A few months ago, a senior shelter cat named Dougie went completely viral when shelter employees shared his intense love of snuggling.
Dougie was being housed at the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland (ARL), a nonprofit animal shelter that serves more than 4,000 homeless and displaced animals per year. Dougie, the 15-year-old cuddling tabby, arrived at the shelter in June of 2015. He was struggling with a few health problems, including feline inflammatory bowel disease, and the staff worked around the clock to get him back on track.
After a few months of treatment, Dougie was ready to look for a new home. But staff thought they should probably inform potential owners of a whacky (and adorable) quirk they had discovered about the tabby.
Dougie wanted to be snuggled— literally all the time.
If staff were busy doing something else or weren’t able to comply with his snuggle demands, Dougie would not let up, meowing vociferously until someone would give him some love.
He has been described by staff as an “enjoyable nuisance” because they were always having to stop their duties to give Dougie the attention he was demanding. Still, no one could claim that it was not completely adorable.
Jeana Roth, ARL’s director of community engagement told The Dodo, “He is incredibly social and people-motivated. He always wants to be near the people around him and meows until he gets affection and attention.”
“Dougie is very vocal in his need for attention. If he wasn’t held, or being petted, he would let you know.
ARL staff decided they needed a way to give Dougie the comfort he desired while still being able to get their tasks done. That’s when they came up with a solution which was shared on the ARL Facebook page on September 15th, 2017.
“This is Robert, one of our awesome feline team members. And that there is Dougie, a 15-year-old cat who loves nothing more than to be held, 24/7. When he’s not being held, Dougie’s meow can be heard from galaxies far away. So, we thought creatively and decided a Baby Bjorn [baby carrier] allowed Robert to both hold Dougie and do his job effectively
And, we think it’s pretty much the cutest thing we’ve seen, ever.”
ARL’s post quickly went viral, but by then, Dougie had already met his future human: a social worker named Ashley Perkins from Springvale, Maine. Perkins flew out to visit Dougie and brought him home the next day in a baby wrap.
Perkins says that the 15-year-old snuggle-bug still demands loads of attention, and he has bonded nicely with new cat-brother Jax. “I love spending time with my newest little man,” she told the Dodo. “He is so full of love and it is impossible not to be smitten with him.”
“I always want to take home older cats when I can. They have so much love to give and need us just as much or more than the younger cats,” Perkins says. “I feel like older cats and dogs have a much harder time finding homes sometimes, but they … deserve to live out the rest of their lives well-cared for and loved.”
“That’s what I want for Dougie,” she says. “He’s being spoiled, and he deserves it!”
Good job, ARL and Ashley!
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