MICHIGAN – It’s often a very difficult road for senior animals who need to be adopted. So many potential adopters are looking for younger animals, kittens, so when a senior has his age and a medical issue going against him, it’s especially difficult.
This was the case for one cat stuck in a high kill shelter in Michigan, reported The Dodo. Apollo had been at the shelter for two months and had not been adopted. The workers took pity on him, so he had yet to be put down, but it wouldn’t have been too much longer.
That’s just when Nancy Hutchinson saw him and stepped in. She runs a foundation which is called Michigan Cat Rescue. And so, she pulled him out of the shelter and took him in for fostering with the intention of finding him the perfect family.
He had had a perfect family once in the past. However, his human was an elderly woman who loved and took good care of him, but she, unfortunately, was put into a nursing home.
When Hutchinson finally got Apollo home, his health began to rapidly deteriorate. He developed an upper-respiratory infection, pneumonia, and also a severe eye infection.
She rushed him to the vet, but none of the treatments seemed to be working. Eventually, his eye did burst.
The senior cat became a senior cat with just one eye, making his prospect for adoption that much more challenging. Hutchinson went on to explain to The Dodo:
“I recall one time in particular a lady came up to him at an adoption event. He was sitting in a cage and she told him to his face that he was ugly. I truly believe that he understood her because he put his head down. I could tell that he felt bad and it made me cry”.
The rescue founder decided to take serious measures to find the sweet boy a home. She chose to pay for a boosted Facebook adoption post.
The post ultimately reached in upwards of 130,000 people, and the applications started pouring in. Despite her desire to get Apollo adopted, she used extreme vetting to make absolutely certain that he would go to the best possible home.
“We’re very selective about who we give our cats to. We want to make sure they stay indoors and go to a nice family who’s going to take care of them. Otherwise, we do all this for nothing”.
When she saw the application from a woman, whose name is Denise, it made her stop in her tracks.
“I don’t know what it was, but I just started crying and thought, ‘This is the one”.
She was in her fifties, financially secure, living alone, and absolutely fell in love with Apollo.
Finally, after two years the lucky cat has found his forever home, and he couldn’t be happier. He sleeps right next to her at night and waits for her at the door when she comes home from work.
“So many cats are like Apollo who need someone to come along. They’re not perfect cosmetically, but they have beautiful hearts, beautiful souls and truly deserve a second chance”.
So many animals just like Apollo are still waiting for adoption. If you would like to adopt from the Michigan Cat Rescue, you may do so through their Facebook page. You can also adopt a pet from your area through the website called Petfinder.
H/T: www.holidogtimes.com / via www.thedodo.com / Images Source: Michigan Cat Rescue
