Age is Just a Number: Bella’s Rescuoodle Story
Sadly, senior animals often spend far longer waiting for their forever homes in RSPCA NSW care than younger ones.
That was certainly the case for beautiful Bella, a 13-year-old cat who spent over 500 days with us, patiently waiting for a suitable adopter to come along.
While her days of kitten zoomies were behind her, the friendly feline still had so much love to give and dearly craved a place to stretch out and call home.
As the days turned into months, one fateful day saw Jenny come into our Coffs Harbour shelter and Bella soon stood out.
“The first time I went to see her, I took her some little treats, and she came down and sat with me and ate the treats,” Jenny said.
“The second time I went there, I just walked in and sat on the floor in her little enclosure, and she just came up to me and let me stroke her and the girls there said, ‘She doesn’t usually do that.’
“It’s like she knew that we were meant to be together.
“When my dad was alive, he was fairly sick towards the end, and he spent a lot of time at my place and he used to say to me, ‘When I come back, I want to come back as your cat’ so I look at her now and I think, ‘Are you my dad?’.
“The minute I saw Bella, it’s just like she jumped straight into my heart.”
Jenny and Bella have quickly proved to be a perfect match with age proving no barrier to a truly special bond.
“She’s just a real sweetheart. I just think it’s so sad that nobody wanted to adopt her. She’s a beautiful looking cat and she’s really sweet. It’s just really sad that people are a bit judgmental about age,” Jenny said.
“I think that she probably was a bit lonely because she does follow me everywhere. She’s just there all the time. So, I think she’s really enjoying having that company.
“I’ve never once ever sort of had a thought of maybe I’ve made a mistake. I’m so happy with her. She’s trained, she’s really well-mannered, she knows how to use the kitty litter, and she doesn’t run around all night zooming. It is a perfect match.”
Jenny has always had cats and after her previous feline friend passed away two years ago, she felt the time was right to bring another one home.
Bella proving the time was indeed right as she brings the joy of companionship to Jenny’s life.
“It just gives you purpose,” she said.
“Bella wakes me in the morning because she’s hungry, so I get up, I give her food and she’s happy and that’s so nice for the first thing in your day to be making somebody happy.”
