July Adoption Stories

Aug 13

Senior cats often get passed by, but they have so much love to give with just a little care, support, and understanding. At Cat Town, we give these gentle creatures a soft place to land, space to adjust, confidence to trust, and the chance to relax into who they truly are. We’re incredibly proud when these seniors shine as their best selves, and find people who see beyond their age and embrace them into their families and homes.

As we celebrate 24 adoptions last month, we want to highlight the stories of these four seniors — and the strength, grit, and grace they showed us on their way to their adoptions. Read Sweets, Raiden, Nellie, and Jade’s stories below:

**Raiden** found himself stressed at a city shelter after his guardian passed away; however, shelter volunteers saw a quiet, affectionate cat underneath the fear, so we brought this 10-year-old to Cat Town for a calm space to recover and feel safe. Gentle Raiden needed many teeth extracted to relieve him of his dental pain, but once he was in a foster home, pain-free, with space to play and people to boop, this sweet soul truly came into his own. We brought this excellent gentleman back to Cat Town for increased exposure to potential adopters, and he was unsurprisingly adopted soon afterwards.

After being found under a porch as a stray, 15-year-old **Jade** came to the city shelter stressed, and diagnosed with Stage 2 Chronic Kidney Disease, degenerative joint disease, dental disease, and hyperthyroidism. At Cat Town, our team also learned that Jade had a kidney stone that couldn’t be safely removed due to her age and made her more susceptible to urinary tract infections. With so many medical concerns that might discourage adopters, we placed this gentle lady in our *In It For Life* program to make sure potential adopters focused more on Jade’s sweetness than her medical bills. With special medication, consistent vet visits, and loving care from her fosters, Jade still had a beautiful quality of life where she purred, cuddled, enjoyed her heated bed, and slept with her humans. Thankfully, those humans (her fosters) fell in love with Jade’s spirit and couldn’t let her go — and officially made her part of their family.

When she first arrived at the city shelter as a stray, then 7-year-old **Sweets** spat, lunged, hissed, and growled wide-eyed at the back of her cage. In the three weeks she was there, shelter volunteers reassured her with treats and toys, and were greeted with soft growling and cold stares — she was just too stressed in her cage. At Cat Town, this scared girl continued to protect herself, stomping and glaring at visitors. However, patience, treats, and a quiet space helped ease her shyness and fear. A calm foster home that diligently tracked her medication and special diet, and also gave her a soft place to recover after a hernia surgery, further helped Sweets relax into a gentle cuddlebug who loved to be held. Because she felt safe and pain-free, this sweet senior gal truly transformed, and is now living her best life in a loving home.

After **Nellie** was found by a landlord in her deceased guardian’s apartment, the 15-year-old moved from a stressful city shelter environment to a calmer Cat Town foster home. The affectionate senior was always ready to purr, but she had some obstacles to overcome in order to get adopted. She had asthma, was overweight and required a special diet, and also had end-stage arthritis in her rear legs and scapula that required consistent medical care to relieve her joint pain. As a hospice cat, we placed Nellie in our *In It For Life* program — which would provide life-long medical support for Nellie so medical costs wouldn’t be a barrier to finding her a home. With her medical needs taken care of, Nellie felt fully safe and cozy to be her loving self. We’re incredibly grateful that adopters with special needs experience decided to give their home and hearts to this special girl.

It can be hard to navigate loss and change at any age, but for senior cats, these obstacles upend their entire lives. We’re honored to be able to support them with your help. Thank you for giving these cats the gift of dignity and comfort.