Wingate

Wingate's Story

and

The Plight of The Senior Kitty

In the natural progression of life, we will all grow old. I've always held a special place in my heart for senior kitties. As an animal technician at a no-kill shelter I see a lot of pain and tragedy. One of those tragedies is the relinquishment of the older cat to a shelter where he or she will usually spend the remainder of their life. Most of these abandonment's come with not even the slightest element of legitimacy. Personally, I can't imagine ever giving up a member of my family and I urge pet owners to search deeply into their soul before making such a decision. Can't you please find some alternative?

All too often I have seen what happens to the older kitty who has been abandoned. In most cases they will not survive. I've seen the stages they go through. First, they wait.......surely my Mom/Dad will be coming for me. Then in a week or so......they give up. The sadness wells in their eyes, they stop eating, they lose weight, organs fail, and they die.

Nearly 100 percent of those who visit our shelter are looking for a cute little kitten to take home. Yes, kittens are so cute and adorable........and so adoptable too. I have my two "little ladies", my calico girls just over three months old who were also rescued from a shelter where, yet unborn, they were marked for death in the womb of their pregnant mother. I absolutely adore them.....but I also realize that if I hadn't taken them in, someone else would have. Not so for the adult kitty, and especially not the senior cat. If you have a multi-cat household already, and are thinking of adding to your furfamily, think about helping an adult or even a senior kitty. Just think about it for a moment.......this a kitty who once had a home, who slept on a bed, who sat in a chair, who lay in a sunny window to warm his bones, who moved freely about his home from one room to another, a kitty who most likely is now destined to spend the remainder of his days locked behind bars. Please, make room in your heart and in your home for the adult or senior cat.

Wingate's Story

(a photo of Wingate will be added soon)

I won't talk about Wingate's past, I don't know a whole lot anyway, and it really doesn't matter how he came to be at the shelter. I do know that he had a home and people who cared about him. This section is not about that anyway, it's about his new life and his new home with me.

It is September of the year 2001. Wingate is 17 years old. He has recently become a member of my fur family. So far, he's not thrilled to be here. Wingate was used to being the ruler of his roost and he isn't too crazy about the size of his new family. The adjustment is difficult, but I can be patient. He hasn't realized yet how much better off he is here than at the shelter, but we have time for that.

I am confident that eventually Wingate will come out of his shell to tell you his own story, but for now, I will begin the story for him.

The first week he arrived he spent all of his time sitting on the back of my couch looking out the living room window. I tend to think he was waiting for his humans to come for him. The second week I think he gave that up and began "hiding" behind my desk. He remains there most of the time. I indulge him by keeping his own set of food and water close by, although I do force him to come out of hiding to use the litter box. He seems to be getting more comfortable now and he is beginning to respond to me.

He's quite the talker. I love his voice and I'm sure he has so much to tell, and I look forward to the day when he will open up to me. He's a crabby old man who growls when he walks through the house even when there's no one around him. His new fur brothers and sisters have quickly learned to just stay out of his way for now. I find the growling to be amusing and have made my feelings known to him. When I hold him, he growls at first, making way to purrs within a few moments. Wingate, we're making progress, you'll be just fine.

I hope you will come back to visit and follow Wingate's story as we continue this saga. Meanwhile, we wait while trying to settle into a routine when Wingate learns that his life will go on, and he has a new family to bond with. I hope that upon your next visit you will see photos of Wingate perhaps snuggling with one of his sisters and telling you his own story.