How old is the oldest pet you’ve looked after?
This lovely post just knocked me over ! 68 this year and obviously still a spring chicken!
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I loved this so much that I’ve changed your post into a new topic, hope you don’t mind @Highfive 
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I looked after a German Hovawort A farmyard guard dog who was 16 years old, somewhat deaf, developing cataracts, and suffering from dementia. He no longer enjoyed walks as he couldn’t see properly. Meeting other dogs would have been traumatic as a consequence. All he wanted to do was sit on the balcony and survey what he could of the front gate and monitor the passersby. He probably had bone ache too, as he disliked being groomed but had a thick coat that required attention. He couldn’t decide when outside if he should go inside and when inside if he should go outside.. so we were able to keep the patio type window ajar.
He was so gentle and easy to love.
When I looked up the breed there were lots of compliments.. but life expectancy was 12. He was rescued and it shows what love and great care can do. He still enjoyed his food and his home and companionship.
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We did a sit where one of the cats was 18 years old, blind, deaf and had suspected dementia. She needed to be lifted up and down to the wet food on the kitchen windowsill (out of reach of the dogs), but her teeth must have still been in good shape as she had constant access to a bowl of kibble upstairs. She would meow very, very loudly when she wanted to know where we were!
It was fascinating watching her orient herself to her surroundings when we lifted her down from her food bowl in the kitchen. She would walk in gradually increasing circles until her whiskers made contact with the furniture, then follow it round until she understood where she was. I was a little worried the one day she decided to go out of the cat flap, but she didn’t go far and found her way back in OK, much to our relief.
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I sat a 19 year old long haired chihuahua last spring. Sadly he passed the rainbow bridge.
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What a great topic @Highfive!
The oldest pets I’ve cared for were 2 elderly cats, one 19 and the other 21. They both crept around, probably at a pace similar to Timmy in your post, from food bowl to liter tray to a comfy place to snooze in the sun.
The older one received medicine via iv. Fortunately a vet tech came and administered that instead of me having to do it every other day.
The cat sisters often made a bit of a mess when using the liter box, but who could blame them at their ages? I’m guessing I’ll be in adult diapers by the time I reach a similar age in human years!
The one worrisom thing about this sit was that it was in the hills in Oakland, California, an area prone to wildfires and overdue for an earthquake. Fortunately I didn’t have to put those kitties in carriers and dash from the house. Whew! That would have been traumatic for them and for me!
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The oldest was a 15-year-old dog. She’d been sick for years and was on multiple meds. She ended up having catastrophic seizures 11 days into our sit and had to be put down. Her humans rushed home and we all said goodbye to her together. She enjoyed life till her seizures, and I felt privileged to have spent her last good days with her. She was a sweet little soul and I still keep a photo of her on my desk.
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Wow that must have been a roller coaster of a sit! Lovely that you got to share some of the great moments too. I keep photos of all the pets I’ve looked after.. maybe I’ll make an album to keep them all together.
One Home Owner we met had an album of all the Housesitters she’d had to look after the pets which I thought was a lovely idea .
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It was heartbreaking at the end.
Yes, I thought about getting a photo book made. I currently keep pictures of sit pets in digital albums — one for each sit, because I take so many photos.
Jokingly, I imagined getting cushions made of each sit pet’s image — I’ve seen online where you can do that, where the cushion is dog or cat shaped. Imagine them all lined up. 
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Maggie .. you’d be sitting on the pets then! Ha ha. That’s a lovely idea.
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