Flashback Friday: Charlie

It's been awhile since I've done a Flashback Friday, but today I'm excited to share with you an update on one of my previous foster cats.


Life was never boring with Charlie around


Anyone remember Charlie?  This is the kitten I took in as an FIV+ cat, and then later learned was actually positive for FeLV - a much more serious disease.  I had Charlie for several months, and he entertained me with his sweet personality, his love of the dogs, and the enjoyment he found in life.  Then an amazing thing happened, and a wonderful family decided to adopt this special needs cat.  So it's been six months since Charlie has left, and I still think about him often.  Today I contacted his new mom to see how he is doing, and here was her reply:

Charlie is doing really well. He's healthy and doing great with our new Dog Cooper. My daughter loves him and when ever we've had people over to the house they talk about how beautiful he is and what a sweetheart he can be. I've attached a picture of him with Coop curled up next to each other.

We love him and continue to enjoy his bursts of energy and love on him every chace we get. He's giving kisses now and loves when I carry him to see the birdies thru the patio doors. He's wonderful and we are all glad he's a part of our family! 

Charlie in his new home


Thanks Tracey, for adopting Charlie and giving him such a happy life!

They Look Nothing Alike

When I was first contacted about taking in another FIV+ cat, I hesitated.  I'd been planning to take a break from fostering cats for awhile, but it was a good friend who asked, and then she sent me a picture of the cat.  I knew he'd be euthanized if I didn't take him.  And he looked just like my cat Merlin.  So of course I said yes.

I brought him home and named him Murphy, because Merlin's nickname is Murray, and since they looked almost exactly alike, I thought their names should be similar as well.

Murphy

Murphy immediately settled in, and tried to be just like Merlin.  He followed Merlin around, and slept in all Merlin's favorite places, and tried to convince me that he was really Merlin.  He even fooled me a couple of times when I walked into the room and mistook Murphy for Merlin at first glance.  I laughed and told everyone how he was just like Merlin.  Well, almost.  Except Murphy's tail is fluffier, and his eyes are teal instead of gold.  And Murphy is slightly bigger than Merlin.  And as I started listing all the differences between them, I soon realized that they really look nothing alike.

Once I took pictures of Murphy I realized it was true -

Murphy

Merlin

they look nothing alike.

Charlie's Story

With every foster pet that comes in, a small part of me always keeps in mind that they are just a foster - they aren't staying.  But every once in awhile, no matter how much I try to keep a bit of distance, one of the foster pets just captures my heart and won't let go.  This is what happened with Charlie the cat.

I took in Charlie last October after he had been diagnosed as FIV+ by an area shelter.  He immediately decided that he owned the house, and should be allowed to do whatever he wanted.  This included things like decorating the Christmas tree, stealing my food as I was trying to eat, and sneaking out the door every chance he got, so he could go climb a tree:

Recently Charlie was re-tested for FIV since sometimes kittens who test positive will test negative as they grow older.  Unfortunately in this case Charlie tested positive again, but for Feline Leukemia, not FIV.  Feline Leukemia is a very serious virus that is the main cause of cancer in cats.  There is currently no cure, and most cats who test positive for Feline Leukemia don't live more than a few years.  Charlie was most likely diagnosed incorrectly at the shelter when he was a kitten, and was never FIV positive, but has been positive for Feline Leukemia all along.  Once I learned this news, I knew then that I'd be keeping Charlie for whatever amount of time he had left.  He had captured my heart from the moment he came here, and cats with Feline Leukemia are very difficult to find homes for.  

So I left Charlie listed on the website with information about Feline Leukemia, and accepted that he was basically my cat.  Charlie is the best cat - not because he is well behaved - he isn't - but because he is always affectionate and always purring.  He loves the dogs, and cuddles with them every chance he gets:

He sleeps with me every night, and entertains me every day.  At least he did, until a couple of weeks ago, when someone saw his information on the website and ended up adopting Charlie!  I am happy that he found a permanent home, but oh how I miss my cat!  I hope he has many more happy years in his new home. 

Charlie

Highlights of the past week...

September 27th - Went to an area shelter to drop off Harry and pick up Molly and two more FIV+ cats.  Harry is a previous foster dog that wasn't doing well here with the other fosters, and since we currently have no other foster homes available to take him, he is temporarily staying at the shelter.  Molly wasn't doing well at the shelter so she became my foster dog.  And since this shelter doesn't adopt out FIV+ cats, I brought home Scotty and Charley until room opens up at another area no-kill shelter that has a free-roaming adoption room for just FIV+ cats.   

Scotty

   

Charley

 They have joined the rest of my foster cats - Kirby, Bandit, Belle, Thomas, and Pogo.  Mercury, Kona and Kimba have all been adopted! 

September 28th - Went back to the shelter and picked up Thumper, a Bearded Collie mix.  She's eight years old and very sweet.  

Thumper

September 29th - Helped set up the All Paws garage sale fundraiser.  Got to do some pre-sale shopping.  Spent  more money than I had planned.  

September 30th - Got up at 4:30 a.m. for the garage sale.  Spent most of the day trying to stay awake. Bought more items and spent even more money.  Realized I ran out of checks and had no cash.  Blamed it on lack of sleep and wrote an IOU.  

