Older animals tend to be one of the more overlooked when people visit animal shelters. People tend to forget that some cats can live to be nearly 22 years of age, so while a 10 year old cat may seem old, it would be the equivalent of a person in their 40's, and they still potentially have half of their lives left to live! Many senior cats are also healthy, or any health issues can be easily managed with the help of medications.
As volunteers of the shelter may remember, Esther was originally adopted from Red Door in 2002 when she was about 1 year old. Sadly, earlier this year, Esthers adopter passed away, and while various members tried to take her in and care for her, none of them could commit. Eventually she made her way back to Red Door. She didn't get along particularly well with other cats, and after being with someone who loved her for the previous 7 years, being back at the shelter was a shock for her. While her looks were very striking, her age and stressed out personality always seemed to dissuade potential adopters. Eventually, as we believe happens for every animal in our care, the right people came along and opened their doors to Esther and welcomed her with love. Recently I heard from Esther's adopters who sent along the attached picture and message:
"We are delighted with being able to provide Esther a new home and she has brought us so much joy. She talks to us a lot and is with us for the morning wake-up call as well as the bedtime devotion and playtime. We seek her out many times in the day so she has lots of attention. What a special cat she is!"
So next time you're in a shelter looking for a potential animal to adopt, don't look past the senior pets...they still need a lot of love, and still have a lot of love to give!
