My life got a little bit stranger over the weekend.

When we adopted Monkey back in May, her PetFinder ad said that she was about three years old. Three was older than we had planned to adopt, but she seemed perfect for us. Her foster mother, a young and nervous teenager, confessed that the ad was old and the cat was closer to four. Okay, whatever. She had been with the rescue organization for so long, and she was still young enough that we'd have many years together.

On Saturday, we took Monkey to the vet for booster shots and a general checkup. We were surprised to learn that she had dropped from a healthy seven pounds to just over six despite regular meals and treats. The vet spent a long time examining her eyes and listening to her heart. Finally, she draped her stethoscope around her neck and asked, "How old did you say she is?"

Monkey is not three or four years old. She's somewhere over six years, probably closer to ten. The high heart rate and weight loss suggest hyperthyroidism, which rarely occurs in cats under six. More tellingly, the irises of her eyes have begun to atrophy. This doesn't hurt her or affect her vision, it seems, but it's a sign of an aging cat. We had no idea.

I agreed to have the vet run a "senior panel," a series of blood tests appropriate for older cats, to see where we stand. We'll get the results back this week and go from there.

In the meanwhile, I'm not sure what to do about the rescue organization. Someone (maybe several someones) lied to us. They did it with the best of intentions, I'm sure, but it was wrong anyway. What if we were unable or unwilling to care for an older cat? What if we had been upset enough to return her? Where would that leave Monkey? How many other cats have they adopted out under false pretenses? How is this fair to any of us? I don't have any answers.

But I do have Monkey, and we're keeping her.

Tags: monkey