You’re back!
We’re glad.
Because there are five more feline phenoms here to show you how to rock old age.
Let’s hear it for the second half of our first-ever Ten Over Ten…
Brownie, at fourteen, is on the verge of becoming the first cat to successfully shift from solid to liquid.
This process begins the moment you make eye contact. Brownie’s melting point is love. Turning to actual feline goo has never been accomplished, in or out of a laboratory. But in the Tabby’s Place Community Room, one elderly cat can become 85% chocolate syrup using only your arms and three-fifths of a forehead kiss.
The only catch is that, when you shnoogle Brownie, you will also melt into a material somewhere between peanut butter and baba ghanoush. But there are things we must do for science.
Juel, at fourteen, has just obtained a permit to renovate Suite E into a honky-tonk. Juel has no idea what “honky tonk” means, but he heard it in a song a volunteer sang to him, and Juel thought it sounded great.
Juel listens to his life, which also sounds great. Juel’s life has jostled him a bit, but jostling is just another word for dancing, and anyway, it all landed him here, with cats and volunteers and a sunroom, and sparrows who may be mocking the cats, but mocking is just another word for making merry, and Juel is pretty sure that is what a honky-tonk is all about, although there may also be ten gallon hats involved, and perhaps they are filled with chili, and Juel intends to live long enough to find out.
Trifecta, at fifteen, has just been confirmed as The Kindest Cat in the Building. But you must understand, “Cat” is a category encompassing all beings, from the Executive Director down to the earthworm in the garden, and “The Building” is a region encompassing all universes known and unknown.
Trifecta has one wonky eye, three chronic diseases (FIV, FeLV, and diabetes), and zero self-pity. Trifecta is a certified therapy cat who travels to nursing homes and cancer support groups, so he can inform people that they are The Most Loved Cat in the Building. When Trifecta does this, people and cats tend to become kinder, which means he may someday have to share his title, which is exactly what he wants for his 20th birthday someday.
Steven, at sixteen, was established as a National Historic Site. He does not move as swiftly as he did back in his kittenhood at Tabby’s Place. He makes a pros and cons list before deciding to lumber out of his bed.
But there are grand advantages to living at the speed of guacamole. You become a destination. People come from all over New Jersey and the world just to kiss you in person. Steven has met people from Flemington and France. Steven has snuzzled strangers into family members without leaving his blanket.
Steven is the homebody who makes all bodies feel at home in the world. Steven is a saint.
Ducky, at eighteen, may have the ultimate elderly achievement.
Ducky lost the person she loved more than life. Ducky gained orthopedic issues, kidney issues, and issues that brought more issues in their backpacks. Ducky has been plucked by all the sorts of sorrows and stressors that can accumulate over eighteen years.
And Ducky has decided the best is yet to come.
Though her fur is a little rumpled and one eye is as cloudy as cider, Ducky sees a world sweeter than apple pie.
Every lap is a lovely lap. Every sunbeam proves she is in the right place. And every day adds to her collection of very best days. She has so many at this point, she is eager to share.
If you are having a dreadful day, Ducky can give you new memories, no matter how old you are. You will not understand why, but you will suddenly know that it is not too late. You may even sign up for ballet lessons, or call someone to ask for forgiveness.
You may even get adopted. At eighteen. As Ducky did.
Long live the late bloomers.
And remember the seniors, because they will never forget you.*
*Your donation doubled for our elderly cats, up to $150,000, now through 6/30. Thank you, Tabby’s Pace family.