All animal adoption stories are pretty special, but this one is particularly adorable. It involves a famous actor and a rescue cat with his name – you’re going to want to stick around for this one.
Most of us know Dennis Quaid from at least one of the films he’s starred in over his decades of on-screen performance. From appearances in “The Parent Trap” to “A Dog’s Purpose”, “The Day After Tomorrow”, “Jaws 3”, and most recently, “The Intruder, it’s fair to say that Dennis has had a wide-ranging career.
Though he’s technically reached the stage where he could be putting his feet up and retiring, Dennis is still keeping busy with his podcast, “The Dennaissance Podcast”, which he started in April this year. But that doesn’t mean his free time is taken up entirely. He still has room for a personal life – and that’s how this story begins.
A few months back, the Lynchburg Humane Society adoption center advertised a shelter cat that was looking for a home – called Dennis Quaid.
According to Danielle Ulmer, Adoption Center Manager at the shelter, the black feline had been named creatively because of the sheer number of cats the shelter received every year. Speaking to WSLS, she said:
“We take in about 4,000 animals a year, so we really just try to come up with creative names and just not have the same name twice.
“A lot of times if we watch a good movie or are super obsessed with this book or this actor or something like that, we’ll just throw the names out there just to try to get more creative.”
WSLS featured Dennis Quaid the kitty during a newscast, which caught the attention of the human Dennis Quaid… and the rest is history.
It’s almost too good to be true – Dennis Quaid adopted Dennis Quaid the cat, saying it was “really off the wall”, but he “couldn’t resist. He added:
“I’m out to save all the Dennis Quaids of the world.”
Dennis (the human, not the cat) is currently the executive producer of a pet podcast with Jimmy Jellinek, the show’s co-host. When Jimmy called up Dennis the cat’s animal shelter to enquire about adopting him, the staff couldn’t quite believe what they were hearing. In fact, according to Danielle, they thought somebody was playing a prank on them.
But Jimmy insisted that he and Dennis weren’t internet trolls, and the two of them met Dennis the cat via Zoom. They must have got on well, because Dennis arranged to fly out from LA to Lynchburg to collect his new companion in person.
Dennis even said that it might be worth other shelters naming their animals after celebrities to “see who bites”. Perhaps he’s started a trend here!
The most recent news we have on the story is that Dennis the cat is currently settling into his new LA home. He might have waited more than a year to find an owner, but he certainly hit the adoption jackpot. We imagine he’s now living a very luxurious life with a dedicated kitty bedroom and the most expensive cat treats America has to offer.
We love an adoption story with a happy ending, and this one is particularly unique! Good on Dennis for opening his heart to his new family member – Dennis. We wish them many happy years together.
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