Newlyweds adopt cat who crashed wedding after venue assists in adoption
When a stray cat interrupted a husband's wedding vows to his wife, the newlyweds did more than just take the incident in stride.
Cara and Matt Hamdan adopted the cat, Daisy, to make the feline an official part of their new family after crashing their September wedding.
Daisy seemingly chose the right wedding to attend, as Matt Hamdan said he has "definitely been a cat person" his entire life.
The pair was midway through their wedding ceremony at a venue in Hudson Valley, New York, when a purring erupted from the shrubbery behind the alter.
Cara Hamdan said she was intently listening to her soon-to-be husband delivering his vows when she noticed the crowd and wedding cohort laughing.
"I'm like, 'Okay, something's up.'" she said, recounting her confusion in the moment.
It wasn't until she turned around that she identified the four-legged culprit.
"The only acceptable reason to be laughing during our our vows," she described discovering "just perfect little little cat behind us."
Matt Hamdan said he made a split-second decision to finish the vows instead of going to pet the cat.
After the ceremony, Matt Hamdan said his mom stayed in touch with the venue, who he described as being "phenomenal" and "caring" given the circumstances. The venue's administrators would text updates to the groom's mother, keeping her abreast of the cat's activities.
"It took them like two weeks, to like, coax her out with food and enough to kind of grab her," said Cara Hamdan.
Finally, the venue's administrators were able to secure the kitten after luring her in with shrimp, and brought the cat to a nearby shelter, where the couple was able to adopt their wedding crasher.
"She's still like very, very shy," said Cara Hamdan.
Matt Hamdan said the decision to adopt was not an easy one. He was initially skeptical of the move, considering the limited space the couple has available to them in their one bedroom apartment, which is also occupied by their other cat, Gatsby.
"Friends and family started hearing more and more, we were telling them the cats up for adoption and invariably every person goes, 'You need to adopt the cat,'" said Matt Hamdan.
The couple decided to follow through with their peers' suggestions.
Matt Hamdan said the cat took to the newlyweds immediately.
"She's very very loving and affectionate. She licks our hands like a dog. I've never seen a cat do this," he said.
Cara Hamdan said the cat's appearance at their wedding was more than just a squeaky interruption.
Her grandmother, who was elated at the news of their engagement, died before the wedding.
"It feels like that was her kind of in that moment being like, 'I'm gonna be here to watch you guys,'" she said.
"She was somebody that liked attention. And so if she was gonna show up at our wedding in some way, like, screaming during our vows would definitely be her style."
