Recently I’ve stumbled upon an amazing vet named Dr. Scott Miller. He volunteers at various shelters providing his services to animals in need.
However, one shelter he recently visited brought tears of joy to my eyes. The shelter in question is called Shropshire Cat Rescue, and they’ve done something truly amazing!
![photo of cat village](https://happywhisker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/photo-of-cat-village.jpg)
The shelter manager, Mary, was tired of seeing senior cats spend the rest of their days in small cages. Sadly, senior sweethearts struggle to find a forever home and they often get euthanized or spend their last days in shelters.
![small houses](https://happywhisker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/small-houses.jpg)
Mary wanted to give them more and make their last days or as we call them their ‘golden days’ much more comfortable. This amazing woman built a small village inside their shelter with adorable small houses for the cats to enjoy!
![man and woman with a cat](https://happywhisker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/man-and-woman-with-a-cat.jpg)
The shelter named this area ‘The Retirement Village’ and it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen! They’ve built small houses and open-space enclosures for all the senior cats to enjoy. As one of the volunteers said in their video:
“They can go and enjoy the end of their life, rather than be confined. Just cuz they’re old it didn’t mean they should be put to sleep, just because they were past a certain age and no one wanted them.”
![cat on a roof](https://happywhisker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/cat-on-a-roof.jpg)
These senior sweethearts receive the best possible care from the volunteers while enjoying the newfound freedom in the village.
However, while Dr. Scott was getting a tour of the village, one senior cat came to say hi to him…
![hand petting a cat](https://happywhisker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/hand-petting-a-cat.jpg)
Her name was Bronwin and she had been living in the retirement village for over a year. When the shelter rescued her, Bronwin was in a desperate state, as the volunteer Susie said:
“She came to us as a stray. We’d assumed she was quite old, because of the state of her teeth. She was so skinny and lacking fur.”
Since then adorable Bronwin has been enjoying her days in the retirement village. However, Dr. Scott had his doubts. The shelter couldn’t determine her exact age, but she was suspiciously playful for a senior cat.
![cat getting examined](https://happywhisker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/cat-getting-examined.jpg)
Dr. Scott took her inside the vet’s office for a quick check-up and he was right! Although most of her teeth were missing, it was clear Bronwin was not a senior. As Dr. Scott mentioned:
“I absolutely think she’s probably middle-aged at best. She’s maybe 8 years old but certainly not 18!”
Bronwin managed to trick everyone into thinking she was a senior and got herself a suite in the retirement village. Such a clever girl!
One more senior cat completely won over Dr. Scott’s heart. His name was Johnny and he was a special senior fellow.
![senior cat at cat village](https://happywhisker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/senior-cat-at-cat-village.jpg)
Johnny spent most of his life in foster homes, but since he was blind and deaf, he never managed to find a forever home. His previous foster parents had to surrender him to the shelter because the poor soul was struggling with indoor life.
![man walking a cat](https://happywhisker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/man-walking-a-cat.jpg)
The shelter built Johnny a special enclosure just for him, where he can climb up and down without getting hurt! They also take him for a walk twice daily, but there is a twist.
Dr. Scott wanted to see what the fuss was about and apparently, whenever they took old Johnny for a walk, he was the one leading the way. Despite being blind and deaf, Johnny knew exactly where to go and the volunteers followed him.
![man cuddling with a cat](https://happywhisker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/man-cuddling-with-a-cat.jpg)
With this said, I have to put this adorable retirement village up on my travel bucket list! Seeing these old souls peacefully enjoying their days instead of being on the streets made my day!
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