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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Adopting older cat

57 replies

SunshineSuperNova · 11/10/2013 21:49

Hello all

As some of you know we lost our lovely elderly tom last weekend. We were planning to adopt eventually, but a friend has asked us to take her beautiful 12-year-old. He's an absolute darling, but is very stressed due to a new baby and the utterly vile neighbours bastards who have been bullying him.

He's been very well looked after and my friend is gutted to be losing him - he's her furbaby :(

Can anyone give me advice about adopting? All my cats have been from kittens.

OP posts:

cozietoesie · 11/10/2013 22:01

Sunshine

Due to circumstances, I gave a home to Seniorboy when he was 13. He took about 3-4 weeks to adjust properly being an older Siamese who was desperately bonded to my Mum but when he did, he capitulated completely and is now completely sociable - in fact more so than he ever was with her.

He's been a joy ever since and is now 18 nearly 19. He's always been a housecat (which suits - I work from home and we have a big old house where he can cavort) and is extremely happy I think. (He's snoring on his electric blanket right now.)

Health wise he's been OK - a little bit of arthritis in the last year, for which he gets meds, but other than that nothing apart from annual MOTs and shots. I couldn't get any sort of reasonable insurance for him but he hasn't really needed anything. Lucky, I guess.

I'd go for it. Oldies are quieter than kittens but are loving and stately - great companions.

cozietoesie · 11/10/2013 22:16

Sorry - I forgot. He needed a dental procedure when he was 16 but that was mainly due to non-attendance at the vet when he was with my Mum. (His mouth was quite horrible according to recent vets.) The boy you're thinking of might not have such problems although teeth are always a potential problem with older cats.

(Having said which, The Lodger had to have a dental procedure when he was in residence although he was only 3 - misformed teeth. Not much cheaper than Seniorboy.)

Original poster

SunshineSuperNova · 11/10/2013 22:29

Thanks cozie. I'm so angry at the neighbours for chasing him, and my friend is heartbroken. He'll have a very loving home here and we're surrounded by lovely cat people.

OP posts:

cozietoesie · 11/10/2013 22:32

Is that neighbours as in humans or neighbours as in cats?

Original poster

SunshineSuperNova · 11/10/2013 22:43

Human neighbours. They're absolute scumbags and this isn't the first time they've given her shit :(

OP posts:

Fluffycloudland77 · 11/10/2013 22:51

Take him because then your friend can still see him.

I never know how on earth anyone can set out to hurt an animal. They are indeed scum bags..

timtam23 · 11/10/2013 23:02

That's lovely that you've offered to take him in Sunshine

Until recently I had 2 old cats - now down to 1 and we really had no problems with their health at all until the last 12-18 months (when they were 16 or 17) so you may well have quite a few years with a perfectly healthy cat

The problems we had were overactive thyroid, arthritis, kidney failure and high blood pressure (causing blindness)

Good luck

cozietoesie · 11/10/2013 23:02

Achhh. Take him right away - no need for him to spend any longer with potential threat than he has to.

Good luck with him - I'm sure you won't regret it. (And as if to emphasize that point, Seniorboy has now left his blanket having decided that it's time for love ! A purring monster is all over me.)

Original poster

SunshineSuperNova · 11/10/2013 23:18

Thanks everyone. We lost our 19 year old last weekend to heart failure, he was adorable. I wouldn't ordinarily have adopted so soon but I know this lovely tom.

And my friend is welcome here anytime she likes for cuddles :)

OP posts:

cozietoesie · 11/10/2013 23:28

TheMoonInJune · 12/10/2013 18:06

I adopted an old man from a rescue centre and to be honest I probably wouldn't get a kitten again. My ginger boy is NO trouble. Just eats and sleeps and purrs - one of the nicest cats I've ever had.

timtam23 · 12/10/2013 21:13

We were "chosen" by a very young stray kitten so had no choice in the matter but had that not happened, I would have waited until both of my 2 oldies had died, then adopted an older cat again because I don't like to think about them being overlooked in rescues. I also like to have a cat which has slowed down a bit, the mad kitten stage is tiring me out!

Obviously we will need pictures

Original poster

SunshineSuperNova · 12/10/2013 21:36

Of course :)

OP posts:

CanucksoontobeinLondon · 12/10/2013 21:57

DH adopted a senior kitty (9) some years ago, brought her into our relationship, and she was adorable. Much calmer than a kitten, no bad habits, and loved her cuddles. It broke our hearts when she eventually had to be put down (at age 15). That's the only problem with adopting an older cat, is the chance they'll develop major health problems earlier on in the relationship.

However, you never know. Our young "replacement" cat (not that you can ever truly replace them, but the cat we got after she died) also had to be put down, at the age of 2. We assumed that because she was young, we wouldn't have any major health problems to worry about for a good decade or more, but we were wrong. I guess you just have to go in with your eyes open, knowing you can't predict how many years you'll get with them.

I'm really sorry about you losing your other kitty last weekend. That's heartbreaking.

cozietoesie · 12/10/2013 22:38

No - you never know. Umpty posters come on to this board with young cats who are having to be put to sleep due to bad illness or have had fatal accidents. Plenty other posters have oldies who are still going pretty strong.

You just have to enjoy however long you get - and hope that they do the same.

Original poster

SunshineSuperNova · 13/10/2013 11:34

Friends lost their beautiful 2-year-old queen to heart failure. I'm grateful that Oscar got to 19 before his kicked in.

OP posts:

Original poster

SunshineSuperNova · 15/10/2013 20:45

Lovely boy is here tonight - he's still half-hiding under the sofa bed in the spare room, but is tucking in to roast chicken and has said hello. Phew :)

OP posts:

Fluffycloudland77 · 15/10/2013 20:50

That's lovely news, no more scumbag neighbours to chase him.

thehairybabysmum · 15/10/2013 20:55

I adopted a pair of old girls from the CPL 7 years ago, aged 9 & 13. They were/are lovely cats, the older one lived until 18 and was lovely, dead soft and very chilled. The younger one is now 16 and still going strong, though she sleeps a lot more now.

If you know this cat is a lovely cat then I think that's more important than her age.

thecatneuterer · 15/10/2013 21:02

I've said this before but worth repeating. I've taken on lots of cats in their 20s and they all lived a happy life for a good while longer. I even adopted one that was 25 and she lived for a year.

I also persuaded a friend of mine to adopt a pair of old cats. They came in to the rescue when their owner died, with all their papers going back to the 1980s. One was 23 and one 25 and they both lived, happily and healthily, for another two years.

So 12 is barely middle-aged ...

cozietoesie · 15/10/2013 21:12

Wonderful!

All we need now is the picture.

cozietoesie · 15/10/2013 21:14

PS - is your friend on the phone every 20 minutes or is she managing to restrain herself?

SuperiorCat · 15/10/2013 21:19

for your friend but for you.

I've known cats live until they're 20. Our cat moved herself in aged around 11 and 4 years later rules the roost. We just enjoy and love her as much as we can for as long as we can.

cozietoesie · 15/10/2013 21:26

Well no-one in the family thought that Seniorboy would survive my Mum's death. Then they didn't think he would survive the journey to live with me. Then they didn't think he'd survive his first northern winter. Then......Then.....Then....

And six years later he's still here doing pretty OK and living the life of Riley.

eggyhead · 15/10/2013 22:11

I'm pleased to hear you took him.

Our chap spent 10 months in the rescue centre before we found each other. He was 7 with a few medical problems and not many teeth. He's 10 now and very settled. No medical problems since. He'll probably live until he's 20. It's a very stress free life here!

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