This senior cat only wants one thing before he sleeps – for his new mom to hold his paw while he does so.
Jamie, a Burmese cat, was previously owned by an elderly woman. But when she had to move into a nursing home, she was forced to surrender the 13-year-old feline to an RSPCA Australia shelter.
The cat didn’t seem to understand why he wasn’t with his mom anymore, and why he was living in an unfamiliar place. Aside from the initial confusion, Jaime had been suffering from a few medical concerns that caused him great discomfort. He had cat flu, kidney issues, and bad teeth. To alleviate his pain, the shelter gave him medication for his illnesses and had his bad teeth extracted.
Jaime started feeling better, but there was still one problem – the shelter wasn’t confident that someone would want to adopt a 13-year-old senior cat.
Thankfully, they found someone who would in the person of a woman named Sarah Dempsey. Sarah visited the RSPCA looking for a cat to keep her company. She wasn’t planning to adopt a senior one at all, but when she saw Jaime, her plans took a different route.
“When I first met him, he was asleep, but woke up as I bent down to look at him. He clearly wanted some pats so I stuck my hand through the slot of the enclosure and he head-bumped me and purred. Later the staff let him out to see how he was with me and he was so affectionate,” Sarah told The Dodo.
It was definitely love at first sight. Sarah adopted Jaime that day and they went home together. From the very first day of their companionship, Jaime already expressed how much he loved his new mom. He would rarely leave her side and he was very affectionate.
“He won’t leave my side. He is extremely affectionate, head-bumping and weaving around my legs. He likes talking to me at night and follows me around my apartment,” Sarah said.
Jaime was clearly all about affection. During his first day with Sarah, the senior cat asked her to hold his paw when he napped.
Sarah gladly obliged, and the cat soon fell asleep. Eventually, Sarah tried to move her hand, but when she did, Jaime started meowing. When she held Jaime’s paw once more, he immediately fell asleep.
“If I let go he wakes up, meows, and claws my hand back to him. I think we’ve bonded already,” she said.
Sarah was amazed at how quickly Jaime bonded with her.
“I knew he’d rescue me from feeling alone, and I’d do the same for him,” she said.
Now, the two clearly understand each other’s needs. Sarah holds Jaime’s paw when he’s napping, and the cat curls up next to her at night, which she absolutely loves!
Theirs is a picture of a perfect companionship – it’s clear that this pair was meant to be together, and we’re so glad that they found their way to each other!