When She Sees Photo of Terrified 26-Yr-Old Cat with No Place To Go, Knows She Was Meant To Find Him
It’s no secret that senior pets have a difficult time getting adopted from animal shelters. Often times, those animals are around 10 to 13 years old.
So when a 26-year-old cat named Thomas arrived at Baltimore County Animal Services, they knew his chances of finding a home were nearly nonexistent.
The shelter tried to look for a rescue to take Thomas in and better care for his needs, so they began posting photos of him on their social media accounts.
After just one month, Laura Cassiday, an avid animal lover and foster mom with Animal Allies Rescue Foundation, saw a post about Thomas and was immediately interested.
“I was scrolling through my news feed and read ‘26’ and stopped in my tracks,” Laura said. She couldn’t believe that Thomas was only one year younger than she was.
“I had never even heard of a cat that old. It was a snap decision; I commented that they could stop looking and I’d take him, and we called the shelter to say AARF would pull him. I picked him up the next morning.”
But when Laura had Thomas in her arms, she knew she couldn’t let him wait to be adopted for another day. Instead, she decided to be his “fospice mom” and care for him in her own home for the rest of his life.
“We basically took him on knowing that he’d never get adopted for the sole purpose of saving his life,” she explained.
Laura took Thomas to the vet, where they learned he has hyperthyroidism and severe dental disease, and he was prescribed medication for both. He is otherwise in excellent health for a cat of his age.
Thomas has been learning to adjust to his new home for over a week now. He loves to eat, and Laura loves to give him as much food as he wants.
“He is definitely a crotchety old man,” she explained. “He hates the stardom and fame and wants to be left alone. I kind of don’t blame him. His one true love is food.
“I’m feeding him as much as he wants because I feel like he’s 26 and he deserves it. He does enjoy being petted and will play with toys a tiny bit, but it’s mostly sleeping and eating for this old dude.”
And we know Thomas, although at times a cranky super senior, sure appreciates his rescuers opening their hearts to him for as much time as he has left.
“I feel like an ordinary person caught in an extraordinary moment,” Laura said. “In my mind, I did what anyone else should have done. I saw an animal who needed help and knew I had the capacity to help, so I did.”
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