Loving Care for a Special Senior
Candy Corn, a Siamese mix stray cat, was brought to Dakin in 2018 after being found at a busy intersection in Springfield. She was estimated to be about 12 years old, had fleas, scabby skin, and was lethargic at intake, with no interest in eating. After a medical assessment, it was determined that the senior cat had the early signs of kidney disease, and a urinary tract infection. Add to that some muscle wasting and tartar build-up, and it was obvious that Candy Corn needed some loving care in a foster home to help her begin a journey of healing.
Joyce and her family fostered Candy Corn, and the docile feline happily snuggled into their home. Joyce’s daughter Isabelle was especially smitten with the new arrival. “Candy Corn was immediately very sweet and loved to rub your hand, arm or face,” Joyce recalled. We ended up adopting her for Isabelle as a Christmas present. We renamed her Marshmallow because she kind of looked like a toasted marshmallow, but my husband called her Mooshmallow once, and she became Mooshie ever since then.”
A recent update from Joyce noted, “Over the next six years she ambled, purred, and cuddled her way into all our hearts. We took a chance on a senior pet and had several wonderful years with not just a cat but, as my daughter put it, ‘a celestial being in the form of a cat.’
“Last night I watched as that celestial being passed away peacefully in my daughter’s arms. Sadness was a given, but I also felt gratitude to Dakin for also taking a chance on an old lady cat with kidney disease. They used time and resources to diagnose, care for and treat her gum disease and urinary tract infection. Older animals often need more of both to get well enough to be adopted.”
November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month. When you bring an older pet home, you begin a wonderful, caring relationship already knowing that you will likely have fewer years than you’d have with a younger animal, but you also have the ability to make the rest of their life the best of their life. We thank everyone who has made each tender moment count by adopting a senior pet.