Summary

The website content describes the adoption of Spot, a senior cat, by a family who is experienced with senior felines, and their journey to integrate Spot into their home with existing cats.

Abstract

The article introduces Spot, a newly adopted senior cat who came with his name. The family had previously only raised cats from kittenhood and is now experiencing the unique challenges and rewards of adopting an older cat, likening it to an arranged marriage. Spot's adoption follows the loss of their last senior cat, Mr. Winks, and the decision to adopt again was made after a period of grieving. The family specifically sought an older male cat, feeling it would honor Mr. Winks' memory by providing a home to another cat in need. Spot was chosen from a litter of three senior cats needing a home, and despite initial adjustment difficulties, including nighttime meowing and tension with the resident cats, Spot is gradually settling in and becoming a beloved member of the family.

Opinions

The author suggests that adopting an older cat is similar to an arranged marriage, with the potential for growth and learning as the lives of the cat and new family unfold together.
The family believes that male cats tend to be more friendly and laid back, influencing their decision to adopt a senior male.
The author expresses a commitment to honoring the memory of their late cat, Mr. Winks, by giving another senior cat a loving home.
There is a sense of responsibility to help senior cats find homes, as the author notes they often have a harder time being adopted.
The author empathizes with Spot's loss of his previous life, including his home, human, and littermates, and takes steps to make his transition easier, such as setting up a separate room and providing companionship at night.
The author is optimistic about the integration process, noting peaceful interactions between Spot and the other cats as a positive sign of progress.
The author views Spot as a remarkable cat with a good-natured personality, who is resilient and has much to teach his new family.

Introducing Our New Senior Cat

He came with the name Spot

Our new senior cat, Spot. Photo courtesy of the author.

This is the first time we’ve adopted a senior cat.

We’ve had senior cats before, but when we got them they were kittens or very young adults. As they grew up, we enjoyed each other’s company and antics. By the time they were seniors, we knew each other very well.

Adopting an older cat is like an arranged marriage. You may not know much about the cat or his past, only his present. But you’re going to learn about each other as your lives unfold together.

Our new senior cat came with the name Spot. We weren’t sure if we were going to change his name. After all, Spot is a dog’s name, right? But, as we get to know him better, we’re starting to understand why he was named Spot!

Several weeks ago, we lost the last of our senior cats, Mr. Winks. We were left with just two 4-year-old cats. We needed time to grieve and didn’t know if we’d adopt another cat. But it felt strange having only two cats, as though something was missing.

A few weeks passed before we seriously considered adopting another cat. We decided we weren’t going to be in a hurry, and when the right cat came along, we’d go for it.

We knew we wanted a male senior cat. In our experience, males tend to be more friendly and laid back. We wanted an older cat because it seems to be harder for them to find a home.

It would also feel like we were honoring Mr. Winks somehow. We could give another cat who was in need, the rest of the life Mr. Winks would have had with us.

We saw posts on Facebook and Nextdoor about three senior littermates who needed a home. We couldn’t adopt all three, of course! But we thought, if we adopt even just one of them, it might make it easier for the other two to be adopted together.

We visited the foster mom to meet the cats and see if any of them clicked with us. The friendly, outgoing one was Spot. He let us pet him while the other two hid, poor things! We liked Spot and took him home with us, hoping his brother and sister would find a forever home together soon.

Years ago, when Mr. Winks came to live with my three kitties at the time, his human also joined the family. Mr. Winks was in a different house than he was used to. There were resident kitties who weren’t keen on having a strange adult cat around. But he had his family and support system with him, his human. Mr. Winks was still young and was able to handle change easily.

However, Spot had lost everything. He lost his home. He was in another house with two kitties who were not keen on having a strange adult cat around. He lost his support system, his human, and his littermates. He lived the same way for over 11 years, and suddenly his life completely changed. He lost all ties to his past.

We set up the spare bedroom with food, water, and a litterbox for Spot. Each night, one of us slept in the room with him, with the door closed. We didn’t want him to be alone, since he was never alone before. We didn’t want him to feel threatened by our kitties, so we kept the door shut at night.

I stayed with him in the room for the first few nights. I hardly got any sleep! Poor Spot meowed most of the night. He wanted to get out of the room. We weren’t sure why.

During the first few days, he walked all around the house meowing as he did at night in the room. Later, it dawned on us that he might have been looking for his littermates.

During the first week, there was the expected growling, hissing, running, hiding under furniture, and taking long ways around to avoid each other.

We tried to assure Spot that he wasn’t alone and that he was now home. We tried to reassure Bobbie and Sunny that they weren’t being replaced, we still loved them, and they’d still get their daily treats on time!

We’re into the second week and the household has calmed down some. Several peaceful nose-to-nose episodes have occurred. The catio, which last week was a timeshare, is now a shared space. Spot and Sunny nap near each other. As for Bobbie, well, let’s just say she’s making progress!

Spot still walks around the house meowing, but only in the evenings. He’s not actively looking for his littermates anymore. He’s calling us to escort him to his bedroom and tuck him in for the night!

We’ve still got a long way to go, but I think he’s settling in!

Like Mr. Winks, Spot is also a friendly, good-natured boy. I’m inspired watching Spot adjust to his new home after his life was turned upside down. I’m impressed every time I see Spot calmly walk by Bobbie as she complains at him. He’s a remarkable cat, with a lot to teach us.

We adopted Spot because he needed us. It seems we also needed him!

Welcome home, Spot!