In July 2011 I came home to find a tiny, dirty, mangy cat curled up in front of my garage door. She ran a few feet away but came right back when I spoke to her. She made herself at home in my garage and it was clear she was not leaving. My pet sitter helped me get her in a carrier the next day and I took her to the vet as a stray as I wasn’t sure I wanted another cat. Nobody claimed her and the vet told me she was already spayed, so she definitely belonged to someone at one time. She tested clean and after a few days I picked her up. The mange was already much improved and I set her up in the spare bedroom. She didn’t like to be touched but if I put my finger out she’d hold her nose against the tip and not move. If I sat on the floor she would rub and head butt me all ‘round. I also discovered her previous owner had declawed her! A declawed stray who somehow managed to stay alive! I put an ad in the paper and fliers up but I knew nobody was going to come for her so I tried to figure out her name. No ‘white cat name’ I could think of gave any result until I said “Diamond”. She seemed to like “Diamond” a lot. Due to her scruffy look and tentative nature, I named her “Diamond In The Rough” and almost 5 years later, she is still tiny, still hates the vet’s with a passion and is the snuggliest cat I’ve ever had – and I’ve had some snugglers! She is also extremely protective. We are both so glad we found each other that night!

Anonymous
glens falls, NY