My name is Newman, but they nicknamed me Bear.
I used to be wild, but now I’m in care.
Just call me up and pet my soft fur.
Listen real closely and you’ll hear me purr.
Ruffle a feather or wiggle some strings.
Playing with you is one of my favorite things.
I used to be part of a feral cat colony in Middletown, NJ when I caught the eye of a strange lady. My fluffy chunky self was meandering across a busy street as I do every morning when a HUGE truck came storming down the road and I just barely made it across. The strange lady saw all this from the window and made it her mission to capture and protect me.
Night after night she laid a trap, but I never took the bait. In fact, one time I tricked a friend of mine into testing it, and she was caught. I heard she tore the place up before they checked her out and let her come back. She said it was actually kinda nice, warm, and there were other cats in there, but she wanted to stay wild. When the strange lady came out to pick up the trap one last time, finally ready to pack it up, she was in for a surprise. An angry white kitty hissing at her to take me inside!
I was wounded from either another animal, or a mean neighbor that would shoot bb guns at the local animals. So, they took me to the vet. The vet said I was in bad shape from all the years living outside in the snow, fighting other animals, and eating whatever I could find — they’d likely put me down. Fortunately, the lady said “no way, he’s coming with us!”
I had to be quarantined in the garage for a month and during that time I tried everything to escape, from climbing the garage door to laying in the hole where the sump pump was located. No matter what they did I would hiss and swat to have them keep their distance. After my quarantine was up they brought me inside and I hid under the bed, much like my sister, Diamond Girl, would later. Then, everything changed.
There was this toy, a feather, and I just had to get it. Swat, Swat, Jump, Tackle, Bunny Feet. I was everywhere getting this feather and it was awesome! I came out from under the bed, met my new brothers, Splish and Splash. We became the three amigos! One day I decided to be brave and I snuck out from under the bed and jumped into bed with the strange human lady. From that day forward I was the snuggliest cat and I was friends with every animal at the farm too.
I overcame quite a few illnesses to live a wonderful life and I’m so grateful I found this family to teach me how to snuggle and play. Please help them continue to rescue animals like me by donating in my honor!
*Newman was also memorialized by The Wanderers as a planet in the opening scene of their short film with the following lore on written by us on their wiki.
Planet Newman: One of the most peaceful planets in the Wanderverse. As the stories go, the planet’s most beloved creature was a pure white cat, named Newman, who brought joy to all.
He was a friend to everyone and everything that ever touched his planet’s grounds. A wise cat that overcame challenge after challenge and provided lessons in perseverance while maintaining his love of life and passion for fun. When his time had come to pass on, he made one last sacrifice and pledged to protect his planet from beyond.
As his eyes closed for the final time, his entire being slowly dissipated before turning into a glowing beam that shot through the atmosphere and formed a radiant white ring around the entire planet. All the universe believes that when an animal passes they join Newman’s bond around the planet and continue to keep watch for those below.