Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/elderly-woman-adopts-oldest-shelter-cat/
When a 101-year-old woman’s cat passed away, the centenarian, Penny, was understandably devasted.
Penny’s family did everything they could to help their beloved matriarch cope with her loss, including presenting the elderly North Carolina woman with a plush toy cat.
But Penny wasn’t consoled by the stuffed animal, which didn’t purr like her beloved late pet. This led Penny’s family to contact the Humane Society of Catawba County (HSCC) in search of an elderly shelter cat to help heal their mother’s broken heart.
Meanwhile, a 19-year-old cat named Gus was being surrendered to the same shelter as his owner’s work commitments changed.
“His owner was heartbroken,” the shelter’s executive director, Jane Bower, told Newsweek. We’re sure the aging cat was equally heartbroken to leave his family, especially at the ripe age of 19.
“We took Gus in and proceeded to do a health check and found that for 19 years young, Gus was in exceptional health,” Bower told the news magazine. “Obviously we would take good care of Gus, but living in a shelter is not ideal, especially at his age.”
In a serendipitous twist, Penny’s family reached out Humane Society of Catawba County in search of an elderly cat right as Gus was seeking a human to help him replace the family he just lost.
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Shelter workers described Penny and Gus as “a match made in heaven,” according to Newsweek. Not only does the elderly woman enjoy having another cat to love, Gus is reportedly eating well and helpfully supervising squirrels through the window of his new home.
“Our [hearts] are full with this beautiful adoption,” shelter workers wrote on Facebook, where they celebrated Gus’s perfect new home.
“Our 19-year-old (133 in human years) great-grandPAW, has found the loving arms of his new mamma who is the ripe young age of 101. Congratulations Gus-Gus. Wishing you the best days ahead watching squirrels and sharing your love and purrs.”
Congratulations to Penny and Gus!
Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog
