Bear's Web Page

Domestic Short Hair (short coat) : : Male : : Adult : : Large

My Rescue
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Contact Bear's Caretaker/Foster Directly: Elijah (tespoth@buffalo.edu)

About Bear
Status: This animal is no longer shown on this website. Species: Cat Rescue ID: A421204 General Color: Black Color: Solid Eye Color: Green Current Age: 6 Years (best estimate)	Declawed: No Housetrained: Yes Reaction to New People: Friendly

Hello,

My name is Bear :) I'm a total sweetheart and love to snuggle. My dad often gives me head kisses and rubs his face on me and I definitely enjoy it!

What can I tell you about me... Well, I was unfortunately an owner surrender at the shelter, because my previous family couldn't afford to have a pet. When I came into the shelter I was in really rough shape, I was unneutered, I had a double ear infection that made my ears itch so badly that I injured the area trying to make it stop. I also had a really bad kitty cold-- needless to say my foster dad saw me and knew he wanted to bring me home as quickly as he could.

Now my ears are feeling better! I do have a scar behind the one of them, but I'm on the mend and getting so much love. Despite not feeling or looking great, I was a total love in the shelter and am incredibly easy going. I usually hang out on the couch with my foster family, unless someone goes into the kitchen-- because let me tell you, wet food is the way to my heart!

I think the only thing that I'm not big on is dogs, or fleas. I'll need to be kept on a monthly preventative against fleas because I (like many other cats) have a flea allergy and tend to itch like crazy and some of my fur tends to... get misplaced.

- - -

I think the last thing to mention is that because my previous owners let me be an indoor/outdoor cat, and an unneutered one at that, I did get FIV in my time outside. So let me tell you a little bit about it, because despite the name sounding scary, it actually isn't too big of a deal.

FIV stands for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, it basically comes down to our immune systems not being quite as strong as some other cats (think your friend who is more likely to get a cold during flu season-- that's us!).

We live a normal life span-- which in cats can be up to 20 years! Our requirements are pretty much the same as an FIV- cat, take us to the vet once/twice a year if there isn't anything funky going on health-wise, feed us good quality food and give us lots of love! The only caveat for us is, if someone has a URI (kitty cold), or something similar like that that's contagious, it'd be best to keep the two of us separated for a little bit, until they're feeling better, because we're more likely to catch their cold.

With FIV+, as long as we're taken care of, we tend to stay asymptomatic, not showing any real trace of illness, until we get old (the same as everyone else!), and then at that point we're more likely to pass for something that wouldn't necessarily be fatal to someone else-- but! We have a long, plentiful life, and so much love to give before you ever need to worry about that! My foster dad wanted me to give you the big picture though, so you've got all the facts.

FIV isn't something that's easily transmitted, it tends to be passed on by feral/stray cats outside through fighting over food, territory or mates, think survival situations-- and -only- through deep bite wounds.

I know for me, the idea of biting anyone is crazy, the only thing I want to sink my teeth into is wet food, as much as you'll give me! The same goes for the other FIV+ friends my foster dad has brought home. We're some of the most friendly/easy-going cats he's ever had!

So I think that's pretty much it about FIV! Just keep us indoors, feed us good quality food and give us lots of love! If we seem like we aren't feeling well, just check in with a vet. They might try to tell you negative things about FIV+ cats, because unfortunately there is still a lot of stigma against us and just like human doctors, not all vets keep up with current research, but with time people are starting to look at the research and slowly attitudes are shifting :)

If you have any questions about me or FIV+ cats in general please don't hesitate to ask! My foster dad's name is Elijah and his e-mail is: tespoth@buffalo.edu