Celebrating Senior Pets!

November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month and we talked to one of our staff members who has made adoption and hospice care of Senior pets her mission in life. Meet Cassie Vail, adoption counselor extraordinaire:

Q: Why is advocating for senior pet adoption so important to you? 

A: I don’t think seniors should be sitting in shelters the last years of their lives. They should have a warm bed and be loved and comfy for however long they have left. They had a home before  and now they are in a cage and don’t know what they did to get there. Sometimes their owners die and it’s so sad. They tug at my heartstrings and I feel for them.

Q: When did you realize you had a passion for advocating for senior pets? 

A: When I got my first cat. I went on the Chicago Animal Care & Control (CACC) transfer team page and I found a 14 year old cat with hyperthyroid and took him. He was on my lap 24/7 and even slept on my face. He taught me what unconditional love is. I want to feel like I’m making a difference by helping the ones that need it most. Seniors tend to be at risk of not finding a home because they might have medical issues and people are less interested in them.

Q: What are some of the benefits of adopting a senior? 

A: Stroller walks for cats! Everyone wonders how I do it with my two cats. I trained them on leashes and to be in strollers. Because they are seniors, they were calm, already well-adjusted cats because when I got them they had previously had a home and family. They were still active but chill enough to not be scared. Seniors have so much love to give and are so grateful that you gave them another chance. And there are not a lot of behavioral issues. For dogs, they are most likely housebroken since they’ve been in a home before so it’s not new. They know manners, adjust better and are not anxious.

Q: What should people know before adopting a senior pet? 

A: It’s important to know that seniors might come with health issues, but the love makes up for that. People worry that they won’t have much time with this pet. First, cats live a LONG time. Second, I always say it’s not about the quantity but the quality. One senior I had for three years was the best cat ever. In some ways, it’s almost nice to have that shorter amount of time and know you’re helping them by adopting the less desirable and helping the underdogs and cats.

Q: Can you tell us about your “fospice” cat? 

A: Terry is a hospice case. She came from CACC and is really skinny with knots in her fur and mats on her belly… she likely has some illness like hyperthyroid, but because she is old, her veins are too thin and doctors could not get her blood drawn. Giving her a warm bed and loving home for however long she has makes me happy. Seniors just want a loving home for the last years. 

Q: Do you adopt out a lot of senior pets through your job? 

A: Puma the dog was one I was really advocating for. He was 10 and he did not like his kennel. Watching him struggle made me cry, so we got him out to foster care. He lived there for a month before passing and got to spend that last month in a loving home thanks to his foster family. I adopted out a 14 year old dog named Wreath to a really nice couple and I just got to help with the adoption of a senior cat named Prissy. She has hyperthyroid (very common in senior cats) and will need to be on meds for the rest of her life. But her adopter did not care. That’s amazing to me! 

Q: Any last thoughts about senior pets?

A: Sometimes they come with no teeth so if they bite it doesn’t hurt. Ha! But seriously, if you rescue senior pets, you can save even more lives. I wish more people would give them a chance and I feel like I was put on this earth to advocate for senior pet adoption. They don’t belong in shelters.