• Teresa Bates had asked for an orange and white cat for Mother’s Day, so her family planned to get her one.
• It wasn’t long before a stray cat — which was orange and white — showed up in their home!
• It took a while for the cat to warm up and consider himself part of the family, but he definitely picked Teresa as his human since the beginning.

A’Lana Bates and her dad wanted to prepare early for Mother’s Day last year, so they asked her mom Teresa what she wanted as early as January. Her request was an orange and white cat.

Why the specific answer? It turns out that an orange and white stray cat showed up near their home back in the early nineties. Carmel was “the best cat,” said A’Lana.

“A couple years after she died, we adopted an orange and white barn cat we called Spooky, who was simply a joy,” A’Lana told The Dodo. “He died in 2008 and Mom has been wanting another.”

They thought they’d fulfill her sweet request when Mother’s Day came, but it ended up coming true much earlier.

It had only been a few weeks after Teresa shared her wish when a stray orange and white cat sought shelter in their yard during a rainstorm.

They were certainly surprised by the coincidence. At first, the stray cat was “very rough-and-tumble” and only wanted to be brought food and water. Even after he eventually came inside the house, nobody could touch him.

The cat kept coming and going for several months while the family tried to gain his trust. Finally, he made himself part of the family.

He now accepts pets, and he loves it! But if they pet him too long, he gives a warning bite.

A’Lana said only her mom is allowed to pick him up. He’s definitely her cat more than anyone else’s. So they named him Tom, which playfully stands for “Teresa’s Orange Monster.”

He may have his favorite human, but everyone loves him all the same.

A’Lana shared, “I am pretty sure the moment he showed up, my folks knew they were keeping him.” 

Tom showed up at the perfect time. He was needed and wanted, and while it took a while for him to warm up to everyone, his new family is so grateful for his arrival.

Source: The Dodo