Most of Mr. Belvedere’s life was spent on the streets, fighting for food and shelter. He was in such bad condition that it didn’t look like he had much more life to live.
And in ordinary circumstances, maybe this would have been the case.
But fortunately for Mr. Belvedere, he was rescued by an incredible woman named Lindsey, who dedicated the next several months of her life to attending to his care.
And he needed a lot of care.
Rough shape
When Mr. Belvedere was rescued he had many health issues to contend with.
His teeth were in bad condition and needed a lot of dental work, he had ear mites, an ear infection in each ear, and was FIV+ (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) which would make it particularly difficult to get him healthy.
He also had a lot of scar tissue and evidence of old injuries, most likely due to fighting with other cats over territory.
His fighting attitude carried over to humans too.
He was a feral cat after all, but Lindsey was determined to break down his walls and take as much time as required to lower his defenses.
As Lindsey told the Dodo; it all started with a spoon.
Breaking through his hard shell
Lindsey couldn’t touch Mr. Belvedere at first so she used to use a wooden spoon to pet him from outside his cage.
She’d feed him and give him love with spoons until she could graduate to a garden glove, still wary that he might react badly and try to scratch/bite her.
She then got a little brush to give him some good scratches, and eventually, Mr. Belvedere trusted her enough to let himself be comfortable with her.
As his condition and temperament improved, it was time for Mr. Belvedere to find his forever home.
Lindsey’s work was done and she had many other cats she wanted to rescue and offer her devoted care to.
Mr. Belvedere found a loving forever home with her help.
Mr. Belvedere has outlived his original life expectancy and he’s still going strong four years after his rescue!
Rescuing and fostering Mr. Belvedere had quite the effect on Lindsey, because of him she was inspired to set up a charity devoted to helping vulnerable cats through TNR (Trap Neuter Return) and foster programs.