures, a tabby named Missy stood tall on her hind legs, pressing her paws against the glass to greet them. She basked in their soft words of admiration, her eyes fixed on them with quiet hope.
Then, as they began to move on, Missy panicked.
The lonely cat began scratching desperately at the glass, her paws tapping louder and faster, as though begging the pair not to walk away. When Stevens’ daughter stepped back toward her, Missy’s urgency grew stronger, her message unmistakable: Please, take me with you.
“As soon as she started doing this, I instantly knew we had to have her,” Stevens later wrote.
You can watch that moment here:
Stevens and her daughter were smitten — but there was still one hurdle: her husband, who had been reluctant about adopting. Yet, once he saw how deeply Missy connected with their daughter, his hesitation melted away.
Before leaving the store, they filled out an adoption application, even though Missy had already been waiting two weeks and might’ve had other applicants. “It was worth a shot,” Stevens recalled.
They left with hopeful hearts — and just a few hours later, the call came.
“I [got] a call from the [humane] society that we were approved!” Stevens wrote. “My daughter and I instantly started crying … we were in shock, over the moon excited.”
You can see Missy sleeping in her new home here:
That very afternoon, Missy went home with her new family. She settled in effortlessly, as though she’d been waiting her whole life for them.
“She never leaves my side,” Stevens shared.
Nearly six months later, Missy is thriving. Whether she’s curled up in her mom’s lap, chasing toys across the living room, or helping her young human “procrastinate” on schoolwork, her days are now filled with comfort and love.
“Missy is the best addition to our family,” Stevens wrote. “We could not ask for a better rescue cat. She is perfect.”