October 1st - Went to the Purina Pet Project Event.  Ziggy got to join the Purina Dog Show and pray for all the animals to find homes.  I didn't actually see anyone get adopted at the event, so I'm hoping that's not Ziggy's fault.  We had a great time and I met some wonderful people.

October 2nd - Held a small adoption event at PetSmart.  No one was adopted, and I came home completely exhausted.  Brought home Audrey, a temporary foster dog who is already scheduled to be adopted as soon as she is vetted.  

October 3rd - Got up early and dropped off Audrey and Carlos, another All Paws dog, at the vet.  Went back home and worked for several hours.  Went back to the vet with Elton and Thumper for their exams, and then took all four dogs with me to the shelter to pick up Roo, another foster dog.  Came home and got Roo introduced to everyone else.  Left and took Ziggy to Agility class.  Came home and collapsed.  Got a good night's sleep surrounded by Miley, Molly, Elton, Thumper, Roo, Audrey, Pogo and Charley.  

Belle is Positive... and that's a negative.

Any cat that is taken into the rescue I volunteer with gets vetted prior to adoption.  This means they are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, dewormed, tested for Feline Leukemia and FIV, and microchipped.  And if they have special needs we take care of those too.  In Belle's case, she had already been spayed prior to the time I got her, so I had hoped one vet visit would take care of all her needs and she could move to PetSmart to be seen by a lot of people and hopefully be adopted quickly.  She's front declawed and very friendly, so I hoped she'd be another quick adoption.  Unfortunately, things didn't happen as planned.  

Belle tested positive for FIV.  This means at some point she has been exposed to Feline Immunodeficiency Virus.  Or she could have antibodies from receiving an FIV vaccination in the past.  Since her previous owners abandoned her without sharing that information, we don't know, so we have to treat her like she is actually carrying the virus.  

FIV isn't all that scary.  It can't be transmitted to dogs or people, and it can only be transmitted from cat to cat via a deep bite wound or blood transfusion.  Most cats with FIV never even show symptoms - they live long, happy, healthy lives.  But when there are thousands of other cats to choose from (literally - there are over 1,500 cats available for adoption within 100 miles of me right now), people tend to overlook the cats with special needs or the cats who test positive for FIV.  Some rescue groups euthanize cats who test positive because their odds of getting adopted are so much lower.  But the rescue group I volunteer with doesn't do that, so Belle is going to live a long happy life.  Of course she's stuck with me until she gets adopted, so it may not be as happy as she wants. 

In the worst case scenario, FIV can cause Belle's immune system to stop working as well, and she could become seriously ill from an infection or illness.  But I've decided that she is going to be one of those cats who never shows symptoms.  (yes, it's just that easy).  She can't stay at PetSmart because the cats are allowed to interact with each other, and there would be a risk of her getting in a fight and spreading FIV to another cat.  So I take her to adoption events on the weekend, but the rest of the week she is here with me. 

I tend to have a bias against calico and tortoiseshell cats after fostering Scribbles and Whisper.  Calicos and Torties in general are known to have more "cattitude" than other cats.  There's no scientific basis for it, but in my experience, it's true, so I actually almost didn't take Belle from the shelter just because she was a calico.  But I'm so glad I did take her - she's one of the sweetest cats I've met.  She's started sleeping with me every night and she is so affectionate.  I hope that some adopter out there will see what a wonderful cat she is, and give her the forever home that she so deserves.  

FIV Cats

I'm sure that some of you who are reading this know much more about FIV than I do.  But for those of you who don't know much about it, here's a quick lesson.  I'll try to make it painless.

- FIV (Feline Immuno-deficiency Virus) is a slow virus that affects a cat's immune system over a period of years. 

Chester

- FIV is a cat-only disease and cannot be spread to humans or other non-felines.

Bart

-  FIV cats most often live long, healthy, and relatively normal lives with no symptoms at all.

Arnie

- FIV is not easily passed between cats. It cannot be spread casually - like in litter boxes, water and food bowls, or when snuggling and playing. It is rarely spread from a mother to her kittens.

Hallie

- The virus can be spread through blood transfusions, badly infected gums, or serious, penetrating bite wounds. (Bite wounds of this kind are extremely rare, except in free-roaming, unneutered tomcats.)

Milo

- A neutered cat, in a home, is extremely unlikely to infect other cats, if properly introduced.

Morris

- Many vets are not educated about FIV since the virus was only discovered 15 years ago.

Theo

- FIV-positive cats should be kept as healthy as possible. Keep them indoors and free from stress, feed them a high-quality diet, and treat any secondary problems as soon as they arise.

Turner

FIV Facts courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society

As you probably guessed, each of the cats shown above is a cat waiting for a home.  They've each been waiting a long time, because they tested positive for FIV.  The crazy part is in some cases they may not even have FIV.  If they were ever vaccinated against it, they will show as positive for the virus for the rest of their lives.  And even if they do have FIV, they may go their entire life without ever showing symptoms.  FIV positive cats can live long, healthy, happy lives.  So please, if you're considering adopting a cat, consider one of these very worthy FIV cats.