Happy Tail: A mama cat is rescued from a home with 50 animals

Emma came from a home where there were 27 cats, five dogs and 18 birds. "She had already had kittens of her own and she was also nursing kittens from some of the other cats in the home," says her adopter, Pamela Hackett.

When Pamela saw Emma's listing on The Humane Society of Atlantic County's Petfinder pet list, she suspected that Emma was the cat for her and headed to Atlantic City, NJ, to meet her. "I absolutely fell in love with her," the Ventnor City, NJ, woman says.

People often say an adopted pet is especially appreciative of being adopted, and Emma seemed to be just that. "When I took her home," Pamela says, "she cautiously checked out every inch of the house and then came over to me purring, almost as if saying, 'Thank you!' "

Emma is the perfect little friend, according to her new mom. "She sleeps by my side at night, she loves to play with furry toy mice and she even plays 'tennis' with me with her toy bouncy balls," Pamela says. "She loves to drink out of the faucet and chase her tail. She's always at the door to greet me when I come home and when I'm taking a shower, she lies in the bathroom waiting until I'm done."

As many other adopters have said, Pamela feels that she didn't adopt Emma -- Emma adopted her.

Emma is a perfect example of how loving and fun a cat can be. June is Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat Month, a good time to consider adopting a feline companion.