DUDE! Domestic Short Hair Philadelphia, PA

MEET DUDE!

At seventeen, Dude is definitely looking for a quiet place to retire. Surrendered to an overcrowded shelter this past summer, Dude spent almost two months there, flying under the radar. He was an old black cat, had terrible dental issues, and was shy – basically three strikes! Luckily, the stars aligned and he escaped the shelter into foster care with City of Elderly Love!

While in foster care, Dude had not one dental surgery but two! Years of infected teeth had caused his jaw bone to expand and look like cancer, but after many extractions and a biopsy of his jaw, everything came back benign. As far as medical needs, he’s a pretty simple dude. He gets Gabapentin twice a day to help with chronic pain in his arthritic old hips and a dash of Miralax in his breakfast to keep his guts moving smoothly. He definitely needs to keep up on these two meds as his gut and overall comfort depend on it. He loves pill pockets, so medicating him is a piece of cake.

Dude let us know from day one that he was a sensitive guy. He spent most of his first weeks hiding under a chest and behind a bed, but after working hard with his foster people, he realized life was A-OK and he didn’t need to hide. He is very sensitive to fast movements and will still flinch or run away when things get a little loud or someone moves too quickly, but he has come so far since this summer. It took him a few months to venture from his foster room and join the rest of the cat and people crew downstairs, but he now comes and goes as he pleases throughout the house. Dude is careful. He is shy. He is sensitive. He is wonderful. And he loves his people!

He currently lives with two adults and a clan of cats. He would do well with another cat or two as long as they are not up in his business. We think a quieter house would be best for Dude since noise and quick movement can be scary for him. When his foster parents have had visitors (especially kids of varying ages), Dude chooses to stay in his room on his heating pad. Once the company leaves and things calm down, Dude reappears.

Dude’s favorite things in the world are sleeping on heating pads/squishy beds, sleeping in bed next to you, helping to make dinner (read: begging for kitchen scraps), serenading you with his lovely cat voice, drinking from the water fountain, and occasionally getting crazy with a feather wand. He really is one of the sweetest cats and he deserves to have a quiet space with a person he can follow around, nap on, and love forever.

Dude is available for adoption through City of Elderly Love. He is neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. He is also FIV/FeLV negative. Interested in adopting him? Visit cityofelderlylove.org to complete an online adoption questionnaire or email us at info@cityofelderlylove.org!