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A year ago, I saw a post on my cousin’s Facebook page about a long-haired orange cat. The post disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared, but not before I asked about him.

Deborah Dawley

My cousin works with rescuers and fosters cats. She contacted me soon after and explained that he was a senior cat whose human mom had passed away. Sadly, the daughter and her family were being abusive to him and didn’t want him anymore. A rescuer quickly removed him from the situation.

Deborah Dawley

He was very stressed and needed time to decompress. My cousin warned me he had quite the attitude and hissed at everyone.

I told her I had a quiet home and thought it might be perfect for a senior cat.

Deborah Dawley

When I went to meet him, he was pacing constantly and hissing — which actually made me laugh. But then he walked over to me and marked me with his head. We hit it off right away.

From there, we went straight to the vet for a checkup. His paperwork showed he was 15 years young, and the vet noticed a couple of issues that needed attention.

Deborah Dawley

I brought him home, and we bonded quickly. My husband and my very shy three-year-old cat also adjusted well to him.

Bailey has now turned 16 years young.

Deborah Dawley

Not long after he came home, a cyst near the base of his tail grew very large and nasty. Surgery was the only option. Some people thought I was crazy for putting a senior cat through surgery, but I never doubted it was the right choice.

Bailey did wonderfully. He came home without the large cyst — and without most of his tail — and healed quickly.

Deborah Dawley

Since then, he has more energy than ever. He plays with toys and runs around the house. Wherever I go, he isn’t far behind.

Every morning we follow our routine: coffee and snuggles.

Throughout the day he guards whatever room I’m in, patiently waiting for the next round of cuddles. He still hisses at everyone, but we’ve learned it’s all talk and no action.

I don’t know how long I will have him, so I enjoy every single day with my “Hissy Pants.”

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Story submitted by Deborah Dawley.

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!