Kittens and puppies are cute as can be, but there’s something about senior pets that is undeniably special. Older animals often have a calm wisdom that their younger counterparts lack—but their age can make it more difficult to find them a home.  Such was the case with Adrienne, a sweet senior cat who was adopted and returned to the ASPCA after eight years. Though it’s heartbreaking to see an animal lose their family, it made us that much more determined to find her a home that would last. Fortunately, Katherine D. showed up and gave her the “Happy Tail” she deserved.

Adrienne was adopted in 2005 when she was a little over one year old. In September 2014, after eight years together, her previous owner returned the fetching feline because she was moving to a place that didn’t allow animals. Adrienne was now ten years old—officially a “senior”—and in need of a new home. She was diagnosed with untreated asthma and bronchitis and began a steroid prescription to alleviate her discomfort. After five weeks of treatment, she was ready for adoption, and luckily, Katherine D. walked through our door at just the right moment.

Katherine grew up with many pets from shelters like the ASPCA, but it had been a number of years since she herself had been a pet parent. Once her son grew up and moved into his own apartment, the timing finally felt right for her to adopt. “Now that things are calmer, I thought it would be nice to have a pet again,” she said, so she began browsing adoptable cats on the ASPCA website. That’s when she spotted Adrienne.

“I saw Adrienne on the ASPCA website and I loved the way her face looked,” Katherine recalls. “She looked mellow and sweet and had beautiful eyes.” Katherine was also drawn toward Adrienne’s age, thinking that an older cat might enjoy lots of petting and be a good lap-cat. So she headed to the ASPCA Adoption Center with Adrienne “at the top of her list.”

Katherine’s first meeting with Adrienne did not disappoint. She recalls, “I could tell she was calm when we opened her habitat. She had the sweet face I’d seen on the website, and she didn’t seem jumpy or nervous.” Vets at the adoption center informed Katherine of Adrienne’s asthma and told her that she would need a once-daily pill for the foreseeable future. Adrienne said, “I was happy to look after her and give her medicine, and since she was older and had been returned, I knew she really deserved a quiet home where she could rest and be un-stressed.” She adopted Adrienne that day.

At Katherine’s Brooklyn apartment, Adrienne settled in right away. “When she came out of her carrier, she didn’t even try to run and hide,” Katherine recalls. “I just sat on the floor with her and she immediately wanted me to pet her…a lot.” It was the perfect fit, and in the weeks that followed, Katherine and Adrienne’s bond only grew. She now often calls her “Lady Adrienne,” as she acts very regal and thinks she’s a Queen!

“I think Adrienne is happy in her new home,” Katherine says. “She sleeps in the sun, hops up to come see me when I get home and basically sits near me wherever I am. She’s the perfect cat for me.” Though it took Adrienne eight years to find Katherine, we’re pretty sure this is one “forever home” that will truly last forever.

If you’re interested in adopting a senior pet, check out the ASPCA’s dogs and cats over the age of three.