Everyone deserves to spend their twilight years in a happy and nurturing environment, including our beloved companion animals. Two cat brothers in the United Kingdom named Leon and Nikita—both aged 21—were recently displaced from their homes because they “were not coping with family life.”
Thankfully, due to a massive social media campaign by well-known animal welfare center, the cats have finally found their furever home!
Like most animal siblings, these black shorthair crossbreeds have been inseparable since birth. They were brought to the RSPCA in Northamptonshire an animal welfare center, which promptly launched a campaign to find a new home for the extremely bonded felines.
“They are just such lovely cats and at 21-years-old they just should not be in rescue,” Michelle Billingham, an animal care supervisor at the RSPCA branch, told the Northampton Chronicle & Echo.
The RSPCA also posted a “special appeal” on Facebook hoping to bring more attention to the cat brothers.
Leon and Nikita—believed to be the UK’s oldest cats—have well surpassed the life expectancy of their species at age 21. For this reason, the RSPCA desperately wanted to re-home them in the quickest time frame possible.
“Due to their age, we are keen to get these lovely boys settled into a new home asap,” the animal charity wrote on its website. “Leon and Nikita are an affectionate pair who enjoy chin tickles and human company.”
While they’re both fairly healthy, Nikita has just been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. The cat will require blood tests over the next few weeks/months to check how he responds to the medication. For this reason, the moggy needed to find a home in Northamptonshire close to his vet for checkups. The RSPCA will also provide support after adoption as Nikita’s condition is stabilizing.
The rescue noted that Leon and Nikita would do well in a quiet home without children.
“We wanted to keep them within the local area but some people haven’t read that bit. We really wanted to keep them together in Northamptonshire and we’re delighted that has been possible,” Julie Clifft, who works on the RSPCA adoption team, told Daily Mail.
After receiving hundreds of applications, the cats finally found a home to spend their golden years together.
Clifft said the influx of adoption applications for Leon and Nikita came as a shock to the team. While the RSPCA expected to receive many applications, they didn’t expect such a big response from the public.
“It’s been pretty crazy. We have had over 100 applications for them from all over the place, from America, Cornwall, and Cumbria,” she said.
“It’s great because although they are old we never put a healthy pet down and they deserved a new home,” Clifft added.
Everyone at the animal welfare center is thrilled that Leon and Nikita have now found a home to spend their retirement.
The typical domestic cat in the UK lives to about 14 years old, although many can live far longer, as reported by the Royal Veterinary College. This means Leon and Nikita’s age of 21 could very well equate to over 100 years in human terms.
Now that they’ve found their new home, we hope these senior cats continue to live a happy and long life!