I’ve acquired so many cats in my life completely by accident. One cat we adopted as a stray. She wandered into our house one day and just made herself at home. We’d let her out but she’d come back every night. We eventually found her owners a year on the street next to ours and they were like “Well, she could have come back any time but she clearly chose you guys so we’re cool if you want to keep her.” She had a litter of kittens before we got her fixed and we kept three of them. It started when I was in fourth grade and her last kitten passed away when I’d grown and left home. That one chance encounter gave me joy for nearly 15 years.