13-year Old Shelter Cat Gets Adopted, Can't Fall Asleep Unless His Human Holds His Paw
But she and eventually had to move to a nursing home and wasn't able to bring Jamie with her. It was a terrible decision to make and it broke her heart, but she had to let her cat go.
So Jamie ended up in an RSPCA shelter with a great team of staff dedicated to looking after him until he found a new home.
But unfortunately, the reality is that senior cats have a hard time getting adopted. Most families plan to adopt a young kitten.
Once a cat reaches 18 months, their likelihood of being adopted is only 60%. So for a 13-year-old cat you can imagine his chances are quite low.
And on top of that, Jamie had some health issues including cat flu, kidney problems and bad teeth.
The staff at the shelter were able to nurse him back to health by giving him antibiotics, changing his diet to fix the kidney problems, and removed the teeth that were causing him pain.
Once he was all better they officially put him up for adoption and were trying to be optimistic that he would find a good home. He was a mild mannered and affectionate cat, so they were hopeful that he could make a connection with any shelter visitors.
And then a young woman named Sarah Dempsey came in. She lived alone and was ready to get a cat to keep her company.
She hadn't considered adopting an old cat, but the two had an immediate connection.
"When I first met him, he was asleep, but woke up as I bent down to look at him. He clearly wanted some pats so I stuck my hand through the slot of the enclosure and he head-bumped me and purred. Later the staff let him out to see how he was with me and he was so affectionate." – Sarah told The Dodo.
Sarah knew immediately that Jamie was exactly what she was looking for. She wasn't bothered about his age, and adopted him on the spot.
Right from the beginning Jamie couldn't sleep without his mom next to him to hold his little paw. So Sarah did.
Once she was sure he was asleep, she thought it would be safe to pull her hand away but Jamie woke up immediately, meowing and asking her to bring it back.
Obviously, from that point on, Sarah always held his paw when he was napping.
How could she possibly say no to such a sweet request?
"If I let go he wakes up, meows, and claws my hand back to him. I think we've bonded already." – Sarah Dempsey on Reddit.
I would never leave this old guy's side again!
Of course, Sarah can't hold his paw the time, like when she's asleep, so Jamie will make do and sleeps next to Sarah in her bed at night. The two love to cuddle.
Even though elderly animals aren't the first choice for many people seeking to adopt, they still make great pets!
And it's so rewarding to be a companion to an animal that would otherwise spend the rest of their lives in a crate. There are likely senior cats at your local shelter who still need to find their forever loving home, like Jamie did.
