Cats of the Week: Theodore and Faraday

Each week in this space, we feature a senior cat in need of adoption or sponsorship. Please remember all the great older cats in shelters. They make great companions, and they (probably) won’t climb the curtains!

 

Theodore and foster brother Faraday are both very sweet kitties in need of special homes.
Theodore enjoys cuddling, and Faraday enjoys getting drinks out of the bathtub.
Photo courtesy Laura Fortner. Polaroid string background from GraphicStock.

This week is extra-special because we have two great cats to share with you. One of them, Theodore, you may remember from when we featured him in June. We have a pretty big soft spot for Theodore and we’d love for him to find a forever home, so we’re featuring him again, only this time he’s accompanied by his new foster brother, Faraday. They’re both in foster care through the Washington Humane Society.

Meet Teddy

Theodore ("Teddy") is a very sweet boy who just
needs some special care from a special person.
Photo courtesy Laura Fortner.

The boys’ foster mom says that Theodore, or “Teddy,” ended up in the shelter in April 2015 after his person passed away. She started fostering him soon after that, and a few weeks later they learned that he had stage 2 chronic renal failure. Poor Teddy! He got some fluid, medication, and special food to get him feeling better. He continues to need some special care, getting twice-daily injections of fluid, and he eats special wet and dry food for his kidneys. (Trust me when I say that giving fluids is not as big a deal as you might think. She of Little Talent used to give fluids to her Darya, and if she can do it, anyone can.) Teddy’s foster mom says that he is very tolerant of getting the injections, which makes it really easy.

Ten-year-old Theodore is a talker, greeting his foster mom in the evening to tell her all about his day—and to remind her to feed him. He loves—LOVES—to cuddle. He sleeps curled up in his foster mom’s arm (can I get an “Aww”?), and he also likes to curl up in a convenient lap. If he’s not with his person, he’s probably in one of his other two favorite places: the bathtub or his nest bed under a chair. Teddy is definitely a cave kitty, not so much a tree kitty. Sometimes he goes for short trips into the backyard (supervised, of course) to warm up on the concrete. After that, he’s pretty much ready for a nap.

Learn more about Theodore here.

 And then there’s Faraday

Faraday likes his alone time, but he's happy to see
his  foster mom when she comes home.
Photo courtesy Laura Fortner.

Faraday, 8 years old, is a totally different kitty. He came to the shelter from the streets, and shelter staff think he had been a stray his whole life. He was all covered in mats when he first came, and he does not enjoy being held. Their foster mom says he’ll give a little growl when he’s ready to be left alone. Faraday is a scared little guy who may have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). He got treated with pills for a couple of weeks and is on special wet and dry food.

While Faraday has some challenges, his foster mom says he is worth being patient for. When she comes home, Faraday is quite happy to see her, rubbing on her and waiting for pets and kisses. He has also started jumping on the bed with her, and he enjoys how she talks to him and rubs his little head every time she passes him.

Just like his foster brother, Faraday enjoys water from the bathtub. But, while Teddy wants some water on a plate, Faraday enjoys the running water. He always gets his chest and front paws wet. Adorable, right?

Learn more about Faraday here.

Can’t adopt? You can still help!

The boys enjoy their tub time!
Photo courtesy Laura Fortner.

Even if you can’t adopt them, you can help these special boys (and lots of other cats) through sponsorship. Both Teddy and Faraday are medical fosters, so the shelter pays for their medical needs (including the prescription diet), and the foster mom covers the rest. Your sponsorship makes a big difference in the shelter’s ability to provide quality care for all the animals. You can also give more general donations of money and/or food, toys, and accessories to help the foster and shelter animals. And of course you can always jump in and become a foster parent to a great cat (or other pet)!

If you’re not in the Washington, DC, area, we encourage you to contact a shelter near you to find out what you can do to help homeless pets in your neighborhood.

Know an adoptable senior cat who needs some extra attention? Let us know!