Up until some time ago, cats that reached 8 years of age were considered seniors. But, as of late, thanks to proper treatment and medication provided for diseases or conditions elderly cats develop, it is possible for them to reach up to 22 years!

While it is true that the older they get the more they need their owner’s attention, this doesn’t mean they stop being your best friend! They just might not be as lively and active as they used to be.

Of course, as they get older and older, you need to be more attentive towards them and take them to the vet probably more often than in the past. However, for healthy cats, this would translate to a yearly geriatric exam and a smaller exam within the year.

This doesn’t sound too bad to us!

It goes without saying that you should also adjust their home environment so that it fits their increased needs as they grow older, but still, this is nothing that requires lots of effort or money.

After all, what these cats- like any pet really- need, is love and patience. And you know that they are ready to give it back to you tenfold!

However, not everyone understands that cats, just like people, are emotional creatures. This means they develop a special bond with their humans, so if they are ever surrendered, they can get depressed, which will consequently affect their physical health.

When Rascal the cat reached the age of 20, his owners for some reason decided they couldn’t take care of him anymore. He was “too old” for them and they just didn’t feel like caring for an elderly cat with- inevitably- increased needs.

So, they took him to Spotsylvania Animal Shelter and left him there as if he wasn’t part of their family anymore.

The shelter staff took action swiftly: they posted on Facebook about the cat, inviting cat lovers to give the senior cat a forever home.

“Rascal wishes everyone a great morning and is hopeful that by today’s end he will once again have a family to call his own,” they wrote.

And, indeed, they were right. It didn’t take more than some hours for a prospective mom to reply to them. With the help of Country Cats Rescue, a new family was soon found for Rascal.

It was Meredith and her husband, who felt ready to assume the responsibility of caring for an elderly kitty.

“HUGE thanks to his new mom, Meredith, for opening her heart and home. And to Meredith’s husband for loving Meredith enough to agree to let her bring Rascal home,” the shelter wrote on another post.

The Facebook community absolutely loved the heartwarming story. Hundreds of people left comments below the shelter’s posts praising them for their good job and Meredith for her kindness and generosity.

“Thank you for giving him a furever home you saved his life and he is beautiful what a poor excuse to give a cat up because he is old,” someone wrote.

Another Facebook user commented:

“I am so very happy, over the moon Meredith that you adopted this darling boy. What a beautiful, kind heart you have.”

It is really disappointing that people surrender their pets just because they grow old. Yet, it is equally inspiring that there are still people out there who want to offer these animals a good quality of life for as long as they are still around.

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Source: iheartcats, Spotsylvania Animal Shelter, vet.cornell.edu