A successful adoption story for the Plutto family and their new cat Pebbles

THE WOODLANDS, Texas — A little over a month ago, a cat named Pebbles — formerly known as Lovey — was adopted into the Plutto family. Her owner, Noel, and her two children, Elizabeth and William discussed the adoption process and Pebbles' new life with her forever family.

The Pluttos had previously only been dog owners. The push to adopt a cat came from Elizabeth.

“That was mainly my decision. I really wanted a cat for a while,” Elizabeth said. “We were going to go down the puppy route, but we were afraid that our 11-year-old dog would not be okay with the puppy and all its energy, so we thought a cat was a better option.”

Once the family settled on the idea of getting a cat, the search for the perfect fit began.

“When we knew we wanted to adopt a cat, we knew we wanted to go through a foster program, and we went with Operation Pets Alive because they have a huge presence in the community. They’re always out there doing a lot of adoption events, so we were interested in working with them,” Noel said. “We e-mailed the organization and told them what we were looking for, and they had several cats to choose from, but we thought Pebbles would be a really good fit based on what we were looking for, which was an adult cat that was used to dogs but not necessarily wanting to play with the dog. It worked out really well.”

The Plutto family wanted to open their home to an older cat because, more often than not, kittens are quickly adopted. The Pluttos wanted to make sure that Pebbles wasn’t left out and that she found a home just like all of the kittens before her.

“We wanted a rescue cat for sure — specifically an adult. Kittens are typically the first to be snatched up. Actually, we understand that when she came into the Montgomery County Animal Shelter, she came in as about an 8-or-10-month-old with a bunch of kittens," Noel said. "Of course, all of the kittens got adopted quickly and poor Pebbles, who was then Lovey, was left behind. She was in the foster program a little over a year, and we just felt she deserved a good home.”

However, it seemed that along with being an older cat, Pebbles' shyness deterred some potential owners.

“She apparently didn’t show really well at adoption events and would hide under her blanket,” Noel said. “Good for us, I guess, because we ended up with her.”

Despite her initial bashfulness, the Pluttos said that Pebbles is quickly warming up to her new home.

“When we first got her, she would not come out of the laundry room. That’s where we first put her. We introduced her with all of the doors shut and just the laundry room,” William said. “And now we’ll find her upstairs, on my bed completely passed out, upside down. I think she’s gone a long way from where we first started.”

For the full interview and a look into Pebbles' life in her new home, check out the video here. For more information about adopting from Operation Pets Alive, visit their website at operationpetsalive.org. Read OPA's blogs announcing their July cats and dog of the month.