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When I moved out of the dorms and into an apartment for my junior year of college, I tried to bring our elderly family cat with me. I was devastated when she began going outside the litter box, and the veterinarian recommended returning her to familiar surroundings. She was happier at home with my parents, so there was nothing I could do but donate her food and litter to the local shelter.

Photo: Jamie Dimacchia

I did not want to feel as though I was replacing my first cat, so I almost did not look inside the cages. Then a high-pitched, sorrowful squeal caught my attention. I turned the corner and saw a shelter worker talking through the bars, trying to soothe a small, all-white kitten with enormous blue eyes.

Those blue eyes met mine, and the squealing instantly stopped.

The worker thought the kitten might be deaf because deafness is common among all-white, blue-eyed cats. She also had a urinary tract infection and needed special wet food and medication to prevent another infection. Her adoption fee was not cheap because she was still considered a kitten, even though she was older than every other kitten there.

I did not care. The moment she saw me and calmed down, I knew I had to bring her home. When I saw her, I calmed down too.

I named her after the one city I had wanted to visit but never reached during my study-abroad adventures in Italy: Verona.

“My fair Verona” still squeals loudly at times, but now she does it because she wants treats or attention. She knows that all she has to do is squeal and I will come running. Since the day I found her crying in that shelter, that is exactly what I have always done.

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Story submitted by Jamie Dimacchia from Cleveland, OH.

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!