Big girl Ellie fills Liz's whole heart

“Her nickname is Julie Bishop because she can hold a very intense stare,” laughs Liz when she affectionately refers to her newly adopted kitty, Ellie. If parliament was truly made up of cats, we’re sure question time would be a lot more fun!

Meet Liz and Ellie, the elderly couple who never thought they’d end up together. One human, the other feline, and both looking for love when their paths crossed.

At 87 years’ old, Liz lives in an aged care residential facility and was originally looking for a companion of the canine type, having rescued one in the past. However, she soon started to realise that caring for a dog would prove difficult with her health issues. It was her daughter Cally who suggested adopting a rescue cat instead. And it turned out to be a fantastic suggestion indeed!

Cally had heard about PetRescue’s Senior Citizens and Shy Cats campaign on local radio station Curtin FM, and also came across a pamphlet promoting the initiative. Surely it was meant to be!

Keen to find out more about the program and how it could benefit her mum at this stage in her life, Cally called the Shy Cats hotline.

On the other end of the line, PetRescue's Shy Cat Adoption Co-ordinator Caren, sent Cally and Liz some profiles of shy cats in their local area, and put them in contact with local rescue group Impound Feline Rescue.

Excited about the prospect of a new companion, Cally and Liz drove an hour to visit the team at Impound Feline Rescue, and it’s there that they were introduced to 11-year-old Ellie. “I wanted to rescue a senior cat. One who was more independent and would be manageable for me to care for,” said Liz.

Seeing Ellie for the first time, Liz recalled thinking that Ellie was a big girl. “She’s a lovely tortoiseshell with astonishing eyes.” And that was that. Ellie and Liz were now a team.

When shy cat Ellie arrived at Liz’s home, she immediately ran and hid. “I did not see her for 24 hours, and was not exactly sure where she was,” recalled Liz. Even big cats are champions at hide and seek!

Slowly but surely, Ellie started to make her way around the house and would appear more and more, although hiding is still something she likes to do. “Ellie will hide under the dining table and you can see the tablecloth moving and she walks around!” laughs Liz.

At the ripe age of 11-years-old, Ellie isn’t quite the athletic young feline she used to be, so requires a little help from Liz when it comes to their nighttime TV routine. “For Ellie to get up on ‘her’ chair, she needs me to put the footrest down,” explains Liz. “Ellie makes her way from the ground, to the footrest and then jumps up to the chair, slowly stretching out so that I end up on the edge of the seat, and of course, Ellie is resting luxuriously with plenty of space!”

Life now for Liz and Ellie is one filled with love, cuddles and plenty of companionship. Exactly what they both needed.

“I absolutely love it when after I’ve finished patting Ellie. I will lay my right hand next to her and she will then place her chin on the back of my hand and fall asleep. My heart just melts.

“Ellie is wonderful! My life has changed completely because of her,” says Liz. “I did not think I would fall madly in love with this big tortoiseshell cat, but it just snuck up on me in the first five minutes of meeting her!”