Cat shelter near Melbourne, Victoria ... Adopt a rescue cat from Ingrid's Haven

Dear Ingrid,

I have to admit it was with some trepidation as well as excitement that we drove to your Haven to choose a cat. We were very much looking forward to adopting a cat to love but there was such an unknown element about the cats we were to meet. It was also my first time to own a cat and I had no real idea what it would be like. But all I can say a few weeks later is that it has completely exceeded expectations.

We found Jonathan in your Haven - a boisterous tabby of two years with pure white socks and a chesty white mane. In his new home, we have called him Isaac (as in Newton, first because of the intelligent manner in which he adapted to our house, but later, as he began to show many silly moments, the name became endearingly ironic).

Isaac

As we have got to know Isaac over time, we have discovered a spunky, curious, affectionate, playful and often humorously silly cat. From the first night, he snuggled into bed with us to sleep on David’s chest and purred like a Harley.

We have enjoyed watching him leap into airborne positions to play with his patched pink mouse and bat around bouncy balls as if playing soccer. No cupboard has been left unexplored or un-rummaged-around with many thuds. For inexplicable reasons, he enjoys drinking shower water, watching you shower and waiting for you outside the bathroom door.

And he is completely perplexed by our wall-length mirrors, including the cat behind it who looks like him and walks like him but can never be found to play with. He has stood nose-to-nose with the cat in the mirror and meowed at it, trying to understand why it doesn’t meow back. He hasn’t worked it out yet and is puzzled by this on a daily basis.

From the first night in his new home, he also impressed us with his immaculate training. We were expecting a few initial 'accidents', but despite his palpable fear and skittishness at being in an unknown house, he used the kitty litter without being told from the very first night. But as we should have known, as you later told us Ingrid: “What do you expect? He’s one of my cats."

Isaac

He has long and vigorous bouts with his scratching post but has never once taken to mauling our new sofas. We kept him inside for the first few days to acclimatise him to his new home, and despite being cooped up for hours, he never once broke or chewed anything in our house.

Ingrid, we have come to love Isaac, and he has come to love us. We particularly enjoy his many moods, ranging from indulgently sleepy, rambunctiously playful (which involves tearing around the house like lightning) to the 'I need to be alone' phase.

In turn, Isaac has taken to our home as if he has always lived in it. As you can see, he has found his forever home.

Your honest tips on the different personalities of each cat at your haven helped us to pick just the right cat for us.

Isaac

We get sad sometimes thinking of the life he must have had when abandoned and before he was rescued. We also get sad thinking of the many other cats who go through similar ordeals. We think the work you do in saving their lives and finding new homes for them makes such a difference. Please keep up your inspirational work. As we have learnt from the sign we saw in your cat shed “Happiness is Being Owned by a Cat” and we hope that many more people find that out too.