Penny, a 101-year-old resident of Catawba County, North Carolina, recently needed a new companion after her previous cat passed away. So, her family reached out to their local Humane Society with a unique request — to adopt an elderly cat.
Unfortunately, the adoption of an elderly cat is so exceptionally rare, that it sometimes makes the news.
Jane Bowers, Executive Director of the Humane Society of Catawba County, told Fox News that while the adoption of an elderly cat is rare, it doesn’t stop people from bringing them in.
For older pet lovers, like Penny, an older cat comes with a great number of benefits. Bowers explained to Fox that senior kitties are usually already house-trained. They’re also less likely to scratch furniture and often “just happy to be back in a family environment.”
Good News For Gus, The 19-Year-Old Cat
About a month before Bowers received the request from Penny’s family, Gus’s previous human, who could no longer care for him, surrendered the 19-year-old feline to a local shelter.
While Gus “stole the hearts” of all the Humane Society workers in Catawba County, said Bowers, the timing of his surrender with the loss of Penny’s cat, seemed destined. Perfectly aligned in their late-life needs for one another.
Bowers knew that there was no better fit for Penny than Gus. After all, how often does someone reach out to a shelter specifically looking for an older cat as the only requirement?
Right away, Gus settled into his new life with Penny, who now has a loyal companion with plenty of wisdom to share. And according to Bowers, he’s in excellent health for his age.
If you’d like to adopt a cat in need of a forever home, then please consider a sweet senior cat. There are so many advantages to adopting an older feline. Check out CatTime’s adoption page that lets you search for adoptable cats by breed and zip code!
Do you have an elderly cat companion? Can you share some of the joys of senior kitties that might help encourage others to adopt? Let us know in the comments below!
