A calm and dignified presence
When Peanut came to live with Sandra Conway, her fiance, three children and three other cats, he reminded her of a little old man.
After losing her previous cat to kidney disease, Conway decided in May 2015 to open up her Elkridge home to a new pet. She was looking for a quiet, older cat who was eager to cuddle but, because of his age, was less likely to be adopted.
She spotted the then-13-year-old brown, gray and white tabby sitting calmly in his cage at the Animal Welfare Society of Howard County. Peanut responded readily when she reached out her hand to make friends. And that was that.
“They let me take him home that night,” Conway said. “They usually don’t do that, but they could see how much I wanted him.”
She was a bit nervous about introducing Peanut to her three other cats, but they accommodated the new arrival with minimum fuss.
“They seem to recognize that he’s a senior,” she said. “They give him space. No one bothers him.”
Peanut immediately became Conway’s special buddy, positioning himself alongside her on the couch and sleeping next to her when she turns in for the night. There’s just something about his polite and dignified manners that won Conway’s heart.
“When he wants to go outside, he stands up on his hind legs and hits the doorknob,” she said. “If he wants your attention, he’ll sit next to you and pat your arm with his front paw. He’s like a little old grandpa.” Read about local pets, or share your own story. We’re interested in cats and dogs, but also hamsters, hedgehogs, turtles, horses, chickens — the whole pet gamut. For more information, email pets@baltsun.com and be sure to put “Collared” in the subject line. — Mary Carole McCauley