Senior Cats Cling to Each Other After Being Returned to Shelter Twice

A senior cat and his bonded brother are looking for a forever home together after being returned to shelter because their previous owner got a new dog.

In a post shared on TikTok on Thursday by their animal rescue, Furkids Midtown Atlanta, under the username @atlmotherofkittens, the two long-haired white cats nap close to each other, as the clip shares details of their heartbreaking story.

“Olaf was adopted out as a kitten in 2016… 8 years ago,” the caption reads. “He’s ended up back in the shelter twice, both times for things that were not his fault… (returned in 2018 for adopter developing allergies, returned in 2024 for having anxiety and being afraid of a new dog in the home).

“He’s a senior now, and probably wonders why he keeps ending up back here. The second time he was adopted he was adopted with a younger cat named Boo – both were returned after living in that home for six years. They’re a bonded pair now, for [a] good reason… They love each other so much,” the caption adds.

The rescue manager said that cats feel an intense amount of emotions anytime there is a change in their lives, and all these two felines want is human attention and love.

“They sleep together and groom each other… A true bonded pair. Please don’t let their age deter you… older cats deserve just as much love as the younger ones. And these two deserve everything and more.

She told Newsweek: “They’re such sweet boys! It really breaks our heart that the older one, Olaf, is a senior cat now and has been returned two times due to no fault of his own.

“The younger one, Boo, was adopted as a kitten when Olaf got adopted the second time in 2018, and seeing them both get returned back because the owner got a new dog is so heartbreaking. They were in that home for six years. I couldn’t imagine giving my long-time pets away for a new pet,” the rescue manager said.

The Humane Society of Macomb in Shelby Township, Michigan, says the most-common reasons for dog surrenders include age, allergies, behavioral issues, clean-up, cost, moving, new pets, and shedding.

Each year, 6.3 million pets enter U.S. shelters, which is an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, the 24Pet ‘Shelter Watch Report’ found.

Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.

The video has so far received almost 7,000 views and 1,100 likes on the platform. One user, Nichole Smith, commented: “I have a senior cat that was living under the porch of a house we moved into. He wasn’t even mine at first, but I could never take him to a shelter.”

Jenevi posted: “I will pay for their adoption fee if anyone can please adopt them.” And ratdeputy commented: “I could never understand giving up on a pet after years of having them. That’s family.”

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