George and the Petersons : Furry Friends Fur-Ever Tail

“My husband and I adopted George (previously Beckett) in October of 2024,” Meghann says. “I was searching for a special needs kitty or one having difficulty finding a home. George instantly stuck out because he was listed as a senior (age 13) who was FIV positive. We were concerned about this since we have two other cats at home, but after extensive research and serious consideration, we decided to adopt George.

“For the first few weeks, he was very docile and lazy -- which we expected given his age – and spent his days sleeping and lounging in his favorite bed that Furry Friends had supplied. Then, to our amazement and delight, his behavior abruptly changed, and he became the most playful of our three cats!

“He loves running up and down the hall, batting at anything he can find. He recently discovered some ball toys and now loves sitting and batting the balls around inside their plastic containers. And although he thinks legs and feet are toys and “beg” to be batted or bitten, we’re thankful that many of his teeth were removed before we adopted him! He still has his moments of relaxation, however, either cuddling with my husband or lying in the window to get some sun.

“Our other two cats are still adjusting to George, and while they don’t fight, he likes chasing them, leading to copious yowling but, thankfully, no injuries. For this reason, George has his own bedroom (it’s also my work-at-home office) where he sleeps at night and stays when we’re out and can’t supervise the three cats’ interactions. He not only gets along well with the dogs, occasionally trying to play with them, he especially enjoys hiding behind things and jumping out to startle anyone coming by! 

“Famous for his very distinct ‘meow’ that he literally belts out, George’s biggest quirk is lying on my computer keyboard and attacking my hand as I move the mouse while I work. Next to food, he adores paper bags. Rather than crawling inside them like other cats, he stomps on them until they’re flat and then lies on top of them! He gets so excited when we bring home new paper bags from the grocery store just for him.

“In short, we’re thrilled that we chose to adopt George. He went from an aloof, docile old man to a playful, cuddly and adorably needy old man. Our lives have definitely been enriched by him, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

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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.