Bear

Bear was the first cat I ever trapped, back in early 2018. He had been hanging around my neighborhood for a while, fending for himself on the streets. He was a big burly cat with those classic tomcat jowls. He was sick and had a leg injury, and wouldn’t let me touch him. As he started hanging around more, I knew I needed to get him to the vet and try to help him.

I didn’t have a real trap at that point, I was new to all of this. I had very little idea what I was doing but I just knew I had this heart-aching urge to help this roughed up cat who was having a hard time living on the streets. I used a dog crate with a rope attached to the door, put sardines in the crate, and hid around a corner to pull the rope when he went in. One thing about Bear was he loved food, so of course he followed those sardines. I didn’t know it at that time, but as soon as he went in that crate, he would change my life forever.

Bear was pretty spicy at first, and I initially thought he would have to be released back outside after he got some vet attention and a safe space to recover from his illness and injured leg. But with all the time we spent together, we started making progress. I would sit on the floor next to his crate every night and have dinner with him, sharing my food with him, and going at his pace. I remember one night when we were sharing my dinner, he suddenly got up, came close to me, and plopped his hefty body right into my lap. He looked up at me and I knew it was over. This was my cat, and he wasn't going anywhere.

In the coming years, Bear was the most perfect house cat. He loved to cuddle, he loved kisses and belly rubs, and he loved food. He had a condition that caused chronic congestion and eventually needed to have all his teeth extracted to treat Stomatitis, followed by a very rough recovery, but he was such a good boy through all of the trials he faced. As long as had the love of his people and lots of Churu, he was purring and happy.

Bear was the reason I started rescuing cats. Every time I would take in a litter of orphaned kittens or a random 3-legged bottle baby, he would be so excited to groom them, play with them, and obviously sample their delicious kitten food. Bear loved all cats and was always the first to welcome a sad or scared kitty into our home and be their friend until they found their own forever home.

Beyond the comfort he provided the fosters, Bear was my soul cat. He loved me and I loved him more than anything. He trusted me, something I had to earn. He was funny and loving and had the most beautiful green eyes and tiny white hairs mottled all over his aging black coat. When I’d have a bad day, I’d crawl into bed with him and he’d sleep cuddled against my face, purring the loudest purr you’ve ever heard, directly into my ear. When you pet him, you could feel all the scars from his rough history on the streets, a reminder of how far he’d come to end up right where he was meant to be.

He was the cat who made me fall in love with the janky ones, the feral ones, the shut down ones. He made me want to save them - because I could see a little bit of my perfect Bear in all of them.

Bear passed away in May of 2023. It was sudden and soul shattering. While a part of me definitely left with him, his passing left me with an even stronger motivation to save more cats like him. Even more than before, I see a little bit of Bear in all of the old, sick, and struggling cats I rescue. I know if he was here, he would be right by my side through all of my janky-cat-saving antics.

It only made sense to officially establish this cat rescue in honor of him – Bear, the best cat in the world. With all of his love and light and goodness.

Because all cats were Friends of Bear.