With the names Pop Pop (now Jack) and Puss Puss (Now Jenna), you could easily mistake these two cats as siblings – surprisingly both had never met until they were adopted by Michelle.
Jack, a mature 14-year-old cat – came into RSPCA’s care with a notable lack of affection and disinterest towards people. Staff believed his reserved personality was due to his past experiences as a shelter cat and his ongoing battles with major dental disease. Poor Jack was in need of desperate dental treatment.
Thankfully with the love and care from the team at RSPCA, Jack underwent a major dental procedure where he had 22 teeth removed due to severe gingivitis. Jack soldiered through like a champ and was even left with two souvenirs, two teeth!
13-year-old, Jenna was similarly also quite the loner when she arrived at RSPCA, preferring solitude over affection. Jenna also had one slight problem. She only had one eye due to a previously performed eye enucleation. This didn’t stop the staff at RSPCA though in their pursuit to help find Jenna the perfect pet owner.
Michelle fell in love with Jenna’s photograph
Michelle had no intentions of adopting another cat so soon after the passing of her beloved family cat. “I looked up to the sky and said, you’ll let me know when I’m ready,” says Michelle.
“Her sign came through a Facebook post with Jack front and centre and it was love at first sight,” she says. Michelle recalls her gut instinct was to immediately drive down to the Lonsdale shelter to meet him.
Their first encounter was a big success. “I bent down and he walked straight out to me. A month later, Michelle contacted RSPCA and they, gave me the okay to adopt Jenna”, she said.
Then came the next step: introducing the two cats to one another
“I’d have one in a cage and then have another walking around the house. Their settling in process lasted for about 7 days and then on the 8th day, I let them officially meet and they were fine, Jack sat on the carpet and Jenna sat next to me,” Michelle recalls.
Jack and Jenna now live in a townhouse with Michelle and her family. They even have their own fully enclosed balcony and enjoy watching the world go by and sitting in the sunshine – what a life!
“As older cats, Jack and Jenna have settled in well together and play all the time,” Michelle says. Despite their beginnings at RSPCA, both cats have even started to display more signs of affection, “Jack is quite smoochy and Jenna comes to you when she wants to,” Michelle explains.
Every cat deserves to have a loving home, even the mature ones.
Michelle urges people to not overlook senior animals because of their age and age-related issues. “Jack may have two teeth and Jenna may have one eye but these problems do not affect them,” she says. “They are still very loving and just like any other cat deserves a quality life and home,” Michelle says.
