Back in March, on the first Sunday, March 2, I told the story of losing my best little fur buddy, Mojo, the night before. I woke up March 1st to him passed away in my arms. It's a long story, and to be honest, still painful to read.
There's an update to that story to pass along. After my hernia surgery back on June 12, and another two weeks getting cleared to get back to life, we took the giant step of going to look to adopt another cat. We specifically wanted an older cat because we know that families tend to generally prefer younger cats, say kittens under 1 year old, and the fully grown cats are likely to be euthanized first. There's a charitable group here in town that's dedicated to taking in cats like that and getting them placed in homes. They work through a "full service" pet store called Petsmart that includes everything from veterinarians to groomers and people who will help train you how to train your dog.
When we went to the store to see if they had any like we were looking for we found one right away; they called her a six year old neutered female but gave us medical records showing her birthday was in April of 2020, making her five.
We took her home on Sunday, July 6. Her name is Tyla, and like every other cat we've ever adopted from some shelter, she doesn't react to that name. Tyla reacts to toys, chases everything, plays with everything and only has one annoying habit that I've yet to break her of - when you're petting her she bites at your hand or grabs at it with her claws out. She's slowly adapting to me stopping petting her if she starts biting too much. If she wants to be petted, she needs to enjoy it without biting.
I had a hard time memorizing that name - she was Kyla, Kayleigh, and a few other permutations of those sounds until I finally thought of Steve Tyler the lead vocalist for Aerosmith. Just pronounce Tyler with a heavy Boston accent: Tie - Lah. (Steve also is the subject of thousands of pictures online talking about how he looks like "the world's coolest grandma"). Then there's Steve's beautiful daughter Liv Tyla. Um... Liv Tyler. Liv makes it easier to associate the name with a woman.
Tyla playing with a toy she came to her new home with. Image credit: me, SiG.
Tyla isn't a replacement for Mojo any more than any loved one can be replaced. She's an individual with a very different personality. We're learning to live with her just as she's learning to live with us. One of the other reasons we looked for an older cat is the uncomfortable fact that we're both over 70 and have no nearby family we can count on to help if something were to happen to one of us and the cat were suddenly on their own.
Yeah- we lost two cats a few years back- we adopted them when they were little kittens and they lived into their mid teens. Great cats- both friendly and incorrigible. As you said, a young cat could easily outlive a 70 year old.
ReplyDeleteYou did good adopting the lil' fuzzer.
Good Onya.
ReplyDeleteGood to see the CDS (cat distribution system) works in Florida as well. And the older cat deal was good on you. While there's a 'newness' in a kitten that brings us joy, the calm of an older cat helps with routine and sometimes a good nights sleep. Again, good on you.
ReplyDeleteWe're under 8 'indoor' (as they see fit) cats now, but the strays round the number up a bit to about double that. There have been 2 new yellow cats show up that I want to bring in, but they're happy being being outside, so that's where they stay until they change their mind. I've 'done' cats since I was in a crib, and the 6th decade is just a few months away, I'd have to guess I'm in it for the long run.
Congratulations to all 3 of you! We lost our dog in April, and given we are in the same age group as you, have decided not to adopt for a fourth time. I can't imagine a pet going back to a shelter once saved.
ReplyDeleteWell done, sir. Older animals always have a harder time being adopted anywhere, and shelters are quite full now.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Our last cat was via Petsmart; he was feral, but pretty much in name only. Interesting cat.
ReplyDeleteMy SO & I will also only adopt older cats going forward since our average 'live time' is 15+ years and we're both in our 60s. Not fair on the animal or the surviving spouse...
We also do the "more mature" adoptions, dogs and cats. They come with baggage, but seem to get the picture after living with us after about a year. We don't give up on their bad habits or quirkiness, just train them out of it. And both of us are the better for it.
ReplyDeleteWe once had 3 male rescued cats of different ages at the same time. It was incredible fun to witness their interactions, view their differences in personality, and see how 2 would gang up on the other. One was able to read my wifes emotions and after my wifes mother had passed he - for the first time climbed into bed and layed next to my wife every night for a week. As each entered kidney failure we would flush their systems with IV Ringers solution via subcutaneous injection to extend their lives. It was work yes but these were family members. All are buried under the giant oak tree in the back yard. Today we have an 18 yr old Shih Tzu.
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