See the Full Issue
February 2023
In My Experience
AAHA’s Kaitlyn Choi talks about her penchant for adopting senior pets
Soft Spot for Seniors
Lily Potter (aka Catness)
“Each time we welcome a senior into our home, it’s an unspoken acknowledgement that there will, inevitably, be messes to clean up, medications to be administered, countless visits to the veterinarian, and ultimately, heartbreak all too soon. But we will never hesitate to help a cat or dog in need of a soft place to land for their final years.”
As a lifelong animal lover and pet owner, I knew early on that I have a real soft spot for senior pets, particularly those who find themselves in a shelter late in life. My first experience adopting a senior pet was Annie (named after the well-known orphan), an estimated 12-year-old Lab mix, who was found wandering the streets and no one ever came forward to claim her.
When I walked down through the dog room that fall afternoon in 2012, I almost passed by the thin black dog sitting quietly in the back of her kennel; she was easy to overlook compared to the other exuberant dogs seeking attention, but for me, it was love at first sight. With little more information than the fact that she was old, mellow, and didn’t seem to mind my golden retriever, she came home with me and was spoiled for a wonderful 3½ years before old age finally caught up with her.
Since then, my family has welcomed several more seniors into our home and loved on them for as long as we were privileged to. Mama, my heart cat, was adopted at 10 years old and became my sidekick for the next eight years. Penny, the senior stray kitty, turned out to be far from cat-friendly, but we juggled her alongside our long-term felines for 11 months before kidney failure got the best of her. After losing Mama, our golden retriever Oliver, and Penny, all within 18 months, we needed a break from the constant heartbreak and paused the senior adoptions.
From top: Penny, Annie, and Mama
In the fall of this year, though, a picture of a frail 4½ -pound cat named Catness scrolled across my social media, and I knew it was time to jump back in. The shelter was looking for a hospice home for this cat, who was found as a stray and determined to be in early kidney failure. A quick text to my husband, letting him know I was heading to the shelter to meet a cat, and I was on my way. About an hour later I sent him a picture from the cat room floor, Catness sitting next to me, and he simply responded: “She’s coming home with you, isn’t she? What do you need me to set up?” Thank goodness for the partners who support—or at least accept—their significant other’s call to adopt all the seniors!
Each time we welcome a senior into our home, it’s an unspoken acknowledgment that there will, inevitably, be messes to clean up, medications to be administered, countless visits to the veterinarian, and ultimately, heartbreak all too soon. But we will never hesitate to help a cat or dog in need of a soft place to land for their final years. The love you receive in return is unmatched, and the lessons we are able to teach our children about loving and losing pets are invaluable parts of helping these animals.
In the last decade of helping senior pets in need, they have helped me and my family just as much. They have brought a sense of love and appreciation that is hard to find, and for that I am forever grateful.
Photo credits: Courtesy of Kaitlyn Choi