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Bubba was 9 months old when he arrived at his new foster home. He’d been through a lot after his family surrendered him to the Sacramento SPCA, claiming they could not afford his medical bills. As you can see, Bubba is in the process of recovering from a severe case of demodectic mange, which leaves his skin pink and irritated and — for the time being at least, unable to grow fur.
Mandy, the family’s orange cat, usually isn’t much into greeting the foster guests. And we’re guessing after this time around, she’ll opt out — because while she was up investigating, Bubba promptly stole her bed.
His foster mom, Melissa Roberts, built him a special place in the house — with a bed that fits! — but Bubba still prefers the kitty bed. Even though he’s way too big for it. No one’s quite sure whether it somehow soothes his itchy skin or makes him feel safe and snuggly (though it can’t contain his big body).
“Who knows? Maybe he thinks he’s all the way in it and not realizing that half of his body is on the floor,” Sarah Varanini, foster care coordinator at the Sacramento SPCA, tells The Dodo.
What everyone knows for sure is that Bubba has earned the right to be comfortable. And that’s going to take awhile. The mange, along with a secondary skin infection, will likely still take months to completely clear up.
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“It’s going to be a lengthy process,” Varanini says. “It’s pretty generalized. It’s kind of all over him. We’re expecting treatment to take at least two months, if not longer. Once we get him all better, we’ll be able to adopt him out.”
Until then, he’s on a strict treatment regimen that includes medicated baths. But through it all, Bubba never stopped being his sweet self.
“He was sweet here in the shelter. Obviously, his skin didn’t feel that great. So he was pretty quiet and slept a lot,” Varanini says. Aside from the bed stealing, he has great manners. “He’s really well-behaved,” Varanini says. “He’s totally house-trained which is kind of a bonus. We wouldn’t expect that with a younger dog. And he’s fine with the cat.”
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The cat, mostly, seems okay with Bubba too.
After all, everyone deserves to have a sweet spot to call their own. Even if it isn’t technically their own.
You can follow Bubba’s journey to health — and his passion for cat beds — on Instagram.
You can also help support the medical bills of Bubba and other animal who need it here.
