Hoonie, a 16-year-old cat, has experienced many changes recently, but one thing hasn’t changed: Hoonie’s favorite stuffed cat, a gray and white cat, is still at his side.
Sadly, Hoonie’s owner suddenly passed away, thus he is now homeless. Hoonie was first taken in by the owner’s daughter, but sadly, she and her own son are allergic to cats, so they were unable to keep him. As a result, Hoonie and his toy cat traveled to a Maryland shelter managed by Alley Cat Rescue.
Hoonie’s doing “really well,” but he’s still adjusting to the new sights and sounds at the shelter, Brianna Grant, communications associate at Alley Cat Rescue, told The Dodo. His stuffed cat, which probably still smells like home, is his greatest comfort.
Grant said, “We’ve never seen a cat so loyal to a plush animal. It appears to be his support network, in fact.
Hoonie spends all of his time with his plush cat; he snuggles, plays, and sleeps with it.
Grant said, “It’s been a long-time buddy.” I believe Hoonie enjoys playing rough with the stuffed animal and is really connected to it because the owner’s daughter showed us pictures of Hoonie doing so. He has been lying close to the cage, and it appears to be really helping him.
While the staff will do everything they can to help Hoonie get used to shelter life, they ultimately want him to find a new home, especially since he craves attention from people.
“He’s a huge talker,” Grant said. “It’s very sweet. When he’s lonely, he’ll let you know. You’ll hear him from a room away. But once you go and hang out with him, he just gets silent and hangs out next to you, and he seems so content just to have people by his side.”
Hoonie is also in excellent health, so Grant hopes that his advanced age doesn’t deter potential adopters.
As a senior cat nearing the end of his life, Grant stated, “I think people have a hard time dealing with the thought of adopting a cat, developing a relationship with the cat, only for the cat to die away.” But whomever adopts and adopts him will undoubtedly enjoy their time with him for a few years. Such a darling, he is.
Grant explained that Hoonie would be best suited to a calm home environment with no other cats, and preferably with owners who are around a lot.
When Hoonie is eventually adopted, his stuffed cat will follow him to his new home. “We couldn’t separate the two,” Grant said with a laugh. “They’re a package — two for one.”
