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Elderly cats are being saved from being euthanized with adorable cat retirement village

It's a cat paradise.

Representative Photo by Siobhan Kelleher|Wikimedia Commons

Elderly cats now safe thanks to adorable cat retirement village

There is an amazing retirement village now accepting guests but instead of catering to elderly people, it's designed for elderly cats. Shropshire Cat Rescue has been rescuing elderly cats that are set to be euthanized and providing them with top notch elder care.

The owner of the rescue was tired of seeing older cats get passed over for adoption and subsequently put to sleep simply because they were old so she decided to do something about it. That's where the idea for Shropshire Cat Rescue came from and they've got cats wandering the retirement village who are over 20 years old. One cat, lovingly named Cat, loves to hang out in the little "store" in the tiny cat town, while others lounge in cat condos.

Veterinarian, Dr. Scott Miller, owner of an elderly cat himself wet to visit the feline retirement community to check it out. He was impressed with how much the retirement community had to offer the cats that call it home.

Shropshire Cat Rescue is in England, but it's not the only retirement home out there for felines. A Florida couple opened a retirement home for elderly cats, too. Terry and Bruce Jenkins decided to open their home for elderly cats in their back yard, rescuing them from "hardship situations." The Jenkins' don't adopt the old kitties out, they let them live out their years cozy in their back yard.

In fact, there are several retirement homes for cats in America, but the Shropshire village truly looks like a mini town. It comes complete with stores and other town staples designed for cats to lounge about in, but humans also use the store fronts to store items for the cats.

Watch:

Shropshire Cat Rescue currently has about 17 cats and has a program set up that allows local kids to come play with the cats. The elderly cats get to socialize with humans and other cats while receiving whatever care they need. The retirement home is the last stop for these old guys so there's no effort to rehome them.

These cats simply get to live out the rest of their lives being loved on by volunteers and the visiting children. Maybe even more retirement homes will start popping up across the country.

This article originally appeared on 5.14.24

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cat retirement home

Joy

Man attempts to rescue stray kitten and quickly discovers he got more than he bargained for

Here kitty, kitty! Oh wait, there are 12 more of you?

Photo by Dorothea OLDANI on Unsplash

It's kitten season!

Who can resist a sweet little kitten trying to cross the road? Even if you’re not a fan of cats, you’d likely stop for a baby animal in the street. That’s what happened to Robert Brantley of Louisiana. Brantley was on his way to work and spotted a tiny white and gray kitten trying to get across the street. Being a kind human, he stopped his car to bring the kitten to safety. But he got more than he bargained for, because as he was scooping up the little thing, several more kitty cat siblings came running out of the nearby grass.

In all, Brantley counted 13 kittens. Twelve more than he planned on caring for, but by the looks of his Instagram page, his family has taken their role of cat rescuers seriously. With kitten season being in full effect in these warmer months and pet surrenders remaining high since the return to work from the pandemic, Brantley taking on fostering 13 kittens is much needed. Humane societies across the country are reportedly full or even over capacity. My own local humane society currently has nearly 150 animals over its limit and is begging for foster families and adopters to help clear the shelter.

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A post shared by Robert Brantley (@robertbrantley_)

It’s not only humane societies that have reached or exceeded capacity. Animal rescues across the board are in dire need of people to take animals to make room for the inevitable drop off of puppies and kittens from the current litter season. Mating season, which subsequently turns into puppy and kitten season, starts in early spring and lasts throughout the summer. This inundates local shelters and rescues.

Some shelters, like my local humane society, are asking people who find litters of puppies or kittens to do exactly what Brantley is doing.

Foster them and attempt to adopt them out on their own. It looks like Brantley's wife decided to get these now cleaned up kitties in their Sunday best to have a photoshoot in her makeshift studio. One kitten sported a bow tie while the others climbed around the enclosure patiently awaiting their turn. It also seems Brantley himself is having fun with the situation—in one video he talks about what he packs to go on a marksmanship match and includes 13 kittens along with his tripod and toolkit.

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A post shared by Robert Brantley (@robertbrantley_)

In one of Brantley’s most recent updates, he says that two of the kittens, Michael Scott and Nala, have been adopted by a family in Alexandria, Louisiana. In the same update he informs his followers that one of the kittens still left to be adopted is currently on daily medication and the family is keeping up with check-ups for the rest of the furry crew.

Here’s hoping that all of these little guys get adopted out soon. And may more people take Brantley’s lead to foster the kittens or puppies they find if they have the means. This can also serve as a reminder to spay and neuter your pets and any strays you may be caring for outside of your home.

