Blog by Sue Winder

Cold rain poured down from the sky the day they
dropped her off. A couple was surrendering their 20
year old cat. Certainly, there are legitimate situations
in which beloved pets may need a new home, but,
sadly, this did not appear to be one of them. We at
Hallie Hill believe that pets are family, so this
‘surrender of convenience’ was hard for us to accept
and watch, but at least we knew that Autumn would
be loved and well cared for with us, for however
long she had left in this world.

We wondered how this poor Old Lady Kitty would
adapt to Hallie Hill. Autumn made herself comfortable
in Hallie Hill’s main office. She had frequent visitors. One in particular, Ellie, fell in love
with this beautiful, soft and quiet feline. Many questions were asked about her and then a new
idea was formed – fostering! Ellie was clearly in love with this old gal and wanted her to have a
nice home where she would be comfortable and loved for the remainder of her life. Autumn of
course agreed this was a wonderful idea, had her bags packed, and was ready to go! She had been
at Hallie Hill for about 5 months when she moved in with Ellie.

Life at Ellie’s was fantastic. Autumn had the run of the whole house but had a few places she
made her own. One was on a special blanket placed carefully on the couch. From there she could
see what was happening all around her. She was spoiled with fancy treats and snacks. Gourmet
meals were placed in front of her to ravish. Nary was an insect seen, a rodent running or a snake
slithering near Autumn’s castle. She was clearly
the Queen! Autumn and Ellie’s lives were both
greatly enriched by each other’s company. There
was always a story to share regarding Autumn’s
exploits. The decision to foster worked out perfectly
for all. Autumn gave Ellie (and visa versa)
unconditional love that lasted 3 more years.

Everyone should know how special it is to adopt
a senior cat or dog. Older pets who are surrendered
or dumped at a shelter or rescued from bad
situations deserve to enjoy their last years in
peace, quiet, and comfort. Don’t we all want
that? Not only for our pets, but also for ourselves
as well? Senior animals have so much love to
give. Maybe even more than a younger animal, because many have spent their lives in the company
of people and know how good (or bad) it can be!

If you are looking for unconditional love, consider fostering or adopting an older animal. They
may have most of their years behind them, but you can make their final years the best of their
lifetime.

Visit our Adoption Page here to adopt one of Hallie Hill’s precious animals.