When Catherine C. moved to Los Angeles for grad school, she knew she wanted to adopt a cat. Unfortunately, her first L.A. apartment didn’t allow pets and she had roommates who were severely allergic, putting her search for a feline BFF on hold.

Finally, the time came for Catherine to look for her own apartment—one that allowed pets.

“Apartment hunting was stressful. I spent a lot of time looking at cats up for adoption while I was apartment hunting as a reminder of why I was going through the stress of moving by myself,” says Catherine.

About a month before Catherine moved, she was browsing PetFinder when she came across Ketchup.

“I screenshotted her profile and sent it to my brother saying, ‘Oh my god, this cat's name is Ketchup, that's hilarious!’” recalls Catherine.

Ketchup was part of a bonded pair with her sister, Luna, meaning that the two had to go to a home together. At this point, the inseparable besties had been in our care seven months, likely overlooked because of the fact that they came in a pair. Many adopters don’t often realize the benefits of adopting a bonded pair or come into an adoption situation with preconceived notions and expectations. But fortunately for Ketchup and Luna, Catherine came to us with an open mind and heart.

“What’s better than one cat? Two cats,” says Catherine. “I initially planned on adopting an adult cat rather than a kitten, but wasn't considering a pair. At some point when I was browsing through cats on PetFinder, I thought, why not get two? Since I was looking for adult cats, I felt that finding a pair that was already bonded meant I wouldn’t have to worry about introducing them to each other. I also know that it can be harder for rescue organizations to find homes for adult cats, and I was sure it's probably even harder to find an adopter for two adults. I wanted to give a home to a pair that needed it.”

Catherine still had a month before she moved into her apartment, but she’d found the cats she knew she was meant to be with. So, from that moment on, she constantly, “compulsively” checked to see if Luna and Ketchup were still available. Luckily, after that month the two were still looking for a home. Catherine added a pet addendum to her lease and put in an adoption application for them as soon as she was able.

Just days after submitting an application, Catherine heard back from our adoption team in L.A. and was able to get more information about the pair, their needs and what the adoption process would look like. Then, a Zoom ^® call was set up between Catherine and Luna and Ketchup’s foster so that Catherine could hear even more about the duo’s personalities, ask questions and get to see them.

The Zoom call only reinforced Catherine’s gut instinct that she wanted to adopt Luna and Ketchup, and a few days later, the pair was brought to Catherine’s apartment.

“This was the first time I had adopted an animal myself and I was nervous, but the process was so straightforward and uncomplicated,” says Catherine. “I was able to just bring them up to my apartment and let them start exploring.”

Luna and Ketchup spent the first hour in their new digs running around and sniffing everything. Once they got the lay of the land, they retreated to a closet and slept on each other for the remainder of the evening. Though, they did come out to eat, drink and use the litter box.

“Luna meowed the entire first night, but both hopped up on my bed in the morning and purred while I pet them,” explains Catherine. “The next day they played with the toys I had bought for them and stretched out on my bed and couch to nap. They would run and hide anytime they heard someone in the hallway for the first few weeks, but they never seemed scared of me and were so friendly even when I was a complete stranger to them.”

Having had some time to settle in, Luna and Ketchup have found their places in their home.

“Luna's my lap cat and will tell me when she wants me to sit down so that she can lay on me,” says Catherine. “She also brings me toys, even when I'm sleeping, for me to throw so that she can play fetch. Luna's favorite toy is a plush lime that she will drop at my feet and meow at me until I throw it. She then chases the lime down and brings it back, yells at me, and then chases it down again. This goes on for hours every day and I think it's hilarious. Ketchup doesn't want to sit in my lap, but she comes running when I call her name and wants to be brushed and petted. I have never met a cat that loves being brushed as much as Ketchup does.”

“Of the two, Luna's more mischievous (no cups of water are safe in my apartment anymore),” she adds. “Ketchup kind of puddles around while Luna is much more graceful. Luna intentionally knocks over glasses of water and coffee, but Ketchup bumps into them. Ketchup will also accidentally roll off the couch or bed because she has no spatial awareness. I joke that Ketchup does not care about anything unless food is involved, while Luna always has an opinion. Ketchup's favorite pastime is sitting on the kitchen table and chirping at the pigeons out the window.”

Catherine can’t imagine life without her dynamic duo. She loves coming home to them at the end of the day and knowing that no matter what, they’ll always be there for her.

“I'm only 23 and Ketchup and Luna are only four and will be with me through the next decade or so of my life. In that time, I'll finish grad school, maybe move away from L.A., maybe end up married with a kid, and I'm so thankful to go through it all with them. There's been a lot of change in my life since I moved away for college and then moved again for grad school, that time across the country, and I love that I have two cats that are always going to be with me no matter what changes next.”