Last updated: 19 Nov, 2019
Published on: 25 Feb, 2019
Dawn’s new dawn with Percy and Henry
“It’s nice to have someone to welcome you home.”
Never without the soothing companionship of a cat in her home, Dawn thought about rescuing after her previous cat passed away. She imagined that a pet would bring some love and affection to her life and her retirement home.
Dawn, 73, first saw PetRescue’s subsidised Senior Citizens and Shy Cats program poster pinned up on the noticeboard of her retirement village. Without access to the internet, she called the PetRescue helpline and was put in touch with Maneki Neko Cat Rescue. This is how she first met the “enormous” furry twosome, Percy and Splotch (who was eventually christened Henry).
At this first meeting, one of the brothers had a tentative sniff of Dawn’s hand. Shy cats like to take these initial meeting slowly! But that brief connection was enough, and Dawn decided to bring them home, with the comfort of knowing that if her circumstances ever changed, she could always return the cats to the rescue group.
“I just knew I had to rescue them,” Dawn said. “I knew it would be ok.”
Dawn was initially a little worried when, on day one, Percy and Henry refused to come out of hiding. But over time they warmed up to her, and Henry in particular now happily cuddles with Dawn when she comes home.
“Henry loves to lie at full stretch on my heated throw rug, which comes out in the evenings when I watch TV,” Dawn said.
“Percy is the shyer of the two, but he loves to sleep on my bed, and follow me around the house.”
Percy and Henry do tend to hide when strangers first visit, but when Dawn’s son came over for four nights, the cats had no trouble snuggling up on his bed through the night!
“They miss me when I’m gone and meet me at the door when I come home,” said Dawn while reflecting on the joy that Percy and Henry have successfully delivered with their furry snuggles.
Cats make amazing companions for young, old, and everyone in between. So if you need the love and companionship a cat can bring (or know someone who does), head to PetRescue.com.au to search for adoptable cats in your local area.