My name is Nancy C. and we have had the most heartbreaking year. In three short months, we lost four of our beloved pets. First, we lost our elder Beagle, Betty, then one month later, our beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Ivy, to CHF. We had a break for less than three months before we lost both our elder Maine Coons, Lacey, and Christian just sixteen days apart. One week after losing our massive Christian, I was awake at night crying and grieving because he slept with me every night. He was the only thing I had left to sleep with me in bed. As I laid there, a received a middle of the night text message from a friend who saw 14-month-old King Louis (rescued from a breeder) at your rescue, and he was up for adoption. I quickly completed the application knowing that there would be hundreds of worthy applicants. I shared my story with you all and soon thereafter, I received the call that I was being considered.

We were told he had some aggression issues because of his past, was quite a handful, needed to put some weight on, could only be in a one cat home, and was even aggressive towards dogs. Knowing my experience with Maine Coons and animals in general, I knew he would do fine with us and even with our large dogs… our 2-year-old German Shepherd, Maddie, and our 2.5-year-old English Crème Retriever, Luca, both of whom grew up with cats.

We were ultimately selected to be King Louis new family and from the moment we let him out of his carrier, we knew all would be fine. He adjusted and settled in extremely fast and far ahead of any projected schedule. Larger dogs seemed to be what he needed, and he quickly bonded to them so much so, we believe he thinks he’s one of the pack. Now, he jumps on them, and grabs them as they pass by and he and Maddie love to chase each other around the kitchen island. Funniest thing I’ve ever seen in such an unlikely duo.

He hates to be alone. He tries to trip us walking to the door so we cannot leave. He yells at us when we return (screams at us), loves to tell us about his day, follows us absolutely everywhere, and expects to be the center of attention in any room at all times (well, of course, he is!). We entertain a lot of company, and he is the first to greet everyone with his chatter, butterfly sounds, and leg spinning demands for head and back rubs. Every person who meets him agrees he is by far the sweetest, most outgoing, and has the most personality of any cat they have ever known. Add to it all, he’s quite the showstopper with his polydactyl self, stunning blue eyes, and massive presence. Truly one of a kind.

We bought him a harness and he enjoys daily walks, especially down to the beach and the docks where we live on Lake Hartwell. We had a large, enclosed cat pen made and he loves the sights and smells as we play in the yard with the dogs, and he watches perched like the king he is. Too, we have an outside feral kitty… aptly named “Kitty” that he enjoys chatting to and spending time with on his walkabouts.

He has grown even more, and as most Maine Coons do, will continue to grow for a while longer, has put on a ton of weight and that is no surprise… he eats more than any cat I have ever seen.

King Louis has been such a blessing and a source of comfort; his timing could not be more perfect, and we are as lucky to have him as we believe he is to have found us. Most importantly, I have something once again to snuggle with every night. My better half, Tommy, is completely in love with King Louis and often says, “We hit the jackpot with this one!”.

Thank you to everyone at Maine Coon Rescue for your wonderful work with these precious souls in need, for matching them with the right families, and a special thanks to Amy, his foster mom, that so unselfishly prepared and loved him until it was time for him to go to his forever home.