Woman takes home an ‘unadoptable’ cat from the shelter – he is unrecognizable two years later

Unlike little kittens, senior cats are rarely adopted.  However, a woman from New Jersey was adamant about adopting an older cat, who stole her heart on their chance meeting. When Alanna, 30, visited an animal shelter two years ago, little did she know she would find her “soul cat.” She was casually strolling about when she spotted the senior cat, which was "unsuitable" for adoption. Upon learning about its past from the staff, she realized the cat was meant to be in her life. The heartwarming story was shared in a TikTok video by @crustybeansters on July 30.

According to Newsweek, she visited the shelter every day for two weeks to convince the team until they finally gave in. The shelter staff was hesitant with the process as the cat was nine years old and impaired with chronic Feline Herpesvirus (FHV), a contagious disease. He was so feeble that he was incapable of even feeding himself. “He'd stopped engaging with the world around him, just lying still, completely shut down. It was heartbreaking,” his new owner shared. However, Alana was persistent in her efforts to adopt the cat and believed that she could provide a better life for the senior kitty.  Two years later, he's living his best life.

After adopting, the shelter staff helped her with details of Crusty’s medication and routine, and she finally brought him home. “From night one. He curled up and slept right on my chest, and that's been his spot ever since," she shared. Crusty is a Velcro cat. Alanna shared that at first, he hated water, but now he happily participates in the routine grooming and loves spending time in the bathroom. His self-isolatory behavior has now changed, and he has formed deep friendships with his owner’s two kittens. The trio plays, eats, and stays together. 

Inspired by Crusty's journey, people online pledged to adopt senior animals. “What a handsome crusty gentleman. I’m so glad he gets to be loved forever,” said @ursa__minor. “I wish all the senior babies would get rescued,” shared @mybiz80. "You can see the life come back into his face, he found his purpose again! You’ll never find a greater love than that of a sweet kitty and the humans they love! Thank you for giving him his purpose back!" wrote @pretty.eyes.thick.thighs. 

Despite people coming forward to give senior animals a second chance, adoption rates for older cats are shockingly low. According to a study by NIH, the chances of older cats and dogs being subject to euthanasia are higher. The study highlighted that shelters are overpopulated with older animals, and their chances of living are low. Around 5-8 million dogs and cats enter animal shelters every year. Either they get infected with chronic diseases or they are mercy killed. The only reason behind the higher rate of euthanasia in older cats and dogs is "lower perceived appeal for adoption." However, Crusty's happy story of finding a permanent home at the age of 9 after being impaired with FHV shows that the adoption of senior cats can bring joy in both the owner's as well as the animal's life. 

You can follow Crusty @crustybeansters on TikTok to follow her journey.