A sweet senior cat who was taken to a veterinarian to be killed after she started peeing outside her litterbox thankfully had her life spared through the caring actions of a veterinarian, a rescue, and her new forever family.

Lulu, a gorgeous 13-year-old Himalayan with sky blue eyes, ended up at a New York veterinarian’s office with a request from her owner that she be “euthanized.” But an examination by the caring staff determined Lulu was suffering from a treatable illness. Rather than agree to kill the cat, the veterinarian instead obtained the owner’s surrender of Lulu — and then arranged for the cat to be re-homed through the Dutchess County SPCA, the caring organization that agreed to take her in.

“The reason for her not using the litter box was that she had urinary crystals — a common ailment in cats, especially of her breed — and the issue was resolved with a simple diet change,” explained Lynne Meloccaro, executive director of Dutchess County SPCA. “Since she has been here, she has not had any problems with the litter box.”

The organization first shared Lulu’s story with People, who wrote an article about Lulu that ended up landing her a forever home! Now the 13-year-old cat has a new, loving guardian who has experience with cat-related health problems.

They enjoy every moment they have together, and the new guardian is thankful to have Lulu in her life.

“Lulu’s beautiful blue eyes grabbed my attention and beckoned me to read the article,” Lulu’s new guardian stated. “I was appalled and heartbroken by what I read. I previously had two cats with health issues, and one of them was named Lulu. I had planned on waiting till fall to adopt again, but this was meant to be!”

Lulu’s new family wants to remind people that caring for a companion animal requires commitment. When we take care of them, they take care of us.

Cats are clever creatures who seek safety and want love — just like the rest of us. If you have cats who start exhibiting abnormal behavior — including going to the bathroom outside of their litter boxes — they may be trying to purposefully catch your attention to tell you that something is wrong. When this happens, it’s best to take your cat to the vet for a checkup.

For another heartwarming story, read about a kitten named Yorkie who was rescued after sneaking into a car engine while searching for warmth.