At most animal shelters, the youngest, healthiest, and cutest animals are usually the first to get adopted. Unfortunately, that means that less fortunate animals end up sticking around longer and, potentially, getting put down.
Luckily for those shelter animals, there are people out there who value more than looks in a furry partner. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, one woman decided not to follow the trend. She walked into the Morris Animal Refuge and made a clear, if unusual request: She said she would like the “least adoptable” cat at the pound.
So, the shelter volunteers introduced her to Precious. Precious is a blind and deaf 15-year-old cat with hyperthyroidism and a heart murmur. Despite, or perhaps, because of her thyroid condition, Precious is an old sweetheart that purrs nonstop.
“Prescription food can help the thyroid issue,” Morris Animal Refuge assured the woman. “All she wants is someone to love her.”
The woman decided to take Precious home.
As excited as the shelter volunteers were to see Precious get adopted, they were also sad to see her go. She had made lots of friends during her stay, and one volunteer even spent the afternoon brushing her.
“She had such a wonderful time. Precious is an amazing kitty,” another volunteer said.
The shelter volunteers had always seen something in Precious that most visitors overlooked. Poor Precious had spent months in the shelter as other cats arrived after her and were adopted before her.
However, when the woman who asked for the least-adoptable cat first met Precious, she snuggled right into her arms. They were a perfect fit.
“This sweet 15-year-old kitty Precious may be blind and deaf with hypothyroidism and a heart murmur, but tonight she has a home,” the rescue said triumphantly over social media.
“The Morris Animal Refuge offers innovative and high-quality care for cats, dogs, and other small animals,” reads the MAR website. “The Refuge provides a full range of preventative, protective, and adoption services for abused, neglected and abandoned animals.”
“In more than 135 years, no animal has ever been turned away from our door. The refuge, the first in the United States to care for cats, was founded by Elizabeth Morris, one of our nation’s pioneers in animal welfare, in 1874… The Refuge is run by a small and dedicated staff whose primary responsibilities include animal care, adoptions, and humane education.”
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(h/t) Love Meow
