Meet Bea, a cat with the ability to lift everyone’s spirits.
She even possesses what some may call a “healing touch,”
Bea is one of six cats who live and work at Look Ahead Vet in Oroville, California.
“The girls are Elfie, Uno, Bea and Peggy, and the males are OJ and Theo,” Crystal Bessmer, a vet tech at the animal hospital, told The Dodo. “They each were brought to us at various times by different clients. They were all found as stray kittens, and most of them had severe injuries.”
The group of rescued cats has bonded into a large family and is happiest when they are together. The hospital is completely under the control of the cats, who significantly contribute to the comfort of both patients and their owners.
They have plenty of space to go around and explore because the facility is very large inside, Bessmer added. We all give them love and cuddles throughout the day, and our clients appreciate them to the hilt. They have been extremely therapeutic for both us and our clients.
Each cat has their own special job, and Bea the tailless tabby is head of the nursing department. She makes her rounds in the hospital, petting each animal — whether they ask for it or not.
“She’s always so curious and so gentle,” Bessmer said. “She loves to walk up to them and often just puts her hand in slowly to check them out. Oftentimes she’ll even pet them.”
She said, “She does adore everyone, especially the new cat, Peggy. She has also always been that way. She seemed to have no fear of anything, not even the enormous farm animals.
Here is where you can see Bea in action:
Even though Bea is the group’s nursing cat, all six cats contribute daily to the seamless operation of the animal hospital.
Theo is unquestionably the comforter. He will go and sit on their lap when he senses someone is truly depressed, Bessmer added. We refer to Elfie as the head of security since she can be a touch fiery and tends to gravitate toward the mayhem. Our doorman is OJ.
He enjoys greeting people while loitering near the front entrance. Our babysitter is Uno. She especially enjoys keeping an eye on puppies and kittens. Finally, Peggy, our newest addition. We refer to her as the “hospital Cat in training” or “intern” because she is still very young.
And when the days are long and hard, the cats give their human coworkers some much-needed support.
“We’re all very close to them because we work long hours here,” Bessmer said. “Most of us are here more than we are at home, so we treat them like they’re our own, which basically they are.”
And if anyone needs a gentle pet during the day, they know who to come to.
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