“[It was] as if he had known her his whole life” 😍💕
Kelsey Gilland and her husband were looking for a cone for one of their dogs when they decided to check if they have any adoptable cats that day. The pair hadn’t gone to PetSmart in a while because of COVID-19, but they were happy to discover two gorgeous kitties hanging out that day. They merely intended to look, but their dog Paisleigh had other ideas.
Paisleigh fell in love with one of the cats, Oliver, the moment she saw him. The immediate best friends interacted via the glass and seemed to have an instant connection.
“When I watched how they responded together, my husband looked at me and asked, ‘Babe, isn’t it an orange cat you’ve been wanting?’ ‘YES!’ shouted everything in me. ‘Please, take him home!'”
Gilland, however, was concerned about how Oliver would fit in with the family’s two other cats, so the three departed PetSmart without Oliver, much to Paisleigh’s chagrin.
Gilland couldn’t stop thinking about Oliver that night. He and Paisleigh’s connection had been so magical that she began to believe he was supposed to be a part of their family.
“I dreamed about that adorable kitten all night, and when I woke up… “I went back to PetSmart to check if he was still there,” Gilland explained. “My hubby was completely on board. We suited up and headed to PetSmart, taking our own kennel since we knew we’d be bringing him home if he was still there.”
Oliver, thankfully, was still there and eligible for adoption. Because to COVID-19, the couple was unable to see Oliver before adopting him, but they concluded it didn’t matter. They followed Paisleigh’s intuition and brought him home.
They let Oliver out of his box as soon as they arrived home so he could meet Paisleigh in person — and the duo were just as in love as they’d been at PetSmart the day before.
“Oliver came immediately out of his cage and over to Paisleigh without hesitation, as if he had known her his entire life,” Gilland explained. “At first, she simply wanted to lick all over him, but he didn’t seem to mind. He was purring incessantly. They snuggled in bed with me for the next four hours before we brought the other animals in to greet.”
Any concerns the parents had about Oliver fitting in with the rest of the family quickly vanished. Their other dogs instantly welcomed him as a pack member, and Paisleigh was pleased that her parents had listened to her and brought Oliver home. She had a feeling she and Oliver were destined to be together.
“He is so sweet and cuddling and has so many of Paisleigh’s features that it’s ridiculous,” Gilland added. “It’s like they were designed for each other.”
Paisleigh adores her brother Oliver, and her parents are pleased that they took her to PetSmart that day so she could pick their newest family member by mistake.