Met An Elderly Lady In Wal-Mart...

kuntrykitty

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[font= "Comic Sans MS"]This is so sweet, it just might make you cry...


We were in Wal-Mart the other day and Mom was at the photo department so I snuck on over to the pet isle, just because I love to look around there...
An elderly lady, probably around 70, wandered into the isle I was in with a basket with some kitty litter, a litter box, a kitty bed, a food and water bowl, and a collar in it. I smiled at her and asked her, "What's your kitties name?" She said his name was 'Sammy' and went on to explain that her husband had passed away last year (
)and she was lonely. So there was a little orange tabby, 3 month old kitten waiting for her at the shelter where she would pick it up on the way home.
So I helped her pick out some foods... some Meow Mix and Fancy Feast and Natural Life, and then wrote down 'Nutro' for her and suggested she go to PetCo and pick some up because it was good dry. She thanked me for my help and went on her way...

It was so sweet and sad! A little kitten, without a home, and a lonely elderly woman... I was so touched, it just made my day!
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katachtig

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That is so sweet that you helped her. I hope the two of them are very happy together.
 
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kuntrykitty

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[font= "Comic Sans MS"]It was extremely sweet and I was so happy that a little kitten found a home and that she would have company...
It felt good to help. [/font]
 

pookieboy

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Well, I'm gonna interject a different opinion on this. A woman of her age really shouldn't be adopting a kitten. Afterall, cats can live up to 20 yrs. and that would put that woman at the ripe old age of 90. I mean, what are the chances that you or I will live that long?

I witnessed a unhappy circumstance at the animal shelter I support. An old man had sold his house and moved to an apartment that didn't allow animals (probably senior citizen housing). He surrendered his 2 seven yr. brothers to the shelter and they were there for months & months before someone adopted them and THEN they were both surrendered back to the shelter.

I'm telling you, it just about broke my heart. Not only that but those two big boys were two of the most beautiful cats I have EVER seen! They were deep burgundy red and white tabbies........absolutely stunning! I've never seen such coloring in my life. Yet, because of their age, no one wanted them
.

Nope, I believe older people should adopt older pets.
 

sofiecusion

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Awww that's sweet!

I once ran into a guy that was a trucker, and had an older orange male that he took in his truck with him. He was buying 2 bags of litter. One for his truck, and one for his house (which he commented won't get used nearly as fast since he spends a lot of time on the road).

My Grandma is 78 years old and has 3 cats! She's had cats live into their 20s. Her oldest cat is 15, she has a 6 year old, and a 2 year old cat. She found them all as stray kittens in her yard! She found homes for their litter mates. She is very capable and hold a part time job still! She also has 2 dogs. She often worries about what will happen to her animals if something were to ever happen to her! Her friend will take the dogs, and my cousin will take the kitties. Her animals are her life, and she still gives them the proper amount of play and attention...
 

proudkittiemom

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Awe that is just so sweet, its great to help
Thats just so great that now these two have each other
And of course ur help was just so great
!! Its always a great feeling whenever u help others
I helped people out today too and I felt so happy! I also talked them into spaying and neutering too
But ur story is just too sweet!~
 

catsarebetter

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Originally Posted by PookieBoy

Well, I'm gonna interject a different opinion on this. A woman of her age really shouldn't be adopting a kitten. Afterall, cats can live up to 20 yrs. and that would put that woman at the ripe old age of 90. I mean, what are the chances that you or I will live that long?

I witnessed a unhappy circumstance at the animal shelter I support. An old man had sold his house and moved to an apartment that didn't allow animals (probably senior citizen housing). He surrendered his 2 seven yr. brothers to the shelter and they were there for months & months before someone adopted them and THEN they were both surrendered back to the shelter.

I'm telling you, it just about broke my heart. Not only that but those two big boys were two of the most beautiful cats I have EVER seen! They were deep burgundy red and white tabbies........absolutely stunning! I've never seen such coloring in my life. Yet, because of their age, no one wanted them
.

Nope, I believe older people should adopt older pets.
I understand your concern, but I think that this is much like saying that children under a certain age shouldn't have animals either. You just simply can't lump all people into a category due to their age. Certainly the story you just portrayed is very sad, bless those two kitties hearts, but I don't think it's unusual for people to live into their 90s. My family all has, and I have to say here, that KuntryKitty may have been off on the age. She's very young (albeit very intelligent, a thoughtful and insightful poster, and very mature), and at least to me at her age, everyone that I saw that was older I tended to tack on at least 10 years to their age. It was just the perspective of my age... everyone 30 and above looked ancient to me.

In any case, I think that elderly people would be just as likely to make if not more likely to make arrangements for their animals given that they *know* something might happen to them. It's the rest of us that expect nothing to happen until we reach a ripe old age ourselves that just simply don't prepare (for the most part) for what may happen to our animals. Surely I don't expect to pass away until my 90s, and haven't made any plans to that extent. Although, I do know that my sister would take my cats for me, just like I would take hers if something happened to her.

Currently my mother has a bird that will outlast her. I suppose we'll end up with it, but in the meantime that cat is going to have a wonderful, well-cared for life. I do agree that perhaps picking an older cat would have been better, but sometimes you just can't control what cat picks you or what cat you just simply fall in love with.
 
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kuntrykitty

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PookieBoy- I can see your side of the story, but CatsAreBetter also has a point. (And thank-you for the flattering comments, CatsAreBetter.
) I mean, now that kitten has a great home with somebody who seemed like a loving and caring lady; and if she hadn't of picked that kitten, maybe somebody less caring would have. Sometimes you can't alter fate, and I had a certain feeling that maybe those two were just meant for each other, it was great. And it is possible that she may have been younger than she appeared, I was just comparing her to both my grandmother's and she appeared to be of the same age, though looks are known to be decieving.
Non-the-less, it brightened my day.
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pookieboy

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Speaking of how "looks can be deceiving":

My cousin down the street from me looks after her daughter's 5 month old baby during the work week. About twice a week my cousin's neice comes in and helps out (she doesn't work). Oftentimes she will take the baby out in the stroller.

I ran into my neighbor friend the other day and she mentioned how she'd seen the white haired woman with the "young" face, out walking the baby.
Well, I explained to my friend that that white haired woman is actually only 45 yrs. old and is prematurely, totally, and gloriously white haired!

Sorry I got off topic but I thought it was worth a mention.
 

miagi's_mommy

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that is very sweet
btw pookieboy at the shelter where I volunteer we would adopt to a kitten 70 year old lady and if she passed away I am sure her kids will take the cat but we do require that you are 18 or older to adopt since pets are a lifetime commitment but they always come back to us if something were to happen. but I can see your side of the story, but the cat and lady need each other.
 

swampwitch

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I think that's a great story!

We never know how long we are going to live, and that shouldn't deter us from doing anything. The woman might not have been 70, either... she might have looked older if, say, she had cared for her husband and he had a lengthy illness.
 

carolpetunia

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And let's consider not only the cats, but the person, too -- who could possibly need the loving companionship of a cat more than an elderly person? For many of them, caring for a pet gives them a reason to go on living, a way to remain active and continue to enjoy life, despite having lost their spouses and many of their friends.

In fact, studies have proven that older people with pets are generally healthier and happier, and usually live longer, than those without. That's why shelters take animals into nursing homes, and some hospitals have "therapy animals" who visit patients.

I don't for one second begrudge an older person the loving comfort of a cat or dog in their later years. Yes, it's sad when an owner dies and the animals are suddenly alone in a strange shelter... but both for us and for the animal, the saying holds true:



'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson
 
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