Leon Bear’s rescue communicative is incredible. It began successful the outpouring of 2011 erstwhile a bid of fierce tornadoes devastated respective communities successful Alabama wherever Leon was surviving successful a structure waiting to beryllium adopted. My colleagues astatine North Shore Animal League America deployed their Emergency Rescue Team to the country to rescue displaced and unclaimed animals. Horrifically, astir each of the animals successful Leon’s structure perished; lone 1 feline survived, a beauteous big achromatic feline who was recovered wandering astir successful the rubble. That was our Leon Bear, a precise fortunate guy!

For the adjacent 7 years, we doted connected him. Howard adjacent painted this precious watercolor of our Leon, which I volition treasure forever. Then, 4 years earlier helium died, we discovered a slow-growing wide connected his liver. We monitored it with ultrasounds each six months. He didn’t amusement immoderate objective signs until the past week of his beingness erstwhile helium stopped eating and simply did not enactment similar himself. He did not past his surgery.

Gosh, I miss him madly. He was the 1 feline I’d buss connected the caput erstwhile I wanted a privation granted. He knew truthful galore secrets and helium ne'er fto maine down. Howard and I see him — and each achromatic cats — to beryllium fortunate charms. But sadly, galore adopters place achromatic cats and dogs successful shelters. In fact, this is truthful communal that it has a name: Black Cat (or Black Dog) Syndrome. I saw immoderate statistic online that beryllium that these sweet, affable animals person a overmuch harder clip getting adopted. However, caller studies suggest that their adoption rates person improved somewhat since rescue groups person brought this improvement to the public’s attraction by debunking the silly myths surrounding these deserving pets

So close now, successful my heart, I’m “kissing” Leon Bear connected his head, which smells similar lukewarm peach pie, and sharing my privation that each achromatic cats and dogs find loving homes soon, starting with these beauties waiting for you astatine Animal League America’s Bianca’s Furry Friends Adoption Center. One of our fantastic BFF volunteers wrote the charming blurbs below.

One-year-old Amari (ID: CO0079) recovered herself the cleanable rescuer who delivered her to Bianca’s Furry Friends for a manner reset; she’s each successful for this large upgrade! Always dressed to impressment successful her stunning tuxedo, Amari is the cleanable acceptable for experienced adopters with older kids looking for a determined woman to regularisation their home. She loves being the halfway of playtime and is ever insistent astir being archetypal successful enactment for dainty parties and Churu. As the lone favored successful her home, she’s going to acquisition a batch of blessed “firsts” with you, starting with her archetypal existent home! Visit Amari’s adoption illustration to spot her successful action.

Kashmir (ID: NCR6048) is eden present connected earth! This young Southern man arrived with his gentle bosom unfastened to 2nd chances. He’d heard astir each the emotion awaiting him astatine the extremity of his rescue travel and can’t hold to conscionable you truthful helium tin acquisition it for himself. He loves his Churu, his wand toys, and his people. All this emotion tin beryllium yours! Offer him a spot to land, and he’ll settee close successful arsenic though he’d ever known you were his home. Please sojourn Kashmir’s adoption illustration to larn much astir this handsome sweetie.

Vera (ID: NCI4192) is acceptable to marque her debut successful a new, loving home. This vivacious miss had an uneasy start, but everything changed for her erstwhile she was introduced to affable faces. All it took was clip with gentle radical to springiness her a caller position connected quality nature. In fact, arsenic soon arsenic she knows that your volition is to supply her with each the emotion and pets she could ever want, she volition person your interaction with grateful purrs, proving herself to beryllium an affectionate small lady. Start dilatory to gain her trust, and your patience volition wage off. A location with nary different pets volition springiness her the comfortableness of knowing she’s everlastingly harmless with you! To inquire astir adopting this beauteous girl, delight sojourn her adoption profile.

It breaks my bosom to deliberation these deserving kitties person specified a hard clip uncovering loving homes. Still, I cognize their families are retired there, conscionable arsenic I knew that my boyfriend, Sultan, would 1 time conscionable his ain family. And yes! It happened connected August 3rd, a time of large jubilation among each the radical who knew Sultan due to the fact that helium was simply 1 of Bianca’s Furry Friends’ astir fashionable residents.

Honestly, I can’t judge it took him truthful agelong to beryllium adopted; I deliberation his obesity frightened people. The irony is that people gave him this occupation to statesman with. I shudder to deliberation of his erstwhile home, wherever helium astir apt had nary workout and ate truly atrocious food. Diet is truthful important for a pet’s health, conscionable arsenic it is for ours, and inexpensive adust favored nutrient has small oregon nary nutritional value. Thank goodness helium loves his “diet food,” and his awesome caller household is committed to helping him scope a steadfast weight. Sultan, who is specified a lover, wanted to beryllium an lone pet, truthful that narrowed his chances a spot too. But present helium is surviving the beingness of a king …or alternatively a Sultan…and his household is smitten with this large boy! I often said helium was “more to love,” but little would beryllium overmuch amended for his health. He’s moving connected it, and I’ll study his advancement connected my IG feed, oregon you tin travel his travel connected his IG astatine @sully_the_sultan.

I can’t ideate that Sultan’s erstwhile household took him to the vet for yearly check-ups, oregon his value would ne'er person gotten truthful retired of control. Since August 22 is National Take Your Cat to the Vet Day — which whitethorn beryllium the astir important day connected a feline person’s calendar — I privation to stress that yearly check-ups tin prevention your cat’s life. Research says that 83 percent of dogs spot veterinarians annually, portion that fig is lone 64 percent for cats. Both animals often “hide” their discomfort, but cats are adjacent much secretive than dogs astir their health, and therefore, large wellness issues tin spell undetected often until it’s excessively late. In addition, a batch of radical archer maine that their feline oregon canine gets stressed, and truthful they instrumentality them to the vet lone if thing seems wrong. That’s a mistake due to the fact that regular preventive vet attraction tin observe problems agelong earlier your pet’s behaviour shows symptoms. And the older your pet, the much important those visits are, with vets recommending six-month exams for animals implicit 7 years of age. So, I impulse you to look astatine the past clip you took your favored to the vet and marque an assignment if it’s overdue.

Stephen Hevensent and Sunnybunny astatine the vet, due to the fact that bully aesculapian attraction applies to rabbits too!

Thinking up is 1 of the astir important things you tin bash for your pet, which is wherefore I privation to notation that August is National Make-A-Will Month. I cannot number the fig of fosters I’ve had implicit the years who were near without immoderate enactment erstwhile their radical died. And don’t presume your household volition automatically instrumentality your favored erstwhile you’re gone; successful my experience, that seldom happens. If you person a lawyer to assistance you, great. However, determination are respective escaped DIY sites online that are reliable and effective. In addition, Animal League America has partnered with the online tract FreeWill to assistance you make a legally valid volition to support and attraction for the radical and animals you love. Regardless of your estate, ample oregon small, your bequest is important! To larn more, sojourn animalleague.org/freewill.

NSALA besides offers different mode to marque definite your pets are taken attraction of, nary substance what. It’s the fashionable Safe Haven Surviving Pet Care Program, available nationwide. It works similar this: When you marque a acquisition to Animal League America done your property plan, you tin remainder assured that successful the lawsuit of your decease oregon incapacity, we volition put your pet’s proscription to Bianca’s Furry Friends Feline Adoption Center oregon to our Alex and Elisabeth Lewyt Canine Adoption Center. You’ll person bid of caput knowing that your favored volition beryllium loved, supported, and cared for until we’re capable to find a new, responsible, and loving location for your pet’s adjacent chapter.

Nobody likes to deliberation astir things similar wills and property plans, but they are truly important components of being a liable favored “owner.” I judge these NSALA programs are a godsend for everyone, providing invaluable bid of mind. Right now, determination are 2 beauteous elder cats, Pearl (ID: SPC315) and Piper (ID: SPC314), a gentle mother-daughter duo who came to america done this unsocial program. Learn much astir adopting these genuinely beautiful, precise peculiar kitties.

August 17 is besides International Homeless Animals’ Day. I’m arrogant that NSALA has rescued galore animals from astir the world, including the cats from Afghanistan I mentioned successful past month’s blog. Before Howard and I went connected our spectacular Italian abrogation past month, I imagined booking much seats connected the instrumentality formation for astatine slightest a twelve stateless cats. But tin you judge I saw lone 1 feline the full clip I was there? And helium was a blessed kitty who welcomed each the edifice guests. He wasn’t adjacent looking for food, conscionable pets connected his chin. Thank goodness!

xo
Beth