She Wanted a Gentle Cat For Her Little Daughter and Blind Dog, Then She Met Papaya!
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When Desiree lost her cat Nibbler unexpectedly in 2019, the grief was overwhelming. A few months later, she felt ready to welcome another feline companion into her home, but this time she had specific requirements.
With a blind dog named Roscoe and a disabled daughter who wasn't quite four years old, she needed a cat with a gentle, affectionate temperament. A feisty kitten simply wouldn't do.
Scrolling through a local shelter's website, Desiree came across a photo of Papaya.
The orange cat bore a striking resemblance to a pregnant stray she had been feeding months earlier—one she'd helped rescue by calling the shelter to find homes for the cat and her kittens.
When Desiree and her family visited the shelter in a nearby town, they learned something remarkable: Papaya had also come in as a pregnant stray and had given birth to her kittens just a few months before.
Though they weren't the same cat, the parallels felt meaningful.
The shelter staff reassured them that Papaya was "great with dogs, great with people, great with kids, just not like other cats."
Since they didn't have any other felines at home, this wasn't a concern. They took her home that day, and within hours, it was clear she belonged with them.
Roscoe, their blind dog, seemed completely at ease. Before the day was over, he and Papaya were lying side by side on the bed.
Papaya quickly revealed her playful nature. She could transform almost anything into entertainment—a leaf, a plastic bag, or one of Desiree's hair ties that she'd steal and "swat through the house" until they disappeared forever.
Yet when it came to actual cat toys, Papaya proved surprisingly particular. Despite Desiree's many purchases over the years, most were met with complete disinterest.
Her laser pointer, however, was a different story entirely. Papaya would chase the red dot until she was physically exhausted, then sit and watch it intently.
If someone dared to turn it off, she would meow persistently "for the next half an hour or so," demanding its return.
Combined with her beloved tunnel, the laser pointer created what Desiree called "the ultimate entertainment for Papaya and for my family because she gets really crazy and it's super funny to watch."
But Papaya wasn't just playful—she was quirky and more than a little obsessive. Food topped her list of fixations, whether it was her own kibble, Roscoe's dinner, or anything on a human's plate, particularly meat.
"If you're eating something that happens to be something that she also wants, you have to be very careful and watch your plate," shared Desiree with We Love Cats and Kittens, "because if you look away, she will take that opportunity to most likely try to steal your food."
Another inexplicable obsession was the garage. Though Papaya had only been inside a handful of times after sneaking through an open door, she remained fixated on it, either attempting escape or meowing plaintively at the entrance.
Her most endearing quirk, however, traced back to her shelter days. At night, the shelter staff would let Papaya roam freely, and she'd curl up to sleep in the bottom drawer of a worker's desk.
This habit followed her home. Now she routinely opened Desiree's dresser drawers and nightstand with her paw, sometimes pulling clothes out, sometimes napping inside.
"It's really impressive to watch her open the drawer with her little paw," Desiree said. "And it's actually really funny and cute to walk into my bedroom and see the drawers open and be like, well, Papaya must have been here again."
Desiree describes Papaya's personality as "sweet but sassy." She's affectionate and friendly, gravitating immediately toward any visitor and demanding to be the center of attention.
With children, especially Desiree's daughter, she's remarkably gentle—never scratching or biting despite years of interaction.
But Papaya is also an orange cat, and she completely embraces the stereotype!
She'll sprint through the house at full speed for no apparent reason, yowl at the top of her lungs while everyone sleeps, and occasionally walk up to Roscoe just to slap him in the face before running away—safe in the knowledge that the blind dog can't chase her.
"Yes, she's an orange cat," Desiree laughs. "So she's got that wild side. But for the most part, I'd say it's 90% sweet, 10% wild."
Desiree's favorite memory came just days after the adoption. Her daughter had been struggling to sleep ever since a recent illness that required oxygen treatment for several weeks.
One night, desperate for rest, Desiree and her husband brought their daughter into their bedroom and made her a makeshift bed.
When the little girl lay down, Papaya curled up at her feet and stayed there all night. That night, Desiree's daughter slept better than she had in at least a month.
"I was so amazed," Desiree recalls. "I felt like this cat was meant to be with us. She had found us at the perfect time.
She was such a great fit for our family. She was so gentle and loving and just felt like the cat distribution system, as they call it, had done its work and she was where she was meant to be."
Indeed, Papaya had found her forever home—drawers, laser pointers, and all.
Check her out in the video below:
A big thank you to Desiree for sharing Papaya's story with us.
You can see more of this delightful kitty on Instagram
Related story: They Lost Their Beloved Cat – Then a Miracle Kitten Showed Up Looking Just Like Him!
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