Due to the busy nature of our lives, we sometimes forget that our pets grow old (senior cat) at a much faster rate than we do. One day, we might be surprised to observe that they don’t play as much as they used to anymore, or that they prefer to lounge in the comfort of their own beds instead of actively going around.
At 17 years old, Ricky the Siamese cat is officially a senior. The feline has been a member of the Morse household all his life, and he loves getting huge amounts of attention from his humans. This cat is not all shy about asking for it, and doesn’t seem to accept any excuse for his parents not to give him love.
But if you’re assuming that Ricky is just one spoiled house pet, you’re wrong. In fact, he has a truly valid reason for his attention-seeking behavior.
Ricky suffers from arthritis, which means that he is in constant pain. Getting stroked often apparently helps him feel more comfortable.
But as much as the Morse family wanted to always be there to give the senior cat comfort, they couldn’t do so. That’s because, like most people, they are busy fulfilling necessary commitments, which takes away most of the time they spend with their pets. And even when they’re home, they still have household chores to attend to.
Luckily, Ricky’s mom found a clever way to address his constant need for petting.
Debbie Morse re-purposed a sling – the one meant for a sprained arm – and used it to keep Ricky close so that she can pet him while doing household chores.
On Twitter, her daughter Felicity shared how Ricky would follow her mom around wanting to be pet.
She wrote: “He follows my mum around the house meowing till she strokes him so she thought this would help.”
And the sling definitely fulfilled its job well. Ricky plopped into it without objection and received the belly rubs that he’s craving for in the most comfortable and intimate manner.
“[My mom] invented this sling so he feels comforted and less lonely,” Felicity told The Dodo. “The warmth and cuddles really help his arthritis.”
Debbie says that Ricky is “so gentle and chilled”, and that “he’s worth his weight in gold.”
Indeed, Ricky is one lucky cat to belong in a household that understands his needs and caters to them. The Morse family truly considers the senior cat an important part of their family, and they want to make him feel that even if he is now old, he will always be their baby.
Ricky enjoys the unlimited strokes he gets whenever he’s on the sling, just see the look on his face!
Our 17 year old cat has arthritis but still wants cuddles and strokes so my mum has made him a sling slash papoose for when she is doing the housework pic.twitter.com/TQfgiCVer5
— Felicity Morse (@FelicityMorse) April 7, 2019
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