The Stray Cat

The story takes place in the outskirts of Mexico City, where a 12-year-old girl named Esmeralda lives; she is always "disheveled and dirty" like a "Stray Cat" (una "gata"). Esmeralda is a young girl from a poor neighbourhood who grew up without her parents and learned to be happy with what little she had. She was raised from childhood by an elderly woman named Mrs. Rita who exploited her by making her go ask alms, sell candy and newspapers. Esmeralda could neither read nor write. She meets Pablo Martínez-Negrete, a high society rich boy who teaches her to read and write and with whom she becomes friends. Since then, Esmeralda notices that he is the first person to call her by her name and the first one who really truly cares for her. But Pablo's mother, Lorenza, opposes his friendship with "The Stray Cat".

Several years later, Esmeralda grows up and becomes a beautiful young woman who has not changed since childhood. Pablo realizes that he sees "The Stray Cat" as more than a friend and feels confused as to what he truly feels for her. Esmeralda starts looking for job thanks to Pablo, since she does not want to keep asking for alms and she does not want Pablo to keep giving her money. Lorenza strongly opposes the friendship between her son and Esmeralda and alienates her from him. Pablo is pushed to fall in love with Mónica, a girl who comes from "a good social position" and is also his "cousin".

Agustín, Pablo's father, convinces Pablo that he should study for his master's degree abroad and marry Mónica once he returns, a trick to separate him from Esmeralda. Pablo and Esmeralda decide to marry secretly before he goes abroad. From New York City, Pablo emails his father asking him to help him fix travel papers for Esmeralda so she can reunite with him there. Pablo's father pretends to want to help him but has no interest in doing so.

After several months, Esmeralda gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl. Doña Rita, who has always sought to benefit from "The Stray Cat", forces her to marry Doménico "El Italiano" Almonte. Esmeralda, having no other solution, agrees to marry him only to purchase medicine for her daughter, Leticia, who is sick.

"El Silencioso", Esmeralda's biological father, gets out of jail and vows to take revenge on those who locked him up unjustly for using self-defense. Esmeralda later meets him, but ignores her true origin. The man takes her into his house and promises her that he wants to be a father to her and a grandfather to her children. Pablo returns from abroad to marry Mónica, believing Esmeralda had betrayed him. He thinks that the twins are not his and that she has a relationship with "El Silencioso". "The Stray Cat" will have to use her strong character to get Pablo's love back.

La gata premiered on May 5, 2014, and earned 17.7 points of rating in its 4 p.m. time slot. It was the third highest rated telenovela of the evening on Canal de las Estrellas.^[7] Univision started broadcasting La Gata in the United States on September 1, 2014, weeknights at 7pm/6c replacing De que te quiero, te quiero. The last episode was broadcast on February 13, 2015, with La sombra del pasado replacing it on February 16, 2015.