Wide eyed and scared, Cooper arrived at Palmetto Animal League in April of 2016. He was 12 years old, and his mom could no longer give him the life he deserved. She knew that cats Cooper’s age don’t usually have a chance at a quality life in normal shelters; her boy deserved a long, full life. And PAL is no normal shelter.

Age is never an issue at PAL, even when that age brings with it medical issues. Cooper brought both and challenged the staff.

Shortly after arriving, Cooper stopped eating and began dropping weight. Different diets were tried, both wet and dry, and at times the staff had to feed him with a syringe. Thinking Cooper may have diabetes or another blood condition, poor Cooper endured the needles necessary for testing. All tests were negative, and Cooper met these results with a soft purr. After a while he started eating just enough to survive. Then he threw another concern to his caretakers.

Nobody likes cat poop and Cooper’s was no exception. It was inconsistent, unpleasant and most times it wasn’t in the litter box. This could be caused by diseases, parasites, cancer or other life-threatening issues. Our Cooper endured blood tests, fecal tests, sonograms and more diet changes. Again – all tests were negative.

It took nearly a year of tests, treatments, food trials and specialists to find a way to help this sweet boy have a better quality of life. Finally, a very specialized diet made him regular. There is no accurate test for Feline Crohn’s Disease, but once he was treated for those symptoms, it appeared that Crohn’s was the culprit.

Now that PAL had a way for Cooper to live more comfortably, it was time to find him a home. He was adopted and returned twice in less than 5 months. His disease flared up with the stress of each move, and it was hard on the humans caring for him.

Cooper returned to life at Palmetto Animal League, and at 13 years old, resigned himself to being a permanent greeter for all visitors to the adoption center. Not a bad situation for a handsome old man, but his story doesn’t end here.

After watching over the kitten adoptions of Summer 2017, Cooper settled in at the front desk to nap for the fall. But his hibernation only lasted until October – Cooper was getting another chance at a home! All staff members held their breath as encouraging emails and phone calls were exchanged with Cooper’s new adopter. We all wanted his new home to stick.

Cooper endured losing his home, coming close to a new home twice, months of tests, treatments and indignities; never losing his soft purr or hope. He is now happily spoiled in his new home and living a wonderful life.

It’s for animals like Cooper that we do what we do every day. We wish him many happy years to come! At PAL, we’ll always remember Our Trooper Cooper.

By: J.A. Weiss

“Time spent in the company of cats is never wasted.”