“After a couple of short-term fosters in 2013, we were assigned an older, diabetic cat that had been adopted as a kitten and was being returned to 4Paws. We must admit we were apprehensive about taking in a special-needs cat. After a stint at the vet’s office, Phoenix came home with us a few months before his 10th birthday. As we worked to get his health under control, he was finding his way into our hearts. We soon realized how smart, funny and affectionate he is. We learned that, in many ways, he is still a kitten at heart (although it was also obvious from the beginning that Phoenix thinks he is part dog – and among other things that means he actually stops and comes back when you ask him to). He loves to sleep with us, usually putting his head on my pillow and his paw on my shoulder or arm.
Now Phoenix is just a couple of months short of his 17th birthday. The tall and long cat is showing his age… He is not as athletic as he once was, and he has been diagnosed with other health issues over the past year. He may also have more “grey hairs” than before, but he is still as handsome as ever and doing relatively well (all things considered). We are lucky to be the ones spending time with him and to be able to offer him a retirement home for him to spend his golden years with the love and care he deserves. Phoenix is not just a special-needs cat, he is a very special cat. Over the years he has collected a long list of nicknames, but one of them says it all: Phoenix is “The Bestest.”
— Volunteer Marina Farias’s adoption story of Phoenix
