Bernard and Summer Montanez and Erik Adamson: Furry Friends Fur-Ever
“I’ve had several cats over my 50 years,” says Summer. “I adopted my last cat, Marco, when he was two months old and who passed away last July at 19. He was my best friend. Losing him was devastating, leaving a hole in our hearts.
“When we first met Bernard at Furry Friends, his name was Midnight. I’d been following his story on Facebook and watched his healing journey unfold. A stray living on the streets of Vancouver, he had been attacked either by a dog or a raccoon. A kind woman who had been feeding him noticed his injury and brought him to an emergency veterinarian. After being triaged and treated, he made his way to Furry Friends. Whoever that woman was, I’m grateful to her from the bottom of my heart.
“Clearly calm around other cats, Bernard was also a large black cat, and I’ve always loved large black cats. (Bernard is as solid as a rock, and when he jumps off the bed, we can hear it from downstairs!). I had resisted adopting again until the time felt right. As soon as I saw Bernard, I knew the time was right. After everything he had been through, I felt he deserved a safe and loving home.
“His adjustment was immediate. He found his litter box easily, ate heartily, climbed onto the couch that first night and lay down between Erik and me as if he had been part of our family for years! Bernard has quite the personality. He ‘talks’ a lot while he follows me around the house and eagerly explores every nook and cranny of the place. He also trills unlike any cat I’ve ever had, ensuring that I listen, and when he stares at me with his bright green eyes, I’ll do anything he asks!
“He’s also incredibly smart. He learned how to give me his paw within days of my teaching him -- with a treat as his reward. Now he always comes up to me, lifts his paw and waits patiently for a piece of freeze-dried chicken. He also loves playing fetch with his toy mice. What started with one mouse has turned into a package of ten. We hide them around the house, and Bernard absolutely adores hunting for them. In the morning, we often wake up to find a pile of mice beside the bed -- little overnight deliveries!
“As much as Bernard enjoys pets and scratches on his head and cheeks, he’s not yet a lap cat. He doesn’t mind being picked up, hugged, and smothered in kisses for a few seconds, but then he’s ready to be put back on the floor. Most nights, he sleeps at the foot of our bed. Occasionally, he’ll choose to sleep downstairs on one of his many scratching pads or in his cat tree after a long night of ‘Find the micey!’”
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Furry Friends Fur-Ever Stories are compiled and written by Nomi Berger who is the bestselling author of seven novels, one work of non-fiction, two volumes of poetry, and hundreds of articles. She is a volunteer writer for Furry Friends in Vancouver, WA and also volunteers her writing skills to animal rescue groups in Canada and the USA.
