Share Your Senior Pet Stories and Photos! 🐾💖

[Jenny]

Hello everyone!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always had a soft spot for senior animals. My cat Walter is a senior boy these days, and I appreciate having his company each day.

Whether you’re a pet sitter or a pet parent, I imagine you’ve met some amazing senior pets who’ve left a paw print on your heart.

Please share a photo of the senior animals in your life and tell us a little about them. How old are they? Do they have a funny quirk or a heartwarming story? For pet sitters, is there a senior pet you’ve cared for who you remember fondly?

I’d love for this discussion to become a place to honour the older animals who bring so much love, joy, and calm to our lives.

I’m really looking forward to seeing your photos and stories!

Jenny

[Maggie8K]

The most senior pets I’ve sat have been adorable.

Two cute fellas — including one who was deaf and blind, as well as missing most of his teeth — yet they could tell meal times within minutes and would bark, bark, bark when they decided it was treat time. I felt sorry for Mr. Toothless and Blind, because it took him a while to chew baby carrots, so the other dog would steal some of his without him realizing it. I started chopping the carrots so Mr. Toothless and Blind could more easily eat them. Did that carefully, because I didn’t want to explain in an emergency room that I’d injured myself while splitting carrots for a dog.

Separately, a recent senior I sat was the quirkiest and funniest dog I’ve encountered yet. She hated walks and apparently always has. She’d flatten herself like a spatchcock chicken and/or nose herself into a corner to avoid walks. Only 13 pounds, though, so sometimes I’d carry her part of the way and she’d have no choice but to walk back. She’d do her business by her house and make a beeline to go back inside. If I took a minute to grab the newspaper delivery or such, she’d bark, bark, bark, annoyed to not return indoors instantly. And she oddly considered salad greens as treats, so I’d toss a handful and she’d gobble them up like a piranha. She ate everything that way. Such a funny little girl. She loved staying close, but couldn’t hear. If I accidentally left her behind, she’d bark, bark, bark to be reclaimed from another room.

The most heartbreaking senior I sat was super sweet. She was 15 and had been diagnosed three years earlier with a heart condition. Also was blind. Took eight or nine medications throughout the day and her cough sounded like a honking duck. But she still enjoyed life and looked adorably like a little mochi, reflecting her name. (Pink skin showing through white fur.) She was reactive, so we’d avoid other pets and people, but sometimes the wind would blow in our direction and she’d catch a whiff or maybe she’d see blurry moving shadows and bark the crap out of people and startle them. She also loved to stalk her nemesis, a neighborhood cat, via smell. And she enjoyed chasing balls indoors. She did all the above even on her last good day, before having catastrophic seizures at night. I had to rush her to emergency care and her family scrambled home from abroad to say goodbye before having her put down. We coordinated to show up late at night at the urgent vet care, because they’d flown back. They’d also brought loved ones to say goodbye, so this beloved dog had more people sending her off than many humans on their deathbeds. I still miss her and keep a photo of her on my desk. I’m glad I got to spend her last 11 good days with her. Such a sweet little soul.

And this elder cat was one of my first sits. I didn’t spent long with her, because her human had a major accident during her trip and the family returned home early, unfortunately. She cracked me up with her little scrunchy face, especially when she’d climb toward her treat canister in the kitchen. She looked like she wasn’t happy with my speed of service — I apparently needed to dispense treats faster, so she could get back to napping, which she did most of the day.

[sharondc]

Meet two sweet and adorable senior pups that I had the pleasure of caring for:

Oh, sweet Lilly, (12-year old) I won’t forget her soulful smiling eyes and non-stop wagging tail. I won’t forget our multiple walks and her sniffing grass like it was a crime scene. I won’t forget our coming across deer as they watched us while we watched them. I won’t forget her greeting me with one of her stuffed animals she carried in her mouth when I returned to the house. She would also bring me a stuffed animal at wakeup and one morning she carried one of my tennis shoes. I won’t forget her smile which always made me smile. Oh, sweet Lilly!

Oh, sweet Gabby, (13-year old) I won’t forget her beautiful spirit and soulful eyes. I won’t forget our golf cart rides, her determination on walks, bursts of energy, and her playfulness of tossing her animals in the air to amuse herself. I won’t forget her napping near my shoes when I returned to the house. I won’t forget my holding her and our dancing to Mickey Guyton’s songs. I won’t forget that although she has some vision and hearing loss, she did not let that define her as she was always present. Oh, sweet Gabby!

Both are pup treasures and they both enriched my life with their inner joy and love for what each day would bring.

[MaggieUU]

18 year old Stella. She was slow moving due to arthritis but so loved a good brushing and enjoyed life.

[Happypets]

We become attached to all the animals we care for, but some of the oldies have an extra special place in our hearts:

Darling Stanley: The sweetest, tiniest (and stinkiest!) boy. He loved snuggling in my dressing gown. Sadly, he died of renal failure shortly after this sit ended. It still brings tears to my eyes when I think about our happy time with this precious little soul.

Logan: a rescue hunt dog, who spent 4 years in the pound before he found his forever family. He has cataracts and his joints are a bit stiff now but he’s always ready for interaction, cuddles and a sniffy walk. We love this gentle boy and are looking forward to caring for him again in 2025.

Sofie: an 18 year, dear old lady cat with a deafeningly-loud purr! This was our second sit with this sweetie and we’ll hopefully meet her again soon.

Maisy: Now suffering from dementia, she had her 18th birthday during the sit. We celebrated by making her a dog food cake, which she devoured in about 30 seconds!

Buzzy: Rescued from drug dealers, who left him abandoned in a house. A bit wobbly on his legs now but he simply loves to be loved!

Pudding: Now 17 years old and still the most affectionate girl ever! Such a joy to care for.

And last for today but not least,

Moja: Our first ever sit dog and a total darling! It was such a pleasure to care for this old boy, who was so gorgeous in every way.

Just looking at these pics and remembering these beautiful creatures makes my heart swell. Looking after them for a while, especially in their old age, is such a privilege, and we always marvel at how readily they accept us into their lives and show us such affection. It’s such a joy.

[Maggie8K]

I rarely do repeat sits, favoring variety in locations, but my favorite sit dog has been a senior border terrier. He was just an all-around lovable guy, who never met a stranger. I’ve sat him twice and we went on lots of adventures — hop on, hop off tour bus, ferry boat, boat tour, Ferris wheel and more. We attended dragon boat races and Indian new year festivities and the crowds didn’t bother him at all. He approached everything with a happy go lucky spirit.

Wish I could hang out with him, without visiting that location again. The hosts were lovely and invited me to stay extra, after our sit, but I wanted to move on and see another part of the country.

If I could clone one sit dog to have for myself, he’d be the one. Makes me sad that he’s toward the end of his years, but he’s been very much loved by his humans and many others. When we went walking, he wanted to stop by so many shops, because they must’ve given him treats before. Even in places where he hadn’t been before, the staff often gave him treats, because he was so friendly.

[hollyx]

This is my beautiful Holly who I lost last year at the grand old age of 23, I’d had her since she was 12 weeks old.
She’s the reason I’ve got into house sitting as I’m missing the furry cuddles!

[Catgoddess_99]

I just finished a sit in Portland Oregon with this very sweet senior lady named Wensleydale, an Italian Spinone a breed that I’d never sat for previously. Despite her age of 12, she still was an excellent watchdog and loved her walks even in the rain. She hilariously barked at her roaming cat brother Peter and brought me her toys from her basket of plushies. I totally fell in love with her. Thankfully her medication kept her health challenges in check, having a heart condition and thyroid challenges. This became one of my favorite sits. I’ve cared for multiple senior pets over the year’s and they’re so special.

[grid]

[richten1]

This is Chloe one of my brother’s cats. She’s 18 years old now and walks a little slower due to her arthritic joints. She is very skittish around most people apart from my brother’s family and me (I have looked after her and her late sister since they were months old!).
Her favourite thing to do when I sit with her is to sleep at night next to my pillow…and snore loudly!! LOL

[IHeartAnimals]

This is Squeaky, a shy senior cat with a bad hip. She hangs in the fenced backyard during the day and then hangs out in the living room at night. Our last day of the sit she disappeared and my family went looking for her for hours knocking on people’s doors. We were told she had a bad hip and couldn’t go far. She came back on her own that night and we were so relieved.

[Cuttlefish]

Minoushka, 17.5 year old Russian Bolonka who lived in Switzerland, weighed 4kgs, looked like a teddy bear and ran like a nutcase. #utterlygorgeous

[Jenny]

Thank you everyone for sharing your sweet senior friends I want to snuggle each of them!

[toml]

Jacko is a 16 yo Coton de Tulear (Royal Dog of Madagascar-Coton de Tulear Dog Breed Information) living on the North Carolina coast. He had just gotten his summer cut so didn’t look like a cotton ball.

A really sweet dog who stayed close, but loved to visit the GSD who lived down the block. About 20 steps down to the yard and most of the time he was fine going up and down to the yard, but sometimes he wanted to be carried.
But he was on a lot of pills and tablets - and he was picky about how he took them. The HO left me thinly sliced turkey, ham and roast beef, liverwurst, sliced cheeses, soft cheeses. Each pill was separately wrapped and I’d vary the disguises at every meal.

And is a 30 yo macaw a senior?

My first big bird sit and Bojangles was a real joy. She spent her days on a perch in a crepe myrtle tree in the back yard. Really had me concerned about her flying away and about the hawks in the sky but the HO assured me she wouldn’t fly off even though she had all her wings and feathers and that she was too big for a hawk to be interested. Each morning I’d open the cage and hold a broomstick for her to climb onto, take her to the yard where she’d move to the tree perch and each evening take her back to her cage. Most times when I’d go into the yard, she would wave, either with a wing or a foot. Bojangles wasn’t a talker though, at least to me or the dogs and cat she lived with.

Odin, a senior bull mastiff in Virginia Beach

A long weekend hot summer sit. We were on the 3rd floor of a walk-up apartment. His bed was alongside a floor to ceiling window so he spent most of his time watching the world go by. 3 trips up and down the stairs each day. Odin lived with a young marmalade cat named Catastrophe who the HO adopted when he was stationed in Cairo.

Maude, a tripod who lived with a pair of beagles who had been rescued from a research lab

Maude spent most of her time sleeping in the back, separate from the beagles - I think they were too active for her.

What age does a tortoise become a senior? Myrtle, 30 years old in Tucson

Myrtle lived with a yellow lab and a pair of American shorhairs. Myrtle didn’t move much in the 10 days I was with her. When the red hibiscus bloomed I’d clip it and put it within reach. Keep a low rimmed water bowl full, too. There is research that tortoises prefer red and yellow.

[meegansits]

My most recent senior boy… 16-1/2 and full of energy for walkies! He is deaf, has cataracts, a cough, and needs help up to the couch and bed, and he has trouble grooming. But his voice is strong and his will is stronger! He asks for dinner and help to jump and he prances in the yard, skips along for walkies. Max is a SWEET little senior guy!