Darwin the cat, at 17 years old, may be older than most, but it doesn’t seem to have dampened his kind and loving nature.
Instead, the passage of time has only strengthened his love, and the world is a happier place as a result.
Darwin had always loved being outside when he was younger, so his owner, Kellen, decided to take him for a walk in the park to celebrate his recent birthday. She felt it would be a good present for him to stroll over the grass and feel the sun on his fur, even if he doesn’t get around as well as he used to.
Darwin would be a one-of-a-kind present to someone they had never met before, since Kellen had no idea at the time.
Darwin and his owner were walking around the park when they came upon an older woman. She appeared withdrawn, Kellen told us, sitting alone beside a pond. But as they got closer to her, everything began to shift.
“When she saw Darwin, she lighted up,” Kellen added. “I told her she could come over and pet him, so she stood up and walked up to him, almost as steady as Darwin (which isn’t often the case). She became his friend almost immediately.”
The 85-year-old woman’s name was Lida, and she was from Uzbekistan, according to Kellen. She struggled at first to communicate in English, but soon began to speak about a cherished pet she had lost.
“She told me about her 12-year-old cat, how lovely he was, and how much she missed him,” Kellen added.
What occurred next was simply breathtaking. Kellen stood there in astonishment as Lida and Darwin gleefully played and nuzzled together like old friends, both appearing to revert to their younger selves at that moment.
“The entire time she was with us, I was fighting to swallow back a lump in my throat,” Kellen recalled. “She sparkled when she interacted with Darwin.”
