But today I wanted to talk to you about our oldest cat in the shop. Her name is Miss Molly and she is 12 years old. Wow, that's old! Or is it? Really?! Just so you'll know who I'm talking about, I'll show you a picture. Here she is and, yes, she is truly beautiful! Doesn't look old, does she?!
Now I suppose it's because she is the oldest cat in the shop, but she gets the VIP treatment! She isn't given as special care as I am, of course, but she does have her own suite, her very own litter box and she is fed in special little bowls in her suite. And, of course, she comes and goes as she pleases!
Now Miss Molly limps a bit, I think she has arthritis or something, but she is pretty darn spry! She can jump up on the cabinet even! And she jumps on the humans' laps, so she's not exactly disabled! And here is the story that prompted me to write about this critter and made me realize that 12 is maybe not that old. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to go visit Molly in her suite. I innocently walked over there with nothing but good intentions, just wanting to talk for a while, and she chased me away! I'm not kidding! She got up out of her bed (oh yeah, she has her own favorite beds!) and chased me! At first I thought it was because I had dared to enter her space. And I thought that for a long time until I saw the picture that was posted Friday of AJ visiting in Molly's suite. And she was just fine with that! If you don't believe me, look at the blog right before this one and you will see. And if AJ is allowed in there, surely I would be!
I do think I've figured it out now, though. You see when I strolled up to the suite, I innocently said, "Hey, Molly!" And even though I had a smile on my face when I said it, the problem must have been that I didn't address my elder by her rightful name . . . MISS Molly. At least that's the only thing I can think of! Because she got up and ran me right out of there. I wasn't afraid, of course, just a little shocked. And I haven't been back since!
So that leads me to the title of my blog. If MISS Molly can jump up on the cabinets and on laps and can chase me out of her suite, is she old?? So I did some checking on the magic machine and here is what I learned. Let's say a cat is 13 to 17 years old. Well, that corresponds, roughly, in human years, to 65-85 years old. I bet you know some pretty spry humans in that age range, huh?! Maybe their senses are less acute and their internal organs don't function quite as efficiently, but they are often active and young looking and even play! So what if a cat is 17 to 22 years old??? Yes, it happens! Like the older humans they are maybe frailer you think? And did you know that there are cats who get VERY OLD, older than 22?! We cannot promise you how long any cat you adopt from StreetCats will live, but since you'll be keeping them inside away from danger and since they'll be seeing your veterinarian regularly, well, maybe they'll live to reach this very old, ancient age!
So don't dismiss Miss Molly as an adoption prospect just because she is 12 years old. She could still give you years of love! At least as long as you address her by her proper name! Don't forget the MISS!
She is very pretty! Does she get senior citizen discounts??
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