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Health & Fitness

Boris' Bideawee Journey

Deanna Murphy, Client Care Supervisor, talks about Boris, a loving cat in need of a home.

Inside the cat room at the Adoption Center at Bideawee, there are dozens of kitties running, playing and hopping about in the carefree manner that is the unmistakable signature of kittens. Each has his or her own personal story of where they came from and how they have found a safe-spot under Bideawee’s wing, usually just in the nick of time.

Although I am uncertain as to whether our feline friends know this or not, a few days ago, the calendar changed to 2012.  Most of us are spending this time looking ahead, staring faithfully into the shine of the New Year. We think of all the places we dream of going to and the resolutions we hope to keep.  Just for a moment, I ask that everyone stop looking forward and to glance back at the previous year.  It’s sometimes important to sit down and review the past and try not to see it as what we leave behind, but as a valued symbol of how far we have come.  Few can understand the importance of this as much as Boris, an 8 month old Domestic Shorthair cat who resides with us at Bideawee.

Boris came to our facility in May of 2011 when he was just a few weeks old.  He arrived at the Adoption Center at Bideawee with his mother and all of his siblings after being rescued off of the streets of NYC in poor health and in dire need of care.  It was essential that Boris and his siblings get placed in to the isolation unit for treatment and care by the highly trained staff at the Animal Hospital at Bideawee so that they could survive.  Boris and his family were in such poor health that it was a medical necessity that they remain quarantined and on medication for 3 months.  Although this treatment saved Boris’ life, it also caused him to miss out on the critical socialization and handling which all kittens need to flourish into well-adjusted adult cats. 

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When Boris and his siblings were finally ready to be available for adoption, Boris was understandably skittish, difficult to handle, and frightened of his new environment. Boris didn’t understand how to play or interact appropriately and it became apparent to the staff at Bideawee that he needed extra care and work to blossom into a well adjusted cat.  The team at the Adoption Center at Bideawee put in extra time and TLC to teach Boris everything that kittens need to know.  Through slow and careful learning, Boris was taught how to play with strings and teasers instead of hands, how to tolerate being handled and touched, and was socialized by our dedicated staff and volunteers so that he was able to settle into our environment and could socially navigate through large crowds.  Boris also learned how to make friends with the other cats.

About 3 months after we began to work with Boris, it appeared that one day he just bloomed into the handsome young man that everyone at Bideawee knew he would become once he received a little extra attention.  Boris is now one of the most social cats in the cattery.  He enjoys greeting new guests and is always the first to rub against your leg to say hello in the morning.  He plays beautifully with people, other cats and he absolutely adores playing with puppies as well!  He enjoys romping around with his canine counterparts at every opportunity he gets!  Best of all, Boris doesn’t mind being scooped and snuggled either. He’s quite the handsome and fuzzy man, and he’s perfect for cuddling.

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Boris has truly bucked the odds and has come such a long way here at Bideawee.  After coming from a deplorable and frightening kitten-hood, it is truly a miracle that each day he glows with confidence and keeps getting better and better.  He is never depressed or stressed about his traumatic youth, but is rather quite radiant about the present.  Boris seems to know where he came from, though, and he is always giving new residents the benefit of the doubt and offering the paws of friendship.  Boris serves as a reminder for all of us to step out into everyday of 2012 with the strength that comes from our pasts, the potential to progress beyond our expectations, and to boldly embrace the future.  He reminds us of the beauty of the journey.                                                

We are hoping to start off this year right for Boris.  We want to have him take the final steps of his Bideawee journey and to make the great transition that we all anticipate. We cannot wait to see him bound from our front doors and leap right into the ever-loving heart of family’s home.

Find out how you can become the Forever Family that Boris needs by visiting www.bideawee.org or calling 866-262-8133.

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