This article originally appeared on 6.16.22

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cat rescue

Here's why you need to take a tour of this blind cat sanctuary.

Blind or not, these furry felines have captured our hearts.

Welcome to the Blind Cat Rescue and Sanctuary, where all cats — whether they're blind, have FeLV, or are FIV-positive — have a home for life.

Pepper the cat and his friend JT. Photo from Blind Cat Rescue/Facebook, used with permission.

This wonderful place was created by North Carolina native Alana Miller together with her daughter back in 2005. The idea was born out of a single blind cat rescue Miller made while volunteering for another shelter.

"A man was going to leave this sick six-week-old kitten in the PetSmart parking lot if the shelter would not accept him. I found myself saying 'I will take him,'" Alana writes on the organization's website. From that moment on, she found herself constantly encountering similar situations because finding forever homes for sick or blind cats is, well, hard.

Once they had taken in four cats, BCRS became an official cat rescue. Now, they have 90 cats.

In 2005, they built a separate space on Miller's property just for blind cats who would've been euthanized by local shelters otherwise. In 2011, they built a separate compound for feline leukemia positive (FeLV+) cats and feline immunodeficiency virus positive (FIV+) cats. Despite common misconceptions, FIV+ cats can live long healthy lives and FeLV+ cats can remain healthy for years before getting sick.

Caroline, one of the cats who's FeLV+. Photo from Blind Cat Rescue/Facebook, used with permission.

"We are a lifetime care sanctuary, we are their lifetime home," Miller told Upworthy.

Anyone who wants to is more than welcome to come visit the cats, and they have open house days scheduled regularly.

The sanctuary is surrounded by a six-foot-tall white fence that allows the blind cats to walk around freely (they can't see the fence, so they don't try to climb it). Beyond that, blind cats are just like any other cats — they jump, they play, they get into crazy, out of reach places, and they pose hilariously.

"You talkin to me?" Photo from Blind Cat Rescue/Facebook, used with permission.

In fact, blind cats are actually more like super cats than their seeing counterparts. According to Miller, if you rearrange your furniture, blind cats will readjust to the new configuration almost immediately. Meanwhile, if I rearrange my own furniture in my apartment, there's a 99% chance I'll trip on it within the next hour. So blind cats: 1, Ally: 0.

BCRS has been drastically improving the lives of sick and blind cats for more than a decade, so why are we talking about them now?

Because they recently started making incredible videos using Facebook Live, which are being shared wildly across the internet.

Photo from Blind Cat Rescue/Facebook, used with permission.

Their shelter tour (which they just posted) already has over 11,000 views and 2,400 Likes. They also have a ustream channel where you can check out what's going on in the sanctuary 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So you know where I'll be if you need me.

However, if you're not into watching the entire 20-minute video, you can meet a few of the cats below:

Here's Atticus:

This gorgeous boy was found as a stray. He is FeLV+ but appears pretty happy and healthy (and competitive). GIF from Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary Inc./YouTube.

Introducing Mickey:

Just because Mickey's blind, doesn't mean he can't catch feather toys like a ninja. GIF from Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary Inc./YouTube.

And here's Marge:

Marge just cannot be bothered with this thing. GIF from Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary Inc./YouTube.

Of course there are many more adorable, hilarious, charming cats at the Blind Cat Rescue and Sanctuary, but you'll have to check out their site and/or watch their many videos on Facebook and YouTube to see them.

Subscribe to their pages, consider donating to their cause, and if nothing else, take their comprehensive tour here:

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cat rescue

Elderly cats are being saved from being euthanized with adorable cat retirement village

It's a cat paradise.

Man attempts to rescue stray kitten and quickly discovers he got more than he bargained for

Here kitty, kitty! Oh wait, there are 12 more of you?

Some shelters, like my local humane society, are asking people who find litters of puppies or kittens to do exactly what Brantley is doing.

Here's why you need to take a tour of this blind cat sanctuary.

Blind or not, these furry felines have captured our hearts.

Welcome to the Blind Cat Rescue and Sanctuary, where all cats — whether they're blind, have FeLV, or are FIV-positive — have a home for life.

Once they had taken in four cats, BCRS became an official cat rescue. Now, they have 90 cats.

"We are a lifetime care sanctuary, we are their lifetime home," Miller told Upworthy.

BCRS has been drastically improving the lives of sick and blind cats for more than a decade, so why are we talking about them now?

Here's Atticus:

Introducing Mickey:

And here's Marge:

Subscribe to their pages, consider donating to their cause, and if nothing else, take their comprehensive tour here:

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