 |
Feline Basics
- Quarterly Tips
November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month
In the natural progression of life, we will all grow old. I've always held a special place in my heart for senior kitties. As an animal technician at a no-kill shelter I see a lot of pain and tragedy. One of those tragedies is the relinquishment of the older cat to a shelter where he or she will usually spend the remainder of their life. Most of these abandonment’s come with not even the slightest element of legitimacy. Personally, I can't imagine ever giving up a member of my family and I urge pet owners to search deeply into their soul before making such a decision. Can't you please find some alternative?
All too often I have seen what happens to the older kitty who has been abandoned. In most cases they will not survive. I've seen the stages they go through. First, they wait…surely my Mom/Dad will be coming for me. Then in a week or so…they give up. The sadness wells in their eyes, they stop eating, they lose weight, organs fail, and they die.
Nearly 100 percent of those who visit our shelter are looking for a cute little kitten to take home. Yes, kittens are so cute and adorable…and so adoptable too. I have my two "little ladies", my calico girls just over three months old who were also rescued from a shelter where, yet unborn, they were marked for death in the womb of their pregnant mother. I absolutely adore them…but I also realize that if I hadn't taken them in, someone else would have.
Not so for the adult kitty, and especially not the senior cat. If you have a multi-cat household already, and are thinking of adding to your fur family, think about helping an adult or even a senior kitty. Just think about it for a moment…this is a kitty who once had a home, who slept on a bed, who sat in a chair, who lay in a sunny window to warm his bones, who moved freely about his home from one room to another, a kitty who most likely is now destined to spend the remainder of his days locked behind bars. Please, make room in your heart and in your home for the adult or senior cat.
View other articles about senior cats by clicking on these links:
Senior Cat Adoption Success Stories
The Normal Aging Process
How to Ease Life for a Senior Cat
Senior Wellness Program
Nutritional Needs of Senior Cats
Preventative Healthcare for Geriatric Cats
Caring for Geriatric Cats
Back to Feline Basics main page
|
|
