Last updated: 22 Jul, 2019
Published on: 30 Oct, 2017
13-year-old silver fox gets a new lease of life as grey nomad
13-year-old silver fox gets a new lease of life as a grey nomad
Dermot Mulroney. George Clooney. Barack Obama. John Slattery. Alec Baldwin… Sketch, from SAFE Avon Valley is right up there in the top ‘Silver Fox’ league! Which is why we couldn’t believe this big, handsome, easy-going gent had been waiting well over a year for a forever home. He’d featured in our Adoptables campaign in 2016 and 2017, but his age had proven to be a bigger barrier to finding love than we thought. That was until he caught the eye of travelling retiree, Leslee, at the Lions Market in Northam, WA.
“I was passing through in my campervan, on my way up to my husband in Darwin, and thought Sketch might make a great companion for me and my two dogs - a maltese shitzu and a Japanese spitz,” says Leslee.
“The next day, I went to the foster carer’s home to fill out the adoption forms. SAFE Avon Valley didn’t charge an adoption fee for Sketch, because he has FIV, but I made a $50 donation anyway. I scooped him up in my arms and he hugged me all the way to the car, where he sat on my lap in a basket. He looked at me as if to say 'Yep, you’ll do very nicely!' and didn't bat an eyelid at the dogs, all excited in the back.”
“I was thrilled to give him a home and was so surprised by how laid back and chilled out he is, I renamed him Chilli. He has settled in well with the dogs and fits my lifestyle perfectly.”
Chilli travelled with Leslee and her two dogs in the campervan for a month before returning home. He would sleep on the floor of the van comfortably while travelling during the day and, at night, they all slept together.
“He’s so much more cuddly than my dogs,” says Leslee. “He rubs his chin against me so hard, and loves to hop into bed at night under the covers and sleep under my arm.”
“Since being home he loves to play chasey with the dogs.They have a healthy respect for him as he will swipe them if the dogs annoy him.
“He is so lovely, I'm so glad he waited all that time for me! And I’m so looking forward to our next travelling adventure together next year!”
Chilli and Leslee’s story is further proof that pets adopted for free, or at a reduced fee, aren’t loved or valued any less than pets with a higher price tag.
Some people equate love with money - but we know love is love. We also know that kitten season is fast approaching and, the more adult cats we can help to find a home now, the more room there’ll be in shelters and foster homes to help more mums and bubs in need of care this spring.
If you’re ready to adopt, search for adult cats on PetRescue now.
Photo credits: Sketch from SAFE Avon Valley, by Erin Smith - Little Hill Photography.