EDMOND, Okla. (KFOR) — Liz Baker knew right away her new rescue cat would adjust well to his new home.

As soon as she let Simba out of his cage 9 years ago, he seemed to get it.

“He walked around my room, down to the living room, through the dining room. Then he came back and sat down beside the cage and looked up at me like, ‘well. guess this will do.'”

Liz didn’t think she wanted another cat at first, but Simba won her over.

They don’t sleep together.

“I disturb my too much,” says Liz.

But they get along famously in every other respect.

She insists, “He’s very devoted to me.”

Her vets figure Simba is around 19 now, pretty old for a cat, but Liz started taking him out for rides on her mobility scooter and to the garden for fresh air.

“He tries to catch butterflies but is never successful,” she smiles.

Staff at Stone Creek Assisted Living Center noticed Simba didn’t ever seem afraid.

“He’ll find anyone who will give him chin scratches,” says McKaylynn Stephens.

It didn’t take long for his daily walks to become a sort of occupation.

He is now the facility’s ambassador, the first hello for new residents and visitors.

Stephens continues, “Anytime there’s someone new, they both come around and greet everybody.”

Of course, an assignment like this can be challenging for a photographer.

No one, human or animal, appreciates being chased by a much larger stranger with a strange object in his hand, and having that object shoved in their face.

Simba took our visit in stride as did Liz.

“He takes pleasure in pleasing people,” she laughs.

At 19 most cats are comfortable with soft food, a comfy bed, and the occasional sniff of fresh air.

He’s slowed down for sure, but still found he had lots to offer.

“There’s still something for him to do,” states Stephens, “Still something for him to do.”

Liz Baker and Simba moved to Stone Creek less than two years ago.

The facility allows for residents to keep small animals in some of the apartments.