Laura Cassiday was searching on Facebook recently, looking at the different animal rescue pages, when she saw Baltimore County Animal Services’ plea for a cat named Thomas. The 26-year-old feline, then under the care of the Animal Allies Rescue Foundation, had been put up for adoption after his owner fell ill.

The geriatric cat, too, had several medical conditions of his own, including severe dental disease, arthritis, hyperthyroidism, and an abnormal liver that may be caused by his hyperthyroid disease. The cat needed out of the shelter immediately but as a rescue, he needed special care.