In August 2023 we said goodbye to our former cat, Smudge. We had adopted Smudge as an older kitten, and he had been with us for many years. Without his presence, our home felt quite empty.

While researching available rescue cats, I stumbled on a YouTube channel called The Cat Butler, which features the experiences of two beautiful flame-point Ragdolls. I learned about the friendly disposition of the Ragdoll breed and became curious . . .

Lo and behold, a flame-point Ragdoll mix named Bridgette was available for adoption through Specialty Purebred Cat Rescue. The first photo is from her original listing, and it stole my heart. I discussed Bridgette with my partner, and we agreed to submit an application for adoption.

We were lucky to adopt our new girl in October 2023, so this success story celebrates her one-year anniversary with us.

When we brought her home to the Chicago suburbs, we renamed her Yuki, which is the Japanese word for snow. She is like a fluffy snow-bear whose flame-point facial markings look like rouge.

We learned that Yuki had been previously adopted by a family that already had a female cat, and unfortunately, it was not a good match, since Yuki did not want to compete for her owners’ attention. So, in our home, Yuki can be the “only child,” and that’s how she likes it!

Yuki is true to the Ragdoll temperament in her loving disposition. When we return from errands, she greets us at the door by flopping on her side and stretching her paws, as if to say, “Please pet me!” She has made many new friends with visitors to our home, and she shares her love by roaming from lap to lap.

Since I work in a home office, Yuki is my workday companion. She spends a lot of time on my desk, where she can look out the front window at birds and squirrels while occasionally enjoying a massage.

At night she comes to bed with me and my partner. Although we offered her a cat bed, she prefers to sleep with her daddies. She craves human affection and responds with deep purrs.

We want to express sincere appreciation to Kirsten Kranz, who did a wonderful job of fostering Yuki and preparing her for adoption. Kirsten has a great heart for animal welfare and provided a lot of great tips and suggestions.

We are happy to report that Yuki has found her forever home and will never be walking the city streets again. We love our little snow princess!