Unaffectionate FeLV positive rescue cat adopted by terminally ill woman
This is a brilliant story of a female rescue cat who has been honestly described by the rescue organisation where she resides as unaffectionate, difficult and “not sweet” and “not cuddly”. The brilliance of the story comes from the fact that she has been adopted by a super lady who is terminally ill.
Gummy Bear. Photo: One Of A Kind Pets
She also lacks a full set of teeth because some were removed because of abscesses. Furthermore, she is FeLV positive. There is no effective treatment for this illness. It is a complicated disease and it can be fatal as it can cause cancer. It also stops the immune system working allowing serious illnesses to take hold. FeLV causes more diseases than any other viral infection and causes more cat deaths than any other illness other than injury. It is the biggest cause of cancer in cats.
That’s the magnitude of the problem for an adopter.
So, being brutally honest as the rescue center is, Gummy Bear is an undesirable cat at a rescue center which makes the lady, Rebecca, who decided to adopt her a special woman particularly as she herself is terminally ill with pulmonary fibrosis. Rebecca has been given 3 to 5 years to live because she is not a good candidate for a lung transplant (the only way to treat the disease) as she has avascular necrosis.
Gummy Bear is at the One Of A Kind Pets facility in Akron, Ohio while Rebecca lives in the neighboring state of Michigan.
There is something beautiful about adopting a cat like Gummy Bear. This will sound extreme but Rebecca reminds me of Mother Teresa who actively sought out and cared for the outcasts and the unwanted of the world. She wanted to help the least desirable of all because that is true love. And there is a symmetry in a relationship between a 10-year-old cat with multi-health issues and a terminally ill lady. Rebecca lives with her husband and daughter we are told by News5Cleveland. They too must be praised.