This 6-month-old kitty was taken in by my mother. “Kitty” was living with a lady who has a very short temper. She also has young children, and at the time, my mom was only somewhat acquainted with her. However, she could already tell that something was not right.

On multiple occasions, she had seen this lady’s children pick Kitty up by the tail or drag her around by it, with no one asking them to stop. She had seen the woman hit the cat on the face, and finally, to her shock, she even saw her pick Kitty up and throw her down a flight of stairs.

These violent reactions were provoked by nothing more than simple things any young cat would do, like jumping on a counter, or accidentally knocking something over.

One day, my mom heard that this woman was furious at Kitty for knocking a keepsake off a shelf and breaking it. Knowing the types of punishments Kitty would suffer for this, she did what any compassionate person would want to do: she offered to adopt Kitty. Hours later, Kitty was out of that house an on to a better life.

This weekend, I am babysitting my mom’s animals, and I love spending time with Kitty. She has only been out of that house for a few weeks now, but she is already coming out of her shell. I move carefully around her because sudden movements cause her to flinch back as if expecting a slap to the face. Yet, she has started purring around us and no longer hides.

She gets on our laps and plays with her new toys. Kitty is so full of charm, playfulness, and love, I can’t imagine how anyone would want to hurt her, let alone any animal. Nevertheless, it makes me so happy knowing that she will never, ever be hit again. Only loved.

Despite the pain she has suffered at the hands of people, she is still willing to give others a chance. If that isn’t inspiring, I don’t know what is!

Story submitted by Luna from Newport, Oregon.