Hannah: The First Rescue Cat Behind June’s Senior Cat Rescue’s 13-Year Legacy

In honor of June’s Senior Cat Rescue’s 13th anniversary, we’re celebrating our seniors all month long with Senior Superlatives! This month, we will share the stories of our cats: the first, the oldest and youngest, the sweetest, the silliest, the shyest, and the grumpiest.

Today, we honor Hannah — our very first rescue — and the reason our sanctuary is called Hannah’s House.

Hannah came to us from a shelter in Las Vegas, New Mexico in 2013. She was around eight or nine years old, an all-gray girl with soft eyes and a quiet presence. She wasn’t flashy or demanding. She was simply… steady.

But Hannah needed help.

She suffered from severe stomatitis, a painful inflammatory condition that eventually required multiple dental procedures and the removal of her teeth. For many senior cats, medical needs like that can make them “less adoptable.” For us, it made her exactly the kind of cat we were meant to serve.

Through it all, Hannah remained easygoing and trusting. She didn’t fight vet visits — in fact, she would calmly sit on the exam table as if she understood everyone was trying to help her. She liked everybody. Staff. Visitors. Volunteers. She had a gentle way of accepting love and returning it just as quietly.

Hannah lived with us for about five years, until 2018. Those were not her “declining” years — they were her safe years. Her comfortable years. Her deeply loved years.

She taught us what it means to care for senior cats with medical needs. She showed us that complicated doesn’t mean unworthy. She helped shape our standards of care, our patience, and our commitment.

And she gave Hannah’s House its name.

Today, fifty senior cats live in the spirit of what Hannah started. Cats with dental disease. Cats with chronic conditions. Cats who need extra vet visits. Cats who simply need time and tenderness.

As we celebrate 13 years, we’re asking you to help us continue what Hannah began.

💛 Make an anniversary gift in honor of our very first rescue:

• $13
• $20.13
• $50 (for the 50 cats currently in our care)
• $99 (in tribute to Ninety-Nine, who started it all)

Your gift ensures that the next Hannah — the senior cat with medical needs and nowhere else to go — will find safety, comfort, and love here.

Give in honor of Hannah and 13 years of rescue.

Because every legacy begins with one cat. And Hannah was ours.