Leon Bear’s rescue story is incredible. It began in the spring of 2011 when a series of fierce tornadoes devastated several communities in Alabama where Leon was living in a shelter waiting to be adopted. My colleagues at North Shore Animal League America deployed their Emergency Rescue Team to the area to rescue displaced and unclaimed animals. Horrifically, almost all of the animals in Leon’s shelter perished; only one cat survived, a beautiful adult black cat who was found wandering around in the rubble. That was our Leon Bear, a very lucky guy!
For the next seven years, we doted on him. Howard even painted this precious watercolor of our Leon, which I will treasure forever. Then, four years before he died, we discovered a slow-growing mass on his liver. We monitored it with ultrasounds every six months. He didn’t show any clinical signs until the last week of his life when he stopped eating and simply did not act like himself. He did not survive his surgery.
Gosh, I miss him madly. He was the one cat I’d kiss on the head when I wanted a wish granted. He knew so many secrets and he never let me down. Howard and I consider him — and all black cats — to be lucky charms. But sadly, many adopters overlook black cats and dogs in shelters. In fact, this is so common that it has a name: Black Cat (or Black Dog) Syndrome. I saw some statistics online that prove that these sweet, friendly animals have a much harder time getting adopted. However, recent studies suggest that their adoption rates have improved somewhat since rescue groups have brought this phenomenon to the public’s attention by debunking the silly myths surrounding these deserving pets
So right now, in my heart, I’m “kissing” Leon Bear on his head, which smells like warm peach pie, and sharing my wish that all black cats and dogs find loving homes soon, starting with these beauties waiting for you at Animal League America’s Bianca’s Furry Friends Adoption Center. One of our fantastic BFF volunteers wrote the charming blurbs below.