Monique from Bernissart, Hainaut, had made an appointment on May 1 to visit the shelter in Maisières with two of her children. Monique, who turns 87 in December, wanted to adopt a cat. At the shelter, she noticed Lizzie, a two-year-old cat who had been staying at the shelter since November.
The shelter had Monique complete a questionnaire and asked her to apply for the necessary documents and a permit from the municipality. The woman wasted no time and two days later had all the necessary papers in hand. She wanted to return to the shelter on Sunday, but on Friday they informed her that they had changed their mind. Monique was not allowed to adopt the cat from the shelter because she was “way too old”.
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Monique’s children went to the shelter to get more explanation about the situation, but they came up against a wall. “The manager didn’t want to know anything,” her children say SudInfo. “She (the manager, ed.) kept saying mom could die overnight. But that applies to everyone… Anyone can die from one day to the next.”
“Short-term”
The news hit Monique like a hammer blow. “I was really devastated, it made me sad.” She had already prepared everything at home for the cat’s arrival. “I actually think Lizzie would have been happier in my home than in the shelter. Why didn’t they tell me this from the beginning, why did they let me hope?” According to the shelter, Monique’s adoption of Lizzie could cause problems “in the short term”.
“My mother is in good health, she lives alone at home, she gardens, she does the shopping, she cleans her windows. What does ‘short term’ mean? Do they think she will die in a month, in six months, in a year?” one of her children wonders.
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Other at home
The chairwoman of the local shelter arrives SudInfo that they have already had a number of disappointments with older people. They often hear that the animal will go to a son or daughter in the event of death, but the animal regularly returns to the shelter. The shelter therefore prefers to go to a younger owner for a cat like Lizzie, who could live another 10-15 years. In Monique’s case, the shelter said there was not enough guarantee that the animal would be cared for after Monique’s death. They also clarify that the adoption procedure had not yet been completed.
The shelter has now definitively decided not to give Lizzie to Monique. But according to them, there were other candidates, so the cat will now find a new home.
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