9-year-old rescue cat with grouchy personality adopted after long wait
He has frostbitten ears and waited 2½ years for a permanent home
Debbie the rescue cat is not necessarily a prime candidate for adoption.
He is old (nine years, to be exact), skittish, grouchy and has frostbite damage on his ears and paws. That may have been why his stay at Heaven Can Wait Animal Rescue Foundation in High River spanned 2½ years, according to Kim Hessel, president and founder of the shelter.
"In a case like Debbie … he's got a couple visual strikes against him, with no ears and sensitivities to his paws, even after all this time," said Hessel on the Calgary Eyeopener.
Animals at the animal rescue are named for who finds them, and where, so the cat's full name is Debbie Aldersyde, named for the woman who found him and where he was found, in the hamlet of Aldersyde.
Despite some conditions working against him, Debbie was adopted this week by Coralie Green, who says he is the perfect fit for her.
The only thing that he's ever going to have to worry about is getting too many hugs and kisses.- Coralie Green, new owner of frostbitten cat
She knew kittens get adopted out more easily than older cats.
"I've been looking for a cat and I knew I wanted and older cat.… When I [saw] Debbie's picture and especially when I read his story, I just [knew] this is my cat," said Green.
With people adopting pandemic pets, we're talking with a shelter that's seeing some of its long-term, senior residents finally finding homes. Including Debbie, who's actually a cranky male kitty, that just got adopted. We have the shelter and Debbie's new owner on the line now. <a href="https://t.co/qzp1E0DfFt">pic.twitter.com/qzp1E0DfFt</a>
—@CBCEyeopener"The only thing that he's ever going to have to worry about is getting too many hugs and kisses."
Green is renaming Debbie. He will now be called Memphis.
Hessel says many people requesting adoptions right now want kittens, but they have been getting requests recently for mature dogs and cats.
"It's so incredibly heartening for those of us who work in animal welfare when we see a mature cat or dog be chosen because those ones really aren't the popular ones," Hessel said.
"It just warms our hearts around here that he went home last night with Coralie."
She says because Memphis was a regular at the rescue, he will be missed, but that this is the scenario they hoped to see — him leaving the rescue in.
"We do get bonded to the animals, for sure, when you're working with them every day. But it's a good kind of goodbye," she said.
"I want to see them go to a new home. And this is a perfect outcome for this cat."
With files from Paul Karchut and the Calgary Eyeopener.