Happy Tail: Noah
Rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation are common vacation hallmarks. For Laura, a two-week vacay in August 2023 added another “r” word to the equation: realization.
Laura realized that she couldn’t possibly part with her foster cat Noah — her first-ever foster, and with her for nearly a year prior to her “foster fail” — despite her initial plan to eventually move the sweet senior fellow along to his forever home to make way for another cat in need.
But as the saying goes, the best laid plans sometimes don’t go to plan at all. And Laura missed Noah too much to let him go. As she explains, she already had a fondness for older cats when she applied to be a foster with ACR, where she also volunteers on the social media team. “My sister is a vet, and she told me how much harder it was for older cats and dogs to find homes because everybody wants the cute kitten,” Laura says.
“With my first and previous cat Jesse (who sadly died), I specifically went out looking for a senior. When I started fostering with ACR and was asked if I had any preferences, I told them I always had a soft spot for seniors. That’s how Noah came to be with me.”
That Noah came to be with anyone is a something of a miracle. As the story goes, Noah was surrendered to an ACR partner veterinary clinic by his previous owners who asked that he be euthanized as he was having trouble urinating, a fixable problem with surgery. Noah also had rotten teeth. The clinic accepted the cat but refused to euthanize, and ACR stepped in to help.
“When Noah came to me as a foster in September 2022, he only had two teeth left. Over the course of that year with me fostering him, the vet had to take out the last two teeth as well.” But as is often the case with full-mouth extractions, Laura confirms that Noah still eats like a champ, including kibble which she mixes with his soft food. “Because he has no teeth, he sometimes, drools, which is so cute,” she says.
These days, Noah is thriving, often making guest appearances on conference calls from Laura’s desk as she works from home. And Noah is confirming Laura’s belief that senior cats should not be overlooked by would-be adopters as they have heaps of love to give.
“Noah is loving, playful, friendly — probably the friendliest cat I’ve ever met — trusting and a little bit sassy,” Laura says. “You’d never guess he is almost 12 years old. He had so much energy and loves to play.
“He is also super-sweet. When I get into bed at night, he hops up beside me and presses himself into me, making biscuits and purring so loudly. Whenever I have company, he’s like, ‘Hi, you’re my new friend!’ He never hides. Noah is awesome.”
-Kim Hughes
