Senior kitties need homes

#Middlebury #Southbury #Cats

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

Monkey Love, shown here with her canine buddy, Nino, is spending her golden years with Joan Pagan. Monkey Love is 18 years old. (Joan Pagan photo)

Cute little kittens attract a lot of attention at animal shelters. They get adopted pretty quickly. Younger cats do well, too. But older cats, those over 10, can wait a long time before someone adopts them. Sometimes they never get adopted. They spend the last years of their lives in a shelter.

Meanwhile, senior citizens who would love the companionship of a cat may feel it’s past the time when they can adopt one. If they are living on a fixed income, their budget may not cover a cat’s veterinary care, food, and litter.

Caroline Abate at Whiskers Pet Rescue in Southbury came up with a program that helps senior kitties and senior citizens. It’s called the Senior to Senior Forever Foster Program.

The way the program works is potential fosters fill out an adoption application and are interviewed. Once they are approved, they select their foster cat. Whiskers Pet Rescue retains ownership of the cat and pays for its routine veterinary care, food and litter for the life of the cat.

George

Three 16-year-old cats – Tabby, Cheyenne and George – just joined the program and each needs a loving home. They were left homeless when their elderly owner died and no one in the family could take them. The look on George’s face in the photo, right, shows how badly he needs to be in a home of his own. Two other senior cats, Misty and Matty, were available at press time.

Ron Pinto and his wife, Fran, both in their 70s are in the program. They are giving a home to Patty, who is listed as being 11 but may be as old as 14. She gets hyperthyroid medication every other day.

Pinto said they had two cats, one 18 and one 19, that passed. With no cats in the house, Pinto said, “We wanted to travel. Then COVID-19 hit, which meant no traveling.”

Tabby

Someone suggested the Pintos take Patty home. Ron said, “It’s great! Patty watches baseball with me.”

Joan Pagan’s senior kitty, Monkey Love, who is 18, also watches TV with her and sits with her on the couch. Pagan said, “I think fostering or adopting seniors is a wonderful thing. Kittens have far too much energy for me.”

Although Monkey Love may not race around the house like a kitten, Pagan said she is still agile as can be. She can jump up on the dresser and then jump 5 feet from the dresser to the bed.

If you’d like to adopt a senior kitty or become a permanent foster, contact Whiskers Pet Rescue at 203-586-1666 or visit WhiskersPetRescue.org. Donations to support the Senior to Senior program also are needed and can be designated for the program.