In 2016, a senior ginger cat named Cinnamon lost everything. Her world suddenly changed when her parents and guardian angels passed away months apart. She was now an orphan cat.
Abandoned and alone
In a viral YouTube video, a volunteer with the non-profit Second Chance Animal Rescue Society in Greece (SCARS) recounts her experience with senior cat rescue and foster cat, Cinnamon. At seventeen, lonely and scared, Cinnamon’s new caretakers were relatives of her deceased parents.
Unlike her loving former guardians, her new caretakers were very abusive and chased Cinnamon around with sticks. Fortunately for Cinnamon, rescue group volunteers with SCARS saved the senior cat from the harsh environment.
Starting over
She was placed in foster care to spend her remaining years in a safe haven. Having suffered a traumatic ordeal with the death of her parents and abusive caretakers, Cinnamon was angry, anxious, and mistrusting of humans.
Cinnamon had a lot on her plate. She had to deal with aging, losing her parents, and adapting to a brand-new environment.
On top of everything else, the foster caretakers learned she also had pancreatic cancer. Between coping with physical abuse, abandonment, and a new environment, this senior cat now had to battle cancer.
Cinnamon was in rough shape. She suffered from hair loss on her coat and had scars left on her body by her former abusers.
Because of her hesitancy and mistrust of humans, Cinnamon refused to let anyone touch her for months. She had a clean room, food, litter, and toys at her disposal in her new foster home but lacked the human touch and physical connection.
The caring and compassionate volunteers at SCARS would not give up on her.
A ray of hope
The volunteers kept their distance at first, tending to the senior cat’s needs by just replacing food, litter, and water daily. Then gradually, a volunteer would work up to sitting near Cinnamon and eventually attempt petting her.
The road to building trust again was slow; however, by year-end in December 2016, Cinnamon had turned a new leaf. The orphan cat now allowed volunteers to pet her.
With the passing of time, patience, and consistency, this ginger cat learned to forgive humans and let her guard down. Volunteers continued to build on this sliver of newfound trust with Cinnamon.
They expanded the bonding experience by getting her involved with playtime and toys. It took several months for Cinnamon to return to a place of feeling loved and fully let her guard down.
She finally found unconditional love again in her final months, surrounded by people who truly cared for her well-being.
By 2017, after turning eighteen and a half years old, Cinnamon finally surrendered and passed away.
Final thoughts
Life is a journey filled with twists and turns. The greatest lessons learned are the art of forgiveness and the joy of unconditional love.
Animals, like humans, deserve to live their final moments knowing they were supported and loved until their last breath. You can learn more about Second Chance Animal Rescue Society by visiting their website.
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