102-year-woman falls for shelter cat and adopts him...

[joeybee12]

Barbara Bates, the adoption coordinator for a Texas animal shelter, was there with her camera when 102-year-old Iona L. and 2-year-old Edward discovered each other.

"It just filled my heart," Bates says about the scene in the shelter lobby. "The kitty just snuggled right up to her. Matched her outfit she had on.

"I said, 'Iona, do you mind if I take your picture?' And she said, 'Honey, I sure hope I don't break your camera.'"

She didn't. Far from it:


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/22/102-year-old-woman-adopts-cat_n_6524804.html

Looks to me they were meant for one another

[postulater]

1. Both will live longer because of this.

[glasshouses]

2. I'm a pretty tough guy

but when I clicked on your thread I felt a lot of emotion looking at that picture .

It almost made me cry

[3catwoman3]

27. More than almost...

...for me.

[AtomicKitten]

3. Animals can be therapeutic for the elderly.

Wishing Iona and Edward a happy life together. If Edward outlives Iona, I hope he finds his way back to the shelter.

[RoccoR5955]

29. Animals are theraputic for everyone

Ever seen a well adjusted kid with his or her pet?

[AtomicKitten]

31. Of course. Point taken.

[Enthusiast]

36. +1

[bullwinkle428]

37. The story mentioned that Iona's son made a promise that Edward would stay

in the family should anything happen to Iona. (That was my concern as well.)

[AtomicKitten]

38. I hope that promise is kept.

CraigsList is littered with ads for pets left behind when their elderly caretaker dies. It's heartbreaking really.

[tabbycat31]

42. On one trip to the SPCA

I absolutely fell in love with two big burly black kitties. They were brothers, about 5, who's elderly owner had passed away. The one condition with them is that they were a package deal and had to go home together. The only thing that stopped me was my (now late) Tabby, who picked fights with other cats. My cousins (6, 8, 13) were with me at the time and they made the case (unsuccessfully) to their parents to take the felines (the package deal killed it). The kitties were lover boys and were named appropriately (Romeo and Casanova).

I really do hope those two lover boys found a great home. I wish I could have taken them.

[hifiguy]

4. Sweet story, beautiful cat.

May they share many happy, healthy years together.

[brer cat]

5. Looks like a great match.

I hope they have many happy years together.

[BrotherIvan]

6. That photo is priceless

When pets find their people it really is something to behold.

[Omaha Steve]

9. I agree 100%

[SheilaT]

7. I have had cats in my past and I will have them again.

Right now I'm doing too much travelling to have animals.

I have also told my sons that if I eventually need to go into a home, they must promise to put me in one that has resident cats.

I do very much hope that this woman is planning ahead just in case her cat outlives her. When I did volunteer work at an animal shelter, the saddest situations were the ones where a person had had a cat (and all the cases I recall there were two cats) and then died or went into a nursing home and there was no one willing or able to take them in.

When I do resume being a crazy cat lady, I am going to adopt the oldest cats they have, because so many prefer a young cat, or worse yet kittens.

[hifiguy]

8. I adopted two older cats

over the last few years. But I won't do it again. It was far too hard to lose Max after just four years and Butch after only 2 1/2 years. I am so happy to have been able to give them a big dose of being spoiled before they passed on, but that's too short a time to be with a good cat. Next time it will be a young adult cat for me.

[SheilaT]

10. I understand why you might feel that way.

When we bought our house in Boulder, it came with a cat who was about ten years old at the time. She lived about six more years. A year after she left our lives, I went to the shelter and adopted a three year old cat. Nine months later another cat, who was just under a year. Ten or so years after that a cat showed up on our front doorstep and adopted us, and although we never knew for certain, I eventually decided she was even older than my first cat.

In the end, I had the first two cats for nearly fourteen years each, and the other cat, the stray for only three years. I adored them all, and given my personal experience I would be willing to take on older cats again. Also, I am already 66, and since I am doing lots of travelling at this point in my life, it will probably be ten years down the road before I'm settled enough to have cats again.

Nonetheless, it's easy to understand why someone else would be reluctant to spend so short a time with such a wonderful creature.

[ScreamingMeemie]

11. From the article...

"For her part, Bates says she had "no hesitancy" about Iona adopting Edward. To start, Iona's son promised that should anything happen to his mother, Edward would remain in the family. But also, Bates believes that Edward is good for Iona, and she for him."

[bluedigger]

21. But, um, how old is her son?

A spry 80? Just struck me as kind of funny - I'm all for the adoption.

[ScreamingMeemie]

23. I am too, and I'm sure her son, who could feasibly be as young as 60 ;)

and has a mother who hit 100 , is not her only family.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

33. You should see Iona's mom!

There is a yogurt commercial to be made here.

[Rhiannon12866]

34. LOL! I remember those commercials...

I once visited Soviet Georgia and I made it a point to try and choke down some of that yogurt, but I just couldn't do it. It's not exactly Dannon...

[SheilaT]

25. I read the article and missed that.

I've already told two different friends that if anything happens to them (not likely, they're younger than I am) I will happily take their cats. I already know the cats in question, and you just never know. But what I did learn from my time at the animal shelter that it can be a good idea to have a plan in place, especially if you're not very young.

And I agreed that companion animals can be an excellent thing for older adults. I think more assisted living places should have them. Me, I'll want to be in one with cats, no dogs allowed. Someone else would prefer the opposite. Or both.

[Jamastiene]

35. I would be one of those "both" people.

I had heard that some places will allow a resident pet like that. I would love it if, when I get older, I get to be near animals in my last years. I love both dogs and cats. So, I would be one of the "both" people.

[maddiemom]

41. My late mom's nursing home had a resident cat AND a resident dog.

The dog was a fairly large one, but they were buddies. Both roamed freely around, and, as long as the doors were open, in and out of the rooms. Although my mom had been an animal lover (horses, and even sheep, as well as dogs and cats) all her life, most of the residents who hadn't lived with animals still became very attached. It was beautiful to see the joy these animals brought to so many. On a related note, when I last adopted, I asked which cat had been there longest (the shelter housed several old and decrepit cats, which they weren't offering for adoption unless the potential owner just wanted to ease the last years (very few did, of course). That was eight years ago and, "Maddie" is still a wonderful and loving pet and surrogate mom to other pets. I realized later that she'd become a favorite to many of the workers ( a "no kill" situation, of course) who were sort of "hiding" her from potential new owners.

[840high]

12. Love for both of them. Got smoke

in my eyes.

[a kennedy]

13. Ditto to smoke in my eyes....

This is the most beautiful photograph of lovers I think I ever seen. And it just brings tears to my eyes.

[ailsagirl]

16. Yes

[Skittles]

14. she is beautiful, and so is her cat

[ailsagirl]

15. Amen, Skittles

What a cool lady!!

[Glassunion]

17. Beautiful story

But if I were that age. I wouldn't even buy green bananas, too risky of an investment.

[Terra Alta]

18. beautiful pic and beautiful story

hope they have many long and happy years together.

[TBF]

19. That is beautiful. K&R nt

[Curmudgeoness]

20. That is sweet, and surprising.

I am what I consider old, 40 years younger than her, and I worry all the time about my cats if something should happen to me. I would hate to not have a cat in my life, but I would have a hard time taking on a new one at her age. More power to her....I am glad that they will be happy for however long they have.

[hopemountain]

22. a match made in heaven

a few years ago i agree to accompany my neighbor to a cat rescue shelter. it was 150 mile round trip which we were happy to make. i had no plan to get a cat because i had 2 dogs. but, my neighbor adopted a kitten.

while at the center i was standing to the side, admiring the older cats - but not allowing myself to look with my heart - and protecting myself from 'cat connection'. suddenly, i became aware of a young cat right in front of me staring straight at me. i petted her and learned her name was "isa" - very special name in our family. but, i was able to pull myself away and found myself attracted to another sweet cat, and her name was "bella". they were sisters.

i got out of there and managed to not adopt a cat. i was worried it would be too crowded in my home with 2 older dogs. of course - cat magic had occurred and i could not stop thinking about those 2 sisters. so, a couple of weeks later, i made the trip back to the cat rescue to adopt them. but, they were gone. i know they were special because they shared my grandmother and my niece's name - and my niece had tragically passed only a month earlier.

to this day, i regret not adopting the sisters. they were a special gift i turned down. i really hope they were adopted and went to a good home(s). i vowed to never turn down the special connection ever again.

[tabbycat31]

24. You can see the love in that picture

From the woman and kitteh. We need more stories like this.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

26. Aww.

I hope I can still have a cat when I'm old. They're such wonderful friends.

[beam me up scottie]

28. Goddamnit

Made me cry.

They're home.

[oldandhappy]

30. Sweet!!

Absolutely wonderful. Snuggle well you two. Iona and Edward are great together.

My cat is curled up in my lap. I have learned to knit with her in my lap, and to work on the laptop with her in my lap.

[dhill926]

32. fantastic....

[matt819]

39. I hope they have many years together (nt)

[packman]

40. My Mother-in-Law was placed in a nursing home

when her Alzheimer became too much for us to handle. The home had two cats named Prozac and Zan(for Xanax). Those cats would wander in and out of patient's rooms, sleep with them and got more attention than any cat deserved. They were showered with gifts ranging from knitted booties to personalized drinking bowls. You could see the old folks faces light up when those two cats strolled into the day room and hop from lap to lap.

[Vinca]

43. This story made my day.

I'm nearing 66 and have been wondering when I should stop adopting new cats. My youngest will probably be around until I'm 80 or so and now, thanks to Iona, I know the answer to my question: never. There will always be an old cat looking for an old lady to spend quality lap time with.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

47. Well, ya know, a lot of us can appreciate a nice story

about an old lady who adopts a cat and still be concerned about, say, a completely delusional and corrupt government, people being shot on camera by the "police", our media and free press being destroyed daily, etc. It's not either-or. But if you don't enjoy reading happy stories about cat adoptions and prefer to wallow in the miseries of GD, don't read happy stories about cat adoptions. Just don't snark at those of us who like to read about some of the good things that happen in this sad world, however insignificant you may find those good little things. It makes me just a bit happier to know there's an old lady and a cat who have found each other. Nothing wrong with that.

[Liberal In Texas]

45. Lovely story...n/t

[Liberal_in_LA]

46. k&r

[JI7]

48. the cat knows he is loved