Bob’s story is a testament to human kindness and the dedicated work of rescue-shelters.
Bob is 16 pounds of black and white fluffy love. You’d never know he’d had such a terrible past. Over a year ago Bob was caught in a safe trap set by a woman attempting to catch a feral kitten she wanted to save with the help of Atlanta’s Life Line Animal Project. Life Line started the Catlanta Program to help care for feral and stray cats by providing tools and training for concerned citizens on how to trap the cats.
The good Samaritan noticed not only was the adult cat in her trap starving, he was also wounded. His throat had been cut from one ear to the other. The wound was not fresh but it needed attention as it wasn’t healing. She took Bob to Life Line where, for over a year, the staff cared for him and veterinarians tried to properly heal the wound on his neck. He ended up seeing a specialist who used mesh and a skin graft to finally close the wound.
By the time his wound was completely healed, Bob was 13 pounds, neutered, had all of his shots and was ready for adoption. There was only one problem, Bob was FIV positive. Though asymptomatic and in otherwise wonderful condition, Bob was repeatedly passed over because of the FIV. While waiting for a home, Bob became a fixture of the administrative office at Life Line where he could be found following staff members around like a dog or burrowing in someone’s lap.
Finally Bob’s angel appeared in the form of Sherri Nielson who saw the original story about Bob in the Decatur-Avondale Estates Patch. “The story on Patch just spoke to me. I’ve been thinking about adding a cat to our family for a few months” said Nielson. Nielson added Bob (now 16 pounds) to her current family of two rescued corgi-mix dogs, Emma and Ike.
Preferring to adopt pets from shelters as opposed to buying from pet shops or breeders, Sherri thought Bob seemed like the perfect addition to her growing family of rescued animals. “I’d like to tell everyone to truly look in your heart and see if there’s a space in there for a rescued animal. If there is, invite one into your home. If there’s not, give a rescue group some money to help them do some of the hardest work around—helping those that cannot help themselves” said Nielson.
We named a cat Bob after the same movie. He’s owned by my mother-in-law and lives next door, but every time we open our door – there he is with a goofy grin on his face (just like Bill Murray).