Adopting a Senior Cat is Hard – And Worth It

‘Toby had been surrendered by an elderly owner, and he was curled up in the bottom row of boxes. Tired, sad, and alone. ... We had to take him home.’

James Johonnott, photos by Tabitha Tatro

LOVE BOLDLY. 'Adopting a senior pet is fraught with difficult emotional hurdles, but it's a rewarding experience for both you and them.'
LOVE BOLDLY. 'Adopting a senior pet is fraught with difficult emotional hurdles, but it's a rewarding experience for both you and them.'

On July 2, 2018, my partner, Tabitha, and I made arguably our first big commitment together as we walked into the Eau Claire Community Humane Association to find us a cat. 

As a lover of stories, I read every one of the little cat biographies posted by their boxes. I believe cats are deeply affected by their history, even if they don’t “know” it the way we do. So I stopped in my tracks when I saw one that was 15 years old. Toby had been surrendered by an elderly owner (circumstances unknown), and he was curled up in the bottom row of boxes. Tired, sad, and alone. He fully looked like he’d given up. I stuck my hand inside to give him a quick scritch under the ear, and he curled into my hand. Tabitha and I looked at each other, teared up, and immediately knew we had to take him home.

Parting with him was incredibly difficult, as I knew it would be. But I felt honored by the gifts he gave us; time and love. Which were what we gave him back.

But he was 15. The cats I had growing up made it to nearly 20, so at 15 he was clearly already in his twilight years. My heart broke twice that day, because he was all alone, and because I knew he would leave us soon.

And I wouldn’t change a thing. Toby, now geriatric, lived with us for three years, which made us an assisted living facility. But he hardly showed his age. He still played, ate plenty, and was beyond friendly. In addition to the countless days of love he gave us, his comparably short time with us included purchasing a house, remodeling part of it, and the two of us getting engaged. He amassed several nicknames (Lord Toby of the Manor, Toblerone, Scraggleboy, etc.), always comforted us when we were sad, and was a very sweet boy.

Toby (Lord Toby of the Manor, Toblerone, Scraggleboy, etc.)
Toby (Lord Toby of the Manor, Toblerone, Scraggleboy, etc.)

Parting with him was incredibly difficult, as I knew it would be. But I felt honored by the gifts he gave us: time and love. Which were what we gave him back. Adopting a senior pet is fraught with difficult emotional hurdles, but it’s a rewarding experience for both you and them. I think somehow Toby knew what we knew about him. My experience with Toby taught me the value of sharing love boldly and without restraint.