KitKat was found as a stray kitten by my girlfriend and her sister back in 2006 when they were kids. That day, they had been fishing in a pond across the street from their house in the Virginia mountains. Once they were done, they talked with the neighbors who mentioned they had been putting food out for a stray orange kitten who had no fur on the tip of his tail. According to them, his family had recently died in a flood and he was the only one left. The girls immediately had a mind to take him in. Their dad said no, but they ended up sneaking him home in a black duffle bag, and raising him in secret for a few days in the basement of the house. This basement was also the bedroom of their other sister who agreed to keep the secret as well. Of course, when their dad inevitably found out he wasn't pleased; but he quickly grew to love the cat as well. Unfortunately their mom did declaw him- back then it wasn't as widely known how horrible of a thing that is to do to a cat as it is now (she has said she regrets it and wouldn't do it again). Thankfully he has still been able to live a rich and full life with what he has, and is very well taken care of. He is about 16 years old now as of 2022, and has been with my girlfriend since she was 10 years old. At some point along the way, he did grow fur on the end of his tail, and it's the only part of his body where the fur grows white.

I'm happy to say KitKat accepted me into their family after we met, and we've been bros for about 7 years now. He is incredibly soft, gentle, and polite - you will never see him knock anything over (not because he was trained- that's simply the way he is). He seems to have a natural respect for things. He is that kind of cat who will come lay on you when you're feeling sick or sad, and I fully believe in the power of his purrs to cure what ails you (or at least make you feel a lot better about feeling bad). He's just about the orangest cat you will ever see, and he enjoys spending his time napping, snuggling, laying on my gf's chest if available, and lounging about outside. There is a cushy chair on our porch that is all his, and he'll sit out there and watch the day like the best of old men.