Pit bull, Siamese cat form inseparable friendship

LOS ANGELES -- Jordan and Newman teased death in different ways before they were rescued by the same man. The dog persuaded the man to keep her, then the cat persuaded the dog to keep him.

Jordan is a 2-year-old, 50-pound female pit bull who lost half her jaw after being mauled as a pup. So her tongue hangs out and there's no stopper for her drool.

Newman is a year-old male, 14-pound flame point Siamese with vivid blue eyes who was rescued from a feral cat colony but had a serious case of pneumonia.

That was dangerous to other cats, so Jordan nursed him, using her untamed drool to lick him healthy.

The dog got her name from Michael Jordan, whose tongue would often come out as he prepared to score. The cat was named after blue-eyed Paul Newman, because he arrived at Ben Lehrer's home the day the actor died.

Ben Lehrer, president and CEO of Kitten Rescue, left, and girlfriend Michel Campbell take care of their cats at their home in Los Angeles.

"It was the Jordan and Newman show. He was on her back. She was on the ground. They wrestled and played and were inseparable. There was no aggression at all. He would whack her on the face, but keep his claws retracted," Lehrer said.

For six years, Lehrer has been president of Kitten Rescue, an all-volunteer welfare group for abandoned, stray and hurting cats. Volunteers provide foster homes until the cats are adopted.

"Cats have a way of finding us. We get them adoption-ready, healthy, fixed and microchipped," he said. "I have been doing this long enough to know not to get too attached to foster cats. It is better for everybody."

Newman seemed to know the score. "So he went for the dog." In the end, Newman became a rare keeper cat at the home Lehrer shares with girlfriend Michel Campbell.

Jordan is the only dog.

"For many of my baby kittens, she is their first friend," said Lehrer, a legal consultant for the medical school at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Lehrer has to bottle feed many of his foster kittens. It is Jordan's job to lick them, clean them and cuddle them. It helps their adoptability if potential owners know they get along well with dogs.

Lehrer got started with Kitten Rescue when he adopted two cats 10 years ago. He later became a volunteer and in 2004, became president.

Kitten Rescue has more than 200 volunteers who provide foster homes for 90 percent of their cats. About 150 older cats live at the group's shelter in Glendale, 10 miles north of Los Angeles.

Every animal rescue is overburdened these days and Kitten Rescue is no exception.

"What the rescue community can do represents a drop in the bucket," Lehrer said. "Trying to run a rescue in this city is like trying to drain a swimming pool with a teaspoon and then it starts to rain. That means animals are dying. To most, life is nasty, brutish and very short."

Still, Lehrer has managed to place a 17-year-old cat, a 15-year-old deaf cat, a 14-year-old blind cat and a diabetic cat. "There are people who will take care of cats with special needs. They are few and far between, but they are there."

His special project now is Thumper, a 6-month-old kitten with spina bifida. She can't walk and is incontinent so a lot of time is spent changing diapers. "Most people on the planet would agree that you should let this one go. But you can't look at her and not smile," Lehrer said.

"I don't think there is such a thing as an unadoptable animal. There is a home out there that will take Thumper and take good care of her. Until then, she is welcome to stay with me."

It was that attitude that led a dog with half a jaw to his Kitten Rescue. Campbell was working at a vet's office when Jordan was brought in to be euthanized after being mauled in an illegal dog fight. She called Lehrer, who went to bat for Jordan, so the vet amputated half her jaw to save her.

"She's added such joy and life to the house. She is extremely gentle with people and kitties. She's just a good natured, goofy dog," Lehrer said. With half a jaw, she is also one messy eater.

When it was time to find Newman a home, Lehrer said: "We knew we couldn't have him in a house without dogs in it. Then we realized we couldn't have him in a house without Jordan in it."

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On the Net:

www.kittenrescue.org