One tough Marshmallow
STREETWISE KITTY ADAPTS TO A LIFE OF SNUGGLES
What do you call a feisty black cat who has bad teeth and kidney disease, and looks like he has spent years on the wrong side of the tracks? Marshmallow. You call him Marshmallow.
At least that’s what the team at Best Friends in L.A. named this kitty, whose reputation preceded him. He was not only feisty with people, he has feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), which is common among cats who get into the occasional scrap on the streets. To top it all off, he had a chronic cold. Nevertheless, he was a favorite among staff and volunteers. (Hey, we do tend to root for the underdog — or cat, in this case.)
Our veterinarians in L.A. started Marshmallow on a special diet for kidney health and provided some much-needed dental care. He had to have a few teeth removed, and that’s how he got his snaggletoothed look, which suits the former street cat perfectly.
It took a while for Marshmallow to catch the attention of an adopter, but eventually a man came into the center, fell for him, and brought him home. Once he was there, the one-time tough guy immediately cuddled up in bed with his new people and stayed put all night. He has since made the house his own, and his family is smitten. Despite his thug-life vibe, it turns out he was a marshmallow all along.
BEST FRIENDS MAGAZINE May/June 2020