'Please Spend Time With Me': Tears Over Senior Cat at Shelter for 440 Days

An animal-rescue center in Melbourne has gone viral after sharing the emotional journey of an 11-year-old cat who has been searching for a new home for more than a year.

The Australian Animal Protection Society [AAPS] posted the video of the cat, named Lovely, on their TikTok page, @aaps_victoria. The center hopes that social-media users will spread the word and hopefully find the cat a home.

Lovely has a sign on her crate that reads: "please spend time with me," as she has been in and out of the shelter numerous times since she first arrived on January 14, 2022. The video, posted on March 26, has already received over 257,000 views and 48,000 likes.

Between 2021 and 2022, RSPCA shelters oversaw the care of over 35,000 cats in their shelters across Australia. More than 21,000 of those were rehomed, but 3,700 are still in care and waiting for a loving home.

Lovely spent most of her life with a beloved owner, but they unfortunately passed away. The cat was taken in by some relatives of her owner. Unfortunately, they soon moved abroad and couldn't take Lovely with them, so they passed her onto a friend.

Poor Lovely didn't stay in her third home for very long because the new owner was allergic, and so the cat was given to AAPS shortly after.

Once the shelter took her in, staff members were able to take better care of her skin allergies and thyroid condition, which requires medication.

After the elderly cat captured so much attention online, Tahlia Haworth-Hooker from the AAPS told Newsweek more about Lovely.

"When she came in, her health conditions were untreated, so she was in a bad way," Haworth-Hooker said. "She needed to go into foster care where she stayed for a few months, resting and healing.

"She did get adopted late last year, but due to her meowing and vocalizing, she was sadly returned to us. We call it her singing," she added.

"She is very eager to have a pat, and greet her human friends. She is such a loving girl with a wonderful, calm temperament. She loves to sing and will do it to get people's attention, so they will come and spend time with her."

The AAPS team hopes that the right owner will come forward for Lovely, adding that a home without other cats would suit her best. Haworth-Hooker said that Lovely might be able to live with a dog that is calm and allows her to have her own space.

"She would ideally love a family who had plenty of quality time to spend with her and love to offer," Haworth-Hooker added. "If there were children in the home, she would prefer they were older and respectful of her. She's a senior lady who likes the quiet life.

"It has been so heart-warming to see all the love coming through for our senior and long-term animals via TikTok," Haworth-Hooker said. "These animals often spend extended periods of time in the shelter as they're considered less desirable, but we know they are just as worthy of love as any other."

While Lovely's search for a home continues, her story has certainly generated a lot of attention online. Thousands of fans have commented on the TikTok video already.

One user posted: "She has absolutely broken my heart, I feel awful [that] humans have given up on her. Please let us know when that forever home comes along."

Another person wrote: "She deserves the absolute world. What a beautiful, elegant lady. Breaks my heart that people do this."

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