Some cats prefer the aloof life, while others radiate their compassion as hard as their purring. Bea is a cat of the compassionate kind and yearns to make other animals feel better when they have to make a trip to the vet. It’s one of the reasons Bea is head of nursing for Look Ahead Veterinary Services in Oroville, California.
Bea is one of six cats who call the clinic home. With her adopted cat sisters, Elfie, Uno, and Peggy, and brothers, OJ and Theo, this sweet tabby cat makes sure operations run smoothly. And Bea has one very important duty she sticks to above the rest: petting the patients who need a little comforting!
Hospital Cats
The six cats of Look Ahead Vet came to the clinic in different ways, with vet tech Crystal Bessmer telling 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.”
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But through their healing and time spent together, the clinic clowder has become a family who believes in the power of sharing good vibes to help the patients get better. Being rescued kitties, they understand what it means to be hurt, sick, and scared. And not only are the six cats good for the animal patients, but they also bring comfort to the staff.
Working in the veterinary field is a rewarding experience, but it also comes with physical and emotional hardships. Crystal shared having the cats there has been “very therapeutic for our clients and for us.”
“We’re all very close to them because we work long hours here. Most of us are here more than we are at home, so we treat them like they’re our own, which basically they are.”
“We all care for them throughout the day with love and snuggles, and our clients absolutely adore them.”
Clinic Cat Duties
Each of the cats brings something special to the clinic.
“Theo’s definitely the comforter … he can sense when someone is really sad, and he’ll go and sit on their lap,” said Crystal. “We call Elfie the head of security because she’s a little spicy and likes to run towards the chaos. OJ is our doorman. He loves to hang out by the door and greet everyone. Uno is our babysitter. She loves to watch puppies and kittens especially and keep an eye on them. Lastly, our new edition, Peggy. She’s still pretty young, so we call her the ‘hospital Cat in training’ or ‘intern.’”
But of all the cats, Bea has an extra special way of extending warmth to the patients.
Sweet Bea
As this tabby charge nurse makes her rounds, “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 definitely loves everyone, especially the new kitten, Peggy,” Crystal explained. “She’s always been like that, too. She never seems to be afraid of anything either — even the really big farm animals.”
Bea has so much love to give, she’s not even afraid to pet the sassy goats who aren’t too sure about a cat who likes to touch!
Visit Crystal’s TikTok and catch the daily antics of the Hospital Cats of Look Ahead!
@crystalbessmerBea is always there to check on them ##hospitalcats ##vethospital ##vetmed ##cats ##cattok ##funnycats ##fypageシ♬ The Assignment – Tay Money
H/T: www.thedodo.com
Feature Image: @crystalbessmer/TikTok
