Written by Vanessa Bentley
Photography supplied by Vanessa Bentley Photography
I was scrolling through Facebook late one night when I came across a post about Rusty, an eight-year-old ginger cat whose owner had recently passed away. I felt an immediate connection to him. I saved the post and, the next day, showed it to my daughter, telling her how I felt. She quickly encouraged me to find out if he was still available. I’d lost my 14-year-old ginger cat to lymphoma 10 months earlier, and until I saw Rusty’s photo, I’d vowed there would be no more cats for me.
My two tuxedo cats, Abby and Max, share my home. Max is very friendly with other cats, and I often have my daughter’s cat over for a “play date” without any issues. So, I was confident that integrating Rusty into the family wouldn’t be too difficult. It would just take patience, especially since he needed to adapt to a new home and a new person.
When I brought Rusty in, I kept the tuxedos outside, but they could see each other through the glass sliding doors. After giving Rusty an hour or two to explore and get comfortable, I let Abby and Max in, one by one. As expected, they hissed and growled at each other, then Abby and Max stormed off to my bed, clearly displeased that Mom had brought home a strange cat.
With the tuxedos sulking, Rusty stayed close to me, sitting on my lap, wandering around, and then returning to my lap before eventually settling into the soft cat bed next to my desk in the living area upstairs in my cottage.
Three days after bringing Rusty home, we reached the point where they were used to each other, although still a bit wary. Rusty and Max are already eating breakfast together, and Abby is no longer afraid to walk into a room where Rusty is present.
All of my cats were fully grown when I adopted them, but with patience and love, they’ve rewarded me with even more love in return. Rusty may be a bit older than my other cats were when I adopted them, but it’s only a matter of time before he becomes part of the gang, as if he’s always been here.
Rusty is the sweetest boy, and I’m so happy I was able to give him a home. At eight years old, he’s already mature and calm, and I knew he’d adjust to his new environment fairly easily.
