By Haley Mitchell Godwin

The Luverne Journal’s Awesome Autumn Pet of the Season is Bash, the 4-year-old Maine Coon that belongs to Keena Meredith of Brantley. Bash and his owner won a personalized prize package from Crenshaw Animal Clinic valued at $250.00.

When Bash was around 1 year old, he developed idiopathic vestibular disease, and often has trouble judging the direction from  which sounds are coming. Visits to the veterinarian’s office make Bash uncomfortable and stress him out due to the unfamiliar and often loud sounds that can cause confusion in a cat diagnosed with the disease. 

The idiopathic vestibular disease caused Bash to develop an almost-constant extreme head tilt that has now mostly resolved itself according to Bash’s owner.

“Everyone thought his head tilt was so cute, and it was, but it also made me sad knowing what caused it and considering the other problems associated with the disease,” Meredith said. “He still does the extreme head tilt on occasion when he hears a loud noise.”

Weighing In at 20 pounds, one might assume his “meow” would sound fierce and ferocious. However, the sounds Bash makes are more like that of a small kitten. 

Maine Coons are not only huge in size, but also huge in personality. They love to greet guests that come into their home and have quite a sociable and intelligent nature. The obedience of a Maine Coon mirrors that of a dog, and like Bash, the felines often enjoy playing fetch.

Meredith called Bash a “gentle giant” and compared him to a loving teddy bear. Bash enjoys “making biscuits,” curling up with his humans, and giving nose kisses. Bash always senses when his owner, who suffers from chronic migraines, begins feeling bad and stays very close to her until she feels better. 

Bash’s TikTok fame has continued to grow after one of his videos was shared by actress Lisa Rinna, and he now has 20.9 k followers. 

The quarterly feature “Pet of the Season”  and “Pet of the Week” is sponsored by Crenshaw Animal Clinic and Dr. Gammage of Luverne- (334) 335-5309. Crenshaw Animal Clinic is a full-service small animal clinic that provides comprehensive healthcare for pets. 

They offer a full range of services to help keep pets happy and healthy- including vaccine administration, routine preventive care, wellness exams, dental care, allergy care, flea/tick/heartworm control, parasite control, routine surgical procedures, microchipping, early detection and treatment of a wide range of conditions and diseases with in-clinic diagnostics, ophthalmology, spay and neuter, and more. 

During the quarterly “Pet of the Season” contest, animals featured in “Pet of the Week” go head to head and the animal with the most votes wins a personalized prize package from Crenshaw Animal Clinic valued at $250. At the end of the year, all quarterly winners will compete for “Crenshaw County Pet of the Year” and the grand prize. 

Go online to submit your furry (or scaly, slimy, or feathery) friend by visiting https://www.luvernejournal.com/pet-of-the-week.

If participants have submitted a nomination for a pet, and the pet hasn’t been featured, don’t fret! We have rolled all entries over into the next contest.