Thursday, March 28, 2024
adopting a catblack catsfeline healthfostering pets

Meet a Big, Gentle Bear of a Cat

long-haired black cat
Handsome Bear

Oh, I’d take this guy in a heartbeat if I had the room. You can see by his sweet expression he’s a gentle, loving kitty, and so handsome!

Bear’s foster person Melissa tells his story. Bear was found on the streets of Midway in Washington County, PA covered in mats, burrs, scratches, and bite wounds about three months ago. His fur was so bad that his back end, rear legs, and tail had to be completely shaved. He also had a torn eyelid.

He’s all healed now, though, and his fur is growing back in nicely. He loves to eat. He’s a big boy–probably around 14 pounds, but very gentle and sweet. He seems to be fine with other cats. He’s sharing the garage now with a tiny kitten. He LOVES people. He “talks” a lot and is very smart. We bring him upstairs every night for “TV time” and he just lays on the couch very contentedly. He’s about four years old, and Melissa would keep him but she’s already got a house full of cats. She’s been caring for him at her own expense since he came to her home.

long-haired black cat
Sweet Bear

It’s amazing that an animal can live through all that and still come out gentle, affectionate and loving of everyone he meets.

Bear is also FIV positive, but that doesn’t mean he can’t live in a house with other cats, or that he’ll life a live of fighting off the symptoms and effects of FIV.

FIV is not spread easily, not by sharing food and water or litter boxes, only by sharing blood or saliva, such as deep bite wounds if cats fight. If a household of cats gets along, the FIV will not spread. Many cats with FIV live long lives with no symptoms whatsoever. Here are links to articles about FIV, and please ask your veterinarian as well.

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, Best Friends Animal Society

UC Davis Information Sheet on Feline Immunideficiency Virus
Note that this was written for shelter care workers and the cautions about housing FIV cats separately are much more important where many unrelated cats are mingling and may fight. Conditions are more stable in your home, and FIV kitties can easily co-habit as long as no one gets in a fighting mood.

Caring for FIV Positive Cats

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, PetConnect

An Impassioned Defense for the Adoption of FIV-Positive Cats

Of course, if you don’t have a kitty, you don’t need to worry about it spreading, and you can have a big, beautiful kitty to love!

Please consider adopting Bear, or pass along his information to anyone you know who would be interested. After his rescue, he deserves a good, loving home. If you are interested, please e-mail Melissa at [email protected].

And as an aside, his foster mom is a photographer—visit her site: www.melissarohmphotography.com.

Bernadette

From health and welfare to rescue and adoption stories, advocacy and art, factual articles and fictional stories, "The Creative Cat" offers both visual and verbal education and entertainment about cats for people who love cats, pets and animals of all species.

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