Understandably, people looking to adopt a cat often want a younger one. They hope to have their pet for as many years as possible, and they want to be able to form a special bond. That leaves many older cats in shelters, and from there they often get sent to be euthanized because the shelters just don’t have enough room.
The Young at Heart Shelter, which just opened this past fall in Woodstock, Illinois, 62 miles from Chicago, is trying to change all that. Catering specifically to older cats (and dogs), it has an abundance of light and heated floors to warm senior paws. And its aim is not to act just as a sanctuary for geriatric pets but as a conduit for re-homing them with loving families. Senior cats are more mellow than frisky young ones, it points out on its website, and therefore make suitable companions for many more types of households. In addition, they know all the ropes — litter boxes, food bowls, dealing with other cats in a household, etc. And they have just as much capacity to bond as a young feline. Cats of any age want gentle attention and loving care.
We are all for the adoption of older pets and believe this is an idea whose time has come. For more information, check out AdoptASeniorPet.com.
