Brandon -- Our Bona Fide Retirement Cat

In our now, closed-to-new-intake, retirement shelter, Brandon was our first (and only) bona fide retirement cat. The other residents were mostly random elderly cats rescued from our local animal control shelters and veterinary clinics. Had we not taken them, they would have been euthanized without an opportunity for adoption. We needed these rescue cats to seed the shelter as we anticipated a long lag from when the program started to when we would receive estate-planned retirement cats.

Interest in our program was strong from the beginning – but the people inquiring were generally in their 50’s or 60’s and – short of having a fatal accident – would not need the program for many years. Brandon was the exception. He spent his first eleven years with a loving couple who treated him as their family member. They aged -- as he aged -- and by 2003 they were no longer able to handle daily tasks. They moved to an assisted living facility and were forced to give up their beloved Brandon.

The couple’s daughter offered to take him – she was a cat lover with several cats of her own – but she also worked full time at a demanding job. Although Brandon was in good health, he did have an apparent cyst growing under his face between his nose and left eye that often got infected. Treatment meant repeated vet appointments for evaluation followed by repeated rounds of daily antibiotics. This she hadn’t planned on. After a few months of providing this extra care, she gave up on him. The week before Christmas she advised her parents that Brandon would be euthanized that Saturday.

The couple was frantic – they couldn’t take him back, and he would be DOA at a shelter. They learned of our retirement program and quickly made arrangements for us to take him. We did and 6 years later he’s still with us.

A few years after we took Brandon -- while he was having dental surgery -- the veterinarian noticed a tiny fistula (natural opening) on his face leading into the nose. While Brandon was still under anesthesia, the vet probed through the fistula -- finding and removing a 7-year accumulation of nasal discharge and necrotic bones-- that were destroyed by the blockage. Brandon’s face problem was not a cyst at all but simply the toll of a clogged nose! Once the clog was removed, the repeated infections and associated foul odor went away too. The nose infrastructure couldn’t be rebuilt, so to compensate, we have to flush his nose daily with fluids.

Brandon – like many older cats – has developed several chronic ailments including kidney disease, high blood pressure, heart disease – and even blindness. Despite this, he eats well, drinks a lot of water and spends most of his time sleeping comfortably in his private condo – complete with food, water, a litter box and a comfy bed. When he’s awake -- and we can help him get around -- he comes out for lap time and attention.

Life has continued to be pretty good for him overall – but, a few years ago we found another health issue. There was an obvious lump near his throat and the blood work and ultrasound pointed to a parathyroid growth requiring surgery. The growth covered most of both his parathyroid and thyroid glands and the biopsy of the excised tissue diagnosed him with carcinoma – a very aggressive form of cancer.

The surgery was complicated by the delicate location and we knew that not all of the carcinoma had been removed and would inevitably cause more problems – and this winter it did. We’ve found two new growths – one near his larynx and another further down his chest. Surgery is not an option this time because of his heart and kidney disease -- so he’s now in hospice. We watch him closely and will make sure his passing is peaceful, but as long as he stays reasonably comfortable he’ll continue to live.

Brandon is a delightful cat – probably the most socialized one we’ve ever known. He assumes that all people and cats he meets are friends and loves the attention they give him. He’s now spent a third of his life in our retirement shelter – extending his life almost six years from that fateful Saturday before Christmas when he was almost euthanised – not because he was terminally ill or in pain that could not be treated – but just because his “parents” moved to assisted living.

As much as friends and relatives want to help with these older, orphaned cats, it’s often not possible for them to do so. Fee-based retirement programs can be a good alternative. In either event, planning for successor care for your pets is almost as important as providing for successor care for your minor children. Without a plan in place, the overwhelming odds are that your death or disability will be fatal to your adult cats – regardless of how much you love them and don’t want that to happen.