Since losing my best beloved Furry on July 23rd I have been to the local cat adoption center to give cuddles to some of the older lonely cats there. Everyone wants to adopt kittens so they seem to get new homes quite quickly. But twice I have sat for 30 minutes with a 12 year old pure white boy, who is just so loving & affectionate.
Furry was only 12 when she died so it feels like a continuation of love for her to give him a home. Trouble is he's got a serious thyroid problem - on medication at the moment, but probably going to have to have his thyroid gland removed.
I just don't know if I could cope with the pain of adopting him only to find he had a very short time to live. Do any of you know how long cats could live without the thyroid, & is it a very serious illness? He seems very alert & well in himself, but it would break my heart if he came home to us for only a few weeks.
Going to the center gives me some comfort, but when I get home again the emptiness is so awful, no-one can ever replace my Furry Furskin.

I recently went through this...I kept looking at older cat's in the shelter too. I too was afraid of illness since I lost Cleo on 7/28 after 18 years. My thinking was...check the shelter's exam info of the cat and bring into the vet for a full exam as soon as possible. The shelter also provided 30 days worth of pet care insurance up to $500! This was so cool. So, it allayed my concerns alot. My shelter allows you to "return" the cat after 30 days too - although I could not imagine doing this.

Try searching for cat and thyroid on google. You can read different thoughts and suggestions.

I knew even if the cat was older, I could give it a good 5 more years. It's hard to imagine getting another 18 yrs with another buddy though...I guess I was looking for who I could help and love for a shorter time. Ironically, I ended up adopting a 1 yr old or I should say she adopted me. It has been fun to build a new relationship, although I still miss and cry for Cleo.

I am going to go back in a week to look for an older cat Oscar who I went to see originally. He was sick...they wouldn't tell me what was wrong.

Even though you lost Furry at age 12, cats can live way beyond that as seen on this board recently...17, 18, 18 1/2, and 20 yrs. etc. Any more time out of the shelter would be a gift

Dear Furry's Mom,

What a beautiful tribute to Furry's memory it would be to adopt another beautiful animal who needs you. We all know that no pet can fill the hole that Furry left hole in your heart, but how lovely that you are willing to open it to another creature.

Definitely do a google or dogpile search for feline thyroid. If anything, you'll get more info than you'll ever need, but it's all there for you. You might also go into the websites of some veterinary schools. Cornell is one that comes to mind immediately, but there are many. You might even be able to communicate directly with someonel to ask specific questions.

On the issue of adopting an older animal....BRAVO!! I volunteered at our local shelter for several years...which is where I met Spike, my "souldog" in 1992. He was my constant companion, friend and love of my life until it was time for him to go on May 23rd. I will love and miss him always.

The idea that everyone wants to adopt puppies and kittens is a huge problem faced by shelters, and many healthy animals are euthanized because of this stigma. Even animals only a few years old are passed by. Here is a beautiful story that I will try to keep short.

Way back in the '70s I saw a newspaper article about an "at least 9-year-old, semi-toothless" cat that had been rescued from an abandoned NYC building during a record-breaking cold spell and brought to the New Rochelle, NY shelter. Because of her age, no one would adopt her. The staff named her Dolly and made her the shelter's mascot.

I don't even remember why they ran the story, but I saw it and decided I had to add her to our three-cat family. My husband agreed, our intent being to "give her a few good years". So, sight unseen, I called and said I'd take her. Well, the shelter director and a staff member personally delivered Dolly to my home....I know they wanted to check us out as potential adopters, but it was nice of them to save me the trip.

Because of the description we'd read, my husband and I fully expected to see some beat-up, one-eared raggamuffin street urchin, but out of the carrier stepped the most precious and petite little girl. Of course, we kept Dolly AND....she lived healthily and happily with us for 11 more years before suc%%bing to renal failure.

Once again, I've gone on much longer than I'd planned. I hope all goes well with the possible adoption of the white cat and, if that doesn't work out, I know another will find its way to you. Just to pick up on some of the things RIT said, make sure you ask the shelter/center people for additional services they might be able to extend. Under these cir%%stances they may be willing to go the extra distance to place a 12-year-old cat with a known medical condition.

Good luck and please keep us posted.

Juanita....Loving Mom of Angel Spike

Like everyone else, I give you many kudos for considering an older cat. I worked for a volunteer animal protection group for a while before moving home. Everyone wants babies, but usually when those babys become adults they are no longer wanted. People don't realize they could get about any breed they want from a rescue group.
Most of my furbabies have been from abused situations, or the pound. My current baby I did get as a puppy 15yrs ago, but it was a rescue. Until people learn to spay and neuter the better all furrys will be. The old wives tales of each female must have babies to be a good furbaby is so arcade and wrong. The saying you can't teach an old dog new tricks is also arcade.
On the 15th my baby is being put to sleep because of aggressive tumors in his mouth and neck. He has a sissy named Jasmine who in 9. She was 3 when we got her and she had been mistreated.
Follow your heart. It sounds like you have found a baby that needs love, and you have a lot of love to give not matter how long or how short the time. Nina

Dear all,
Thanks for your advice, I've checked out the problems for cats with hypothyroidism on a few websites & the most worrying thing is that they can develop Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. This is what killed my Furry so young. So I've decided to wait until after he's had his thyroid removed & then talk to the Shelter's vet. They won't put him up for adoption until after that anyway. I hope that in the meantime someone else will fall for him & decide to adopt him when he's ready. I can't believe that such a lovely natured cat will be left there for long.
Meanwhile I can go & cuddle as many as I can, it was a very comforting experience for me & them. But when I got back home the tears just started again.
It is 2 weeks today since Furry was pts, it seems a lifetime. I wish I could dream of her, but I haven't. Last night as I went to bed I really thought I'd find her again asleep beside the bed, or on top of the chest of drawers. Sadly life isn't like that.

Daddy Cat was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism when he was 12 years old. We were given the option of radioactive pellets to destroy part of the thyroid gland or to keep him on medication and monitor him with periodic blood tests. We went with the tests and medication. He did fine with it for almost 6 years and when he died at 17 1/2 years old it was cancer that was the cause.

Even if you choose to not get this cat, I would still consider an older cat. Even cats 3 years old are passed over by many who are only looking for kittens. You do run a risk of older cats having some health issues. Here is a photo of Velvet, an 8 year old cat that we adopted last year. He had to have 5 teeth extracted and an infected, swollen gum area treated. With all of this, I don't regret getting him for a minute. He is very sweet and gentle and he is one of the most affectionate cats here.

Dear Ken,
Thanks for your reply - I will certainly be looking at the older cats & hopefully the old white boy will have a successful operation. But how do you cope with taking on older cats, with the possibility that they won't be with you for long. I just don't know if I've got the strength for that.
Judith

I went to the shelter again today & while I was there an elderly lady came in looking for an older cat to adopt. She fell for the old pure white boy with the thyroid problem & so has been able to reserve him, to take him home after his operation. I'm so pleased that he has found a loving home. So I will continue to visit to give cuddles & there are several other oldies who have been there since May. Trouble is that it says they all need to be single cats - surely 2 of them could get on?
It's pouring down with rain now & I hate to think of my Furry out there in the dark & wet - I know it's silly, but I feel like I need to go out & put a cover over her grave.

Though I wish I had longer to be with our older cats adopted, think of all the days of love you could give them in the years they have left. These may be the first days like that they have ever experienced. It is a very special gift to be able to offer that.

Good luck with your search. Talk to the people there about the 'single cat' issue. At our adoptions we put that note on several cats because of their nervousness in new situatons. With the right type of personality another cat may not cause a problem for some of these cats.

I also applaud you for getting an older cat. I had to get a younger cat/kitten because of the cat that I have now. The vet said that she would have a harder time getting along with an older cat because of territorial issues and so forth.
We had a cat that passed away at the age of 28 years!! He was older than me so cats can live a very long life if that is what God intends. My Meiko passed away suddenly only after the age of 3 years. He had a urinary obstruction and was at the vet for 9 days. On the day that I was suppose to pick him up they called and said he passed away through the middle of the night. They are not sure why or how so this is still hard for me to move on with.
I guess what I am trying to say is whether the cat is 8 weeks or 20 years, noone truely knows when it is going to be their time. However, each and every animal in a shelter needs a loving home. I applaud anyone who adopts any pet and gives them a loving home.

I have been back to the shelter & decided to adopt the oldest cat they have there. He's 13 at least, & has had his thyroid removed, but they say he doesn't have any health problems. He's been there since May & seems so desperate for affection. They don't know his history as he was found wandering. But he's long haired grey & white & bites when they try & brush him. I'm not even sure if he's house trained! They have to come & do a house check first before I could get him.
Part of me feels I must be mad to open myself up to more grief, as he's already older than Furry was when she died, part of me feels I am dishonouring her by getting another cat so soon, & part of me thinks why not just visit & stroke them, but don't have another at home. If it doesn't work out there is no going back as they don't give any chance to return the cat if we can't get on.

Bless your heart! You did the right thing and trust me, it will work out. Spoil your new furkid as much as possible and know that he is probably getting true love for the first time in his life. That is the best gift you could give him. Let us know how he is doing in his new home.

Ken Albin

Adopting this elderly cat would be a great tribute to Furry. As to the grief you will feel when your new friend leaves, this would happen even if you adopted a kitten, since it would one day grow old also. Yes, you would have more time, but the grief would be as great. You cannot make the elderly cat live longer, but you can fill whatever days he has with happiness and love - and who knows, perhaps that will help him to live longer. I believe that my Daisy lived longer because she was so happy - she had a liver defect that the Vets said would cause her to die before she was three or so, but she lived until almost 12. Love can work miracles.


Daisy's Mommy