Pals for Life

They are a most unlikely pair. Sitting on the steps of his home to pose for a photo, six-yearold Noah places his arm around his best pal—a wobbly 12-yearold white cat named Willow. In a world full of cute kittens, Willow—a senior kitty suffering from ataxia—is hardly the cat that Noah’s mother Joanie envisioned bringing home for her son. But this young boy and his feline friend have become inseparable.

It all began when Noah and his mother paid a visit to PAWS Cat City. “Noah took to Willow almost immediately,” recalls Cat City Supervisor Steph Renaud. “When Noah walked in he went straight over to her. It was an instant connection.”

But Noah’s mother wanted him to take his time making the right choice. She told Noah that he could get a kitten if he wanted, explaining to him that an older kitty may not be around as long or be as playful as a younger cat. She wanted Noah to be certain, and to make sure they found the right cat for their family. Noah agreed to look around some more, and with a pat on the head, said goodbye to his new friend.

Noah and his mother visited several other shelters to look at cats, but he never stopped thinking about Willow waiting for him at PAWS. “As long as Willow is alive,” he told his mother, “I want her.”

Today, Willow joins Noah on the steps for a photo and snuggles in next to her best friend—the little boy who gave her a home and a new life.