There are so many cats waiting in shelters hoping to be adopted, but sadly it takes some longer than others.
There are many reasons for this: some animals have such a close bond that they can’t be separated and have to be adopted as a pair. Other animals are simply old, making them less likely to be chosen by adopters.
So the odds were against one pair of cats, who were both bonded and of advanced age, to ever find a home. But now, these two finally have a happy ending together.
Leon and Nikita, a pair of shorthair crossbreeds, are 21-years-old and believed to be the oldest living cat siblings in the UK, according to the Daily Mail.
Despite that impressive distinction, these senior brothers didn’t have a home.
After their home situation did not work out, they were placed in the care of RSPCA Northamptonshire, who launched a massive social media appeal to find them a new home.
Since the cats were bonded, they had to be adopted as a pair. The RSPCA says that despite their old age, they were still in “fairly good health,” though Nikita had hyperthyroidism.
“Due to their age, we are keen to get these lovely boys settled into a new home asap,” the RSPCA wrote on Facebook. “Leon and Nikita are an affectionate pair who enjoy chin tickles and human company.”
They requested a quiet home nearby with no children, and offered post-adoption support.
The cats’ story went viral online, and miraculously, people from all over started reaching out to adopt the cats.
“We have had over 100 applications for them from all over the place, from America, Cornwall and Cumbria,” Julie Clifft from the RSPCA adoption team told the Daily Mail. “They’ve been really, really popular. We expected lots of applications but not hundreds.”
And now, these old cats have finally found their forever home.
“It’s great because although they are old we never put a healthy pet down and they deserved a new home,” Julie said.
Congrats to Leon and Nikita for finding a new home together! It’s great to hear someone was willing to give a good home to these old cats without splitting them up.
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