Some wonderful stories.
I will stick with the two current ones, otherwise I will be here for ages with all 8 of them!!
Molly had been at the rescue in the April I started fostering for them (can't remember how long she had already been there), and she was quite aggressive then, it sounded like she needed a home environment, so I offered, but she was so bad getting her in a carrier to bring her to me didn't seem fair. Then I got bogged down with fosters, so she spent the summer there. Come December, she was sleeping all the time, barely eating and moving, and the rescue didn't think she had long left, so I offered to take her to give her a home environment for what time she did have left. The rescue lady dind't think it was fair on her, but I was there that weekend taking photo's, and she sat on my knee, went to sleep and wouldn't move, so I was allowed to bring her home. 18 months later, she is still a happy, healthy cat, who loves to sleep under the duvet with her mum, and complains if she doesn't get what she wants!!
Tiger came to me via my vets, her owner had rang asking for an appointment for her to be pts cos she was too much bother. They obviously said no and rang me!! Despite being up to 5 (my comfortable limit), I couldnt' let her be pts, so I picked her up the day after!! She too was initially a foster, but when Pebbles died, it seemed daft not to keep her, she doesn't really like people, hates change and ran from most people, so finding her a home probably wouldnt have happened. She has started being more affectionate this week, I had a friend round last night and she even sat on his knee twice (got moved the first time), and mine once, so maybe she is a man's cat. But, last August when she came, she wouldnt' entertain sitting on people, yet this week has sat on people about 4 times, and each time has only moved cos she has been made to, so we are making progress with her too.
Makes me very proud when you see how well they are doing, and knowing that both might not be alive today otherwise